AP test fees covered for low-income students

Advanced Placement exams may become a little less headache-inducing for low-income students across Iowa. The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday that it will give $41,576 in grants to the Iowa Department of Education under the Advanced Placement Test Fee Program.

Iowa is one of 43 states to receive funding from the $21.5 million initiative, which federal education officials anticipate will cover the $38 fee charged to low-income test takers for up to three exams per student.

The news may resonate especially deeply in Eastern Iowa: According to the 2012 Iowa AP Index, four of the state's five high schools with the highest rates of AP testing are located here.

AP exams, administered through the College Board, are an opportunity for high school students to receive college credit for upper-level coursework.