Keystone Central School District recently announced that Central Mountain High School and Bucktail High School students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses will have their exams paid for this year by the Keystone Central Foundation through the Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program.
The AP program offers college-level courses and exams that students can take in high school. AP tests are a way a student can earn college credit at the majority of colleges and universities in the US and Canada by scoring a passing grade on the exam of 3 (the equivalent to grades of B-, C+, and C in college) or above.
Sometimes the cost of paying for these exams is prohibitive to students and their parents, and therefore, they don’t take advantage of the free college credits. However, the Keystone Central Foundation, the non-profit organization that supports the school district, is able to help off-set the cost of the exams this year by using Educational Improvement Tax Credits (EITC) donations. EITC is a specific tax savings program for local businesses. It allows the business to donate to the Keystone Central Foundation for specific initiatives, and in return, the business receives a considerable Pennsylvania tax credit of 75% – 90% of their contribution amount.
Central Mountain twelfth-grade Guidance Counselor Holly Moore commented, “Through the generosity of the Keystone Foundation, high school students were offered the opportunity to take the AP exam at no cost to themselves. By doing this, the Keystone Foundation eliminated cost as a barrier to students and families. Advanced Placement courses are collegiate level courses taught by trained school teachers with a culminating test offering students who score high enough, the possibility of college credit. These rigorous courses are made available to all students, but historically have required families to pay for students to test for credit. This support from the Keystone Foundation has gifted students the opportunity to earn this course credit for free.”
There are currently 121 students at CMHS, completing their courses in January, that are signed up to take 132 AP tests this spring. Bucktail numbers are not known at this time as those students will begin their AP courses in January and finish in the spring. The $9,273 bill will be covered entirely by EITC donations.
For more information on the Keystone Central Foundation, contact Melissa Bottorf by email at keystonecentralfoundation@gmail.com.
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