The Problem
Amongst the many effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the large-scale closure of schools. This meant that many high school students, having enrolled in Advanced Placement classes, couldn’t take the pen-and-paper exams - hence not having the opportunity to earn the college credit and placement they deserved. In a few months’ turnaround, we needed to design and develop an accessible, secure, easy-to-use digital version of over 20 examinations ranging from Calculus to English Lit.
The Process
We structured the work around a Core Team serving as a joint product owner, on which I served along with the heads of technology, security, and the AP program. We synced with other teams dedicated to specific platforms and experiences within the project. Between November 2020 and April 2021 we had 4 large-scale pilots, with real students, testing iteratively higher-fidelity and more secure versions of the entire end-to-end testing platform. We also worked with teachers and school counselors to develop reporting tools and readiness dashboards so they could help their students.
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The Product
1.8 million AP Exams were offered over 5 sessions from May through August 2021. 1.16 million individual students were able to test and be eligible for the benefits of the AP class they took - with an amazing 99.8% completion rate, far exceeding the program’s expectations. The secure testing platform we built also has laid the groundwork for accessible digital testing, and will be used for the SAT and other implementations in the near future.
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