Advanced-Placement-Lawsuit-As-Filed - Nationwide and California Class Action Complaint - Demand for Jury Trial

Sep 20, 2026

Nationwide and California class action complaint alleging that defendants failed to properly administer and allow access to the Advanced Placement (AP) program, seeking damages for plaintiffs and similarly situated individuals plus injunctive relief. The complaint describes the roles of the College Board and ETS in college preparation and AP exam development, administration, and scoring, and argues that at-home AP exam delivery during COVID-19 introduced fairness, accommodation, connectivity, test security, and score comparability concerns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages46

Reading Time1 h 56 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Plaintiffs' claims and relief sought

Role of the College Board and ETS in AP

COVID-19 shift to at-home AP exams and asserted concerns

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Case 2:20-cv-04502 Document 1 Filed 05/19/20 Page 1 of 46 Page ID \#:1 PHILLIP A. BAKER, BAR ID \#169571 [pbaker@bknlawyersc.com](pbaker@bknlawyersc.com) JENNIFER L. STONE, BAR ID \#325493 [jstone@bknlawyers.com](jstone@bknlawyers.com) BAKER, KEENER & NAHRA, LLP 633 West 5th Street, Suite 5500 Los Angeles, California 90071 Telephone: (213) 241-0900/Facsimile: (213) 241-0990 MARCI LERNER MILLER, BAR ID \# 162790 [marci@milleradvocacy.com](marci@milleradvocacy.com) CHRISTINA N. HOFFMAN, BAR ID \#161932 [choffman@milleradvocacy.com](choffman@milleradvocacy.com) MILLER ADVOCACY GROUP 1303 Avocado Avenue, Suite 230 Newport Beach, California 92660 Telephone: (949) 706-9734/Facsimile: (949) 266-8069 Attorneys for Plaintiffs UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA-WESTERN DIVISION Plaintiff J.P. on behalf of her minor son R.P., and all others similarly situated; THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR FAIR & OPEN TESTING doing business as FAIRTEST, a Massachusetts corporation; A.K., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated; R.G. on behalf of her minor son J.G., and all others similarly situated; Plaintiff M.S. on behalf of her minor daughter Z.S., and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, vs. EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICES (ETS), a New York corporation; THE COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD, a New York corporation, doing business as THE COLLEGE BOARD; and DOES 1 through 50, inclusive, Defendants. Case No.: NATIONWIDE AND CALIFORNIA CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL /// 899-5656-0001 -1- NATIONWIDE AND CALIFORNIA CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT & DEMAND JURY TRIAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Case 2:20-cv-04502 Document 1 Filed 05/19/20 Page 2 of 46 Page ID \#:2 Plaintiffs, Plaintiff J.P. on behalf of her minor son R.P. and all others similarly situated; THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR FAIR & OPEN TESTING (“FairTest”); A.K., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated; R.G. on behalf of her minor son J.G., and all others similarly situated; Plaintiff M.S. on behalf of her minor daughter Z.S., and all others similarly situated (collectively,“Plaintiffs”), allege and plead as follows: INTRODUCTION 1. Plaintiffs bring this suit against Defendants to recover the damages owed to them and others similarly situated and for injunctive relief as a result of the Defendants’failure to allow access to and failure to administer its Advanced Placement (“AP”) program properly and without prejudice. 2. The College Board is involved at every level of the college preparation, testing, admissions, financial aid, and placement process. It is the leading player in the higher education industry responsible for the fates of millions of high school students every year, deciding who will be recruited, who will apply, who will be accepted, who will receive financial aid, and who will be able to afford college and other postsecondary opportunities. The Educational Testing Service (“ETS”) is responsible for the development, administration, and scoring of College Board’s assessments, including AP exams. 3. AP is a program offered by the College Board that offers college-level courses and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities frequently grant placement and course credit to students who obtain passing scores on their AP examinations. The length of time each student will spend in college, their curriculum, and how much they pay to attend college are factors heavily influenced by College Board and the AP opportunities available to students. The College Board claims that AP courses and examinations also favorably impact college admissions decisions by demonstrating to admissions officers that a student is prep

FAQs

What is the lawsuit asking for?

The complaint seeks damages owed to the plaintiffs and similarly situated individuals, as well as injunctive relief related to the challenged AP administration and access issues.

What role do the College Board and ETS play in AP exams according to the complaint?

The complaint states the College Board is involved throughout the college preparation and admissions process and offers AP programs, while ETS is described as responsible for development, administration, and scoring of the College Board’s assessments, including AP exams.

Why do plaintiffs challenge the at-home AP exam format during COVID-19?

The complaint alleges serious fairness and access concerns, including lack of computers, internet access, quiet workspaces, issues for under-resourced students, and unresolved questions regarding disability accommodations, connectivity, test security, and score comparability.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn Holloway