DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When Molly Reilly, an A student at Mainland High School got home from a mission trip last week, she couldn't wait to check her AP test score.
- Mainland freshman finds out she's 1 of hundreds who took mock AP exam
- Many students didn't find out if they took real or fake test till last week
- School board chairman says students may get to take test again next year
- PREVIOUSLY: Hundreds of Daytona Beach Students' AP Exams Invalid
"I actually put a reminder in my phone to check my AP scores the day that they came out," Molly said.
But when she logged onto her College Board account, she saw, "No scores available."
"I was in awe, and I refreshed it a lot of times, because I was thinking something has to be wrong for sure," Molly said.
That’s when she realized she was one of 336 freshmen students to be given a "mock" AP test after going through the AP Capstone seminar course. The students took the AP test at the end of the school year, but at the time, they all thought they were taking a real test.
An anonymous tip sparked an investigation into the fake test. Some students didn't learn they didn't take a real AP exam until just last week, when they went online to check their score.
On the day Molly took the AP test, she says something seemed off: Her test was a lot shorter than some of her friends', and the personal questions were different.
"Their test was around four hours when mine was around maybe two, two and a half, before we got released, and each of them had their little booklets and their bar codes and that was a little different... I did not get one," Molly said.
At the time, though, and as a freshman, she brushed it off. But on Friday, her worst fears were confirmed.
"I tried my hardest, so it feels really bad knowing it was for nothing," Molly said.
A state investigation determined that only 78 students took the real test for credit.
"My teacher always said that if you work hard enough and if you get a good grade in the test, then you will get college credit, so there was never a sign of you might not even get a chance to get college credit," she said.
Molly's mother, who tried to get her out of the class all year, is furious.
"(Principal) Dr. (Cheryl) Salerno was adamant that 100 percent of Mainland freshmen must take this class," Jen Reilly said.
She now wants her daughter to get the chance to earn the credit she worked so hard to get.
"This is an error in judgment that to me is... not acceptable," Reilly said.
"This is going to cost me $600, because she should have earned college credit, and for me to pay for her to earn that college credit out of my pocket, it will be $600," said Reilly, who says she's a widow and doesn't have money for her child's college.
According to Volusia County Schools, an internal investigation was conducted, and a decision about what to do will be announced in the next seven business days. The district said a letter will be sent home to all the parents involved.
School Board Chairman Carl Persis said previously that some students took a fake test because the district did not have enough funds for all the students to take the actual test.
He also said late last month that the students might have the chance to take the test again next year after some refresher tutoring.
Molly doesn't think that's fair.
"Personally, I am not a great test-taker, so sitting in a room with fluorescent lights for two hours really takes a toll on you, and having to do that another time, it's just not fair," she said.
Molly's mom wants her daughter to take the test again, but the College Board said they cannot do that until next year.
"What would be fair is if she was given the opportunity to take the real test now and get the credit that she has very well earned," Jen Reilly said.
Reilly also said her daughter got an A in that class.
"There's no doubt she would have passed the exam if she was given the opportunity to take it, but now she doesn't get credit for it," Reilly said.