REFORM: The Advanced Placement (AP) design has serious issues worth addressing.
By Brandon Byrne, Staff Writer
AP classes are designed to emulate college courses and to challenge honor students. Students are given an extra grade point to boost their grade point average (GPA) and the opportunity to receive college credit if he or she passes the AP exam at the end of the year. Across the nation, students feel that they must take several of these courses to compete for admission to top universities. This reality is why Poly offers so many; without these classes, there is a perception that Poly students could not compete with others in the college admissions process. AP classes do have much to offer, but their current implementation methods do not allow students to adequately explore their interests. The best way to revise this system is to limit the sheer volume of AP classes a student can take.
Under the current AP system, students feel they need to take several AP classes to be competitive in college admissions. At a minimum, that means an AP language, an AP science, an AP history, an AP math and maybe even another AP elective class all in the same year just to have a shot at a top school. But this raises the question: why are students expected to take AP courses
not relevant to their future major?
Current Poly students question this current model. “I wish colleges would look at it [the AP credit system] so that we didn’t have to take a whole bunch of classes on stuff that you don’t care about or need for your profession,” AP student Andrew Stetkevich (11) said.
With students taking so many AP classes, they can no longer delve fully into the subject. AP courses teach college level material, and cannot be understood superficially. In essence, students are too thinly stretched, a trend that teachers have taken note of. “Some of my kids are taking five AP classes. There are simply not enough minutes in the week to study for this class the way they should […] instead they could be taking just three AP classes and having a real rich experience in those three.” AP Biology teacher Mr. Bagwell said.
These students are becoming jacks-of-all-trades, but masters of none. If they concentrated their efforts in classes directly applicable to their passions, they would become more knowledgable in that area before even approaching college. This should impress colleges much more than having a superficial understanding in many areas.
The AP Academy is a club at Poly that helps students concentrate their efforts on fewer AP classes but on ones that are relevant to their future major. Mr. Booth, the AP Government and Economics teacher, is the club advisor and agrees that if students cut down the number of AP classes on their schedule then they will really be able to get the chance to explore and find meaning in their classes. “I would say for the masses, for someone who is trying to alleviate some of the stress, hopefully the AP Academy is their chance to help them focus their energy to something that they can show to the colleges and say that maybe I didn’t take 15 AP classes but I took six and got a richer experience from them.” Mr. Booth said.
Another cause of trouble are the AP tests themselves. AP classes should not be guided by the sole purpose of training students for an exam. AP classes should make students use critical thinking skills on a subject throughout the year, with the test serving to gauge how well a student knew the subject, analytically and comprehensively. But in its current iteration, passing the test, rather than understanding the subject dominates the classroom.
“AP tests have become nothing more than fair disclosure and then you take the exam and a week later what did you learn? You learned how to master an exam.” Poly principal Dr. Michael Roe stated.
This problem with AP courses is a microcosm of our current educational climate; students are losing sight of the purpose of their education. High school has become an exercise, a game, a difficult process that everyone has to goes through. This is a tragedy; it should be a journey that helps one learn how one wants to spend the rest of their life. “We aren’t really teaching kids to follow their bliss; we are teaching them to score a number on a test.” Mrs. Wilson said.
“I don’t get a rich experience out of my classes and if you ask most AP students at this school they’ll say they take AP classes mainly for the weighted grade on their transcripts.” AP student Ryan Eagan-Robins (11) said.
AP classes need to be redefined because we have lost sight of the supreme importance of education. It’s not the score on a test, but the encouragement of discussion, curiosity and wonder in students. Ultimately what the AP system needs is to emphasize quality over quantity in their classes. If students could only take three AP classes, not only would they feel less stress than when they were taking five, but they would become more knowledgable in a field that they care about.