Blair SMAC - AP selections

[Anonymous]

Hello! my child is a freshman at Blair, he has elected for APUSH this year. However we have heard that kids have elected for different APs such as AP Physics in freshman year. Does anyone have information on how can one choose these AP classes when they were not on the google selection form (circulated in the beginning of high school for selecting your classed)?

My child plans to ask the coordinator at school but I thought i reach out and see if any one has any information.

Thank you in advance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello! my child is a freshman at Blair, he has elected for APUSH this year. However we have heard that kids have elected for different APs such as AP Physics in freshman year. Does anyone have information on how can one choose these AP classes when they were not on the google selection form (circulated in the beginning of high school for selecting your classed)?

My child plans to ask the coordinator at school but I thought i reach out and see if any one has any information.

Thank you in advance!

It would usually be what their middle school teacher recommended in Synergy or a parent advocated for there student to be in AP Physics by talking to the counselor. However it is way too late to switch to Physics now. Moving forward there is a course bulletin on the counseling website with all the information for each class and the prerequisites. You can also ask the teacher what they recommend for next year.

[Anonymous]

Huh?

Is your child in SMCS? SMCS students take Advanced Science in 9th, not AP Physics.

SMCS students don’t take AP Physics 1/2; they take magnet classes. Some students take AP Physics C in later years; others take magnet classes and then take AP Physics C exam(s) without the AP class.

[Anonymous]

Is your kid in the magnet at Blair, as suggested by the title of this thread? If so, he has to take the magnet physics and chemistry classes in 9th grade, so AP Physics wouldn't make sense. Perhaps he's talking to other kids at Blair who aren't in the magnet; AP Physics could be a choice for them in 9th grade.

Also, it was emphasized repeatedly during the open house and invited student programs that the magnet program is not an AP program. If your kid's goal is to maximize the number of AP classes, that might not fit well with the magnet courses and requirements.

[Anonymous]

My child is a few years out but at that time freshman magnets took no APs

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for the responses.

Yes, my child is in Blair SMCS magnet and is in 9th grade. Our goal is not to maximize the APs, but we wanted to know how someone could opt for an AP that was not available in the selection form.

I really appreciate the responses, thank you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for the responses.

Yes, my child is in Blair SMCS magnet and is in 9th grade. Our goal is not to maximize the APs, but we wanted to know how someone could opt for an AP that was not available in the selection form.

I really appreciate the responses, thank you

You just discovered this while your child has been in the class for 4 weeks? SMACS kids have their own physics class, and they shouldn't take AP phys. Send an email to their counselor now. If it's some mis-operation at their end, there might be a chance to revert.

[Anonymous]

Up until a year ago they wouldn't even let magnet kids take APUSH in 9th. This is a new thing and may be piling a lot on a full plate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for the responses.

Yes, my child is in Blair SMCS magnet and is in 9th grade. Our goal is not to maximize the APs, but we wanted to know how someone could opt for an AP that was not available in the selection form.

I really appreciate the responses, thank you

You just discovered this while your child has been in the class for 4 weeks? SMACS kids have their own physics class, and they shouldn't take AP phys. Send an email to their counselor now. If it's some mis-operation at their end, there might be a chance to revert.

[Anonymous]

Some Magnet courses are open to non-Magnet Blair students, so a non-Magnet student might be in a Magnet class and also in an AP class the Magenet students don't take. And some non-science classes (like English) have a mix of Magnet SMCS and Magnet CAP and non-magnet students.

[Anonymous]

non-magnets can take magnet classes, so a kid could take APUSH and magnet class(es).

[Anonymous]

magnet freshman take the exclusively magnet advanced physics but some choose to also take the ap physics 1 exam at the end of the year (but must self study to fill in gaps)

same thing with AP computer science A and taking ADSA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:non-magnets can take magnet classes, so a kid could take APUSH and magnet class(es).

Starting last year, Blair lets 9th graders take APUSH. This includes magnet kids. Ostrander discourages it, but I’m sure lots of them do it anyway.

It is not unusual at Blair for the non-magnet kids to take AP Physics A (non-calc based) in 9th, but the magnet kids take the accelerated Physics and Chem (full year courses taught in one semester).

[Anonymous]

Throughout the whole magnet admissions and onboarding process they stress that if one is trying to max out APs the program is not a good fit.

Magnet kids take magnet science in 9th and 10th, so they wouldn't be eligible for AP Physics (I guess they would be able to technically take it as an elective, but that seems like a complete waste of a course and they'd be better off just taking the test without the class, which I think you can do).

Anyway, if a kid or parent wants to take AP Science in 9th or 10th in the magnet program, they should reevaluate if the magnet program is a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huh?

Is your child in SMCS? SMCS students take Advanced Science in 9th, not AP Physics.

SMCS students don’t take AP Physics 1/2; they take magnet classes. Some students take AP Physics C in later years; others take magnet classes and then take AP Physics C exam(s) without the AP class.

This. I have a current 10th graders and a handful of his non-magnet friends took AP Physics last year, and the Wheaton Engineering kids take AP Physics as part of their normal course load, but it makes zero sense for a Blair SMAC kid to take AP Physics unless they are in some kind of AP arms race.