skipping intro classes on HS

[Anonymous]

Have you, or anyone you know, convinced s high school to let a students skip intro HS classes in core math or science or computer science, and enter directly into the AP level versions of these classes?
(Physics 1 doesn't count for this question).

If so, what documentation did you provide? Did your school provide a placement test?

[Anonymous]

There are prerequisites for a reason. Unless you can document that you have taken the equivalent course already, you aren’t going to be able to just skip prerequisites.

[Anonymous]

You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

[Anonymous]

MCPS allows APs starting in 9th grade for social science (usually AP Gov and Pol) and tech requirements (usually AP Computer Science Principles). But not for math, because of the state requirement of one math class every year (most high schools don't have 3 more math classes after AP Calc BC, so it means dual enrollment at Montgomery College or a UMD course) and usually not for science, because the College Board has prerequisites for AP Physic C, AP Chem and AP Bio that are usually not met by 9th grade.

That being said, my kid and some others have taken AP Calc BC in 10th, because they'd been on that pathway since middle school due to taking Alg 1 in 6th, or coming from different school systems with accelerated math. Which means they can take AP Phys C starting in 10th as well, since it has a calculus requirement. Theoretically, AP Chem and AP Bio need their Honors counterparts first, but I have found that if you demonstrate proficiency in math and one hard science, science coordinators let the kid off the hook for the other hard science's pre-requisites. AP Bio and AP Chem are double periods at most (if not all?) MCPS high schools, so they're a little difficult to fit in if the student also wants to take various classes in other disciplines.

I haven't heard of placement tests for any of these. They just look at previous coursework and go from there. Before middle school, my kid did have a placement test for Alg 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are prerequisites for a reason. Unless you can document that you have taken the equivalent course already, you aren’t going to be able to just skip prerequisites.

Is Khan Academy record accepted as documentation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are prerequisites for a reason. Unless you can document that you have taken the equivalent course already, you aren’t going to be able to just skip prerequisites.

Is Khan Academy record accepted as documentation?

Probably not.

[Anonymous]

"AP" Computer Science Principles is another example of an intro class to skip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"AP" Computer Science Principles is another example of an intro class to skip.

It's very useful to fulfill the tech requirement for kids looking to boost their GPA and who aren't interested in doing other computer science classes. There's AP Java, but that has a prerequisite, so most kids can't take it in 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

AP Chem and AP Bio are double periods, so they effectively are their own prereqs, when compared to an academically rigorous school district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"AP" Computer Science Principles is another example of an intro class to skip.

It's very useful to fulfill the tech requirement for kids looking to boost their GPA and who aren't interested in doing other computer science classes. There's AP Java, but that has a prerequisite, so most kids can't take it in 9th grade.

Of course kids who don't like computer science very much are welcome to take Principles if they want to. But kids who want to learn computer science want to take courses that will teach them computer science they haven't already learned in middle school courses and summer camps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"AP" Computer Science Principles is another example of an intro class to skip.

It's very useful to fulfill the tech requirement for kids looking to boost their GPA and who aren't interested in doing other computer science classes. There's AP Java, but that has a prerequisite, so most kids can't take it in 9th grade.

Of course kids who don't like computer science very much are welcome to take Principles if they want to. But kids who want to learn computer science want to take courses that will teach them computer science they haven't already learned in middle school courses and summer camps.

PP you replied to. I agree. It's good to clarify which courses are good for which kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to take Biology, Chemistry and I forget what else as graduation requirements but if they offer AP yes you can take them directly. With math you go to the next class and if its an AP you can take it.

Biology is a prerequisite for AP Biology. Chemistry is a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. No, you cannot just skip those classes.

Yes you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are prerequisites for a reason. Unless you can document that you have taken the equivalent course already, you aren’t going to be able to just skip prerequisites.

Is Khan Academy record accepted as documentation?

No

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS allows APs starting in 9th grade for social science (usually AP Gov and Pol) and tech requirements (usually AP Computer Science Principles). But not for math, because of the state requirement of one math class every year (most high schools don't have 3 more math classes after AP Calc BC, so it means dual enrollment at Montgomery College or a UMD course) and usually not for science, because the College Board has prerequisites for AP Physic C, AP Chem and AP Bio that are usually not met by 9th grade.

That being said, my kid and some others have taken AP Calc BC in 10th, because they'd been on that pathway since middle school due to taking Alg 1 in 6th, or coming from different school systems with accelerated math. Which means they can take AP Phys C starting in 10th as well, since it has a calculus requirement. Theoretically, AP Chem and AP Bio need their Honors counterparts first, but I have found that if you demonstrate proficiency in math and one hard science, science coordinators let the kid off the hook for the other hard science's pre-requisites. AP Bio and AP Chem are double periods at most (if not all?) MCPS high schools, so they're a little difficult to fit in if the student also wants to take various classes in other disciplines.

I haven't heard of placement tests for any of these. They just look at previous coursework and go from there. Before middle school, my kid did have a placement test for Alg 1.

We had no placement test for algebra in 6th. It was map scores and teacher recommendation.