Why do Maryland public universities now give credit for a 3 on an AP exam?

[Anonymous]

I am going to start to read my MDs bio in 5-10 years.

[Anonymous]

This change was actually the result of a bill passed in the Maryland legislature in 2022. Your representatives at work!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep lowering the bar. The MD way.

You've never taken an AP exam, have you?

[Anonymous]

You may get credit for a 3 but it won’t mean you get credit for the higher level courses. At UMD, for example, a 3 in AP Calc does not mean you get credit for Math 140 (college calculus)- it says lower level elective. https://www.transfercredit.umd.edu/plc/APGenEd2023.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You may get credit for a 3 but it won’t mean you get credit for the higher level courses. At UMD, for example, a 3 in AP Calc does not mean you get credit for Math 140 (college calculus)- it says lower level elective. https://www.transfercredit.umd.edu/plc/APGenEd2023.pdf

and for reference the main website page https://www.transfercredit.umd.edu/plc.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sure it's the same for all public universities UNC, U MI, Cali schools, UVA, etc). It's the privates that want you to have a 4 or 5 and limit the amount of credits you can come in with. They want every penny from you

It was common when I went to college 25 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am going to start to read my MDs bio in 5-10 years.

Why? Most medical schools do not Accept AP/IB classes for the prerequisites, unless you take more advanced Chem courses in place of say Chem 101/102. And a MEd school applicant still has to take the MCATs, which require working knowledge of these pre-req courses.
Then once accepted they have to pass medical school, pass the boards, survive/pass residency, etc. Not something easily done if a kid did not learn Chem 101 material....

[Anonymous]

My kid had no desire to leap ahead. What is the harm in easing into the subject (while you are adjusting to college)? Taking it in college to be sure you have the basics down before taking an advanced class?

Now if you are trying to graduate early to save $, that is a different story. But my kid always expected to attend college for 4 years. Taking all required courses helped her GPA , which mattered for grad school admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid had no desire to leap ahead. What is the harm in easing into the subject (while you are adjusting to college)? Taking it in college to be sure you have the basics down before taking an advanced class?

Now if you are trying to graduate early to save $, that is a different story. But my kid always expected to attend college for 4 years. Taking all required courses helped her GPA , which mattered for grad school admission.

I’m with you. My kid is smart and I’m all for taking required courses, especially if they are math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's because it is essentially considered a "passing grade".

This is correct. The test is graded on a curve that means a 3 is a student who passed the class at a college level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sure it's the same for all public universities UNC, U MI, Cali schools, UVA, etc). It's the privates that want you to have a 4 or 5 and limit the amount of credits you can come in with. They want every penny from you

Nope. As a general rule, and only with very rare exceptions, UVA wants a 4. A 3 doesn’t cut it.

Once again falsely equating UVA with UMD.

http://records.ureg.virginia.edu/content.php?catoid=52&navoid=4102#Advanced_Placement_Program

Does anyone think that UMD and UVA are even in the same universe academically?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid had no desire to leap ahead. What is the harm in easing into the subject (while you are adjusting to college)? Taking it in college to be sure you have the basics down before taking an advanced class?

Now if you are trying to graduate early to save $, that is a different story. But my kid always expected to attend college for 4 years. Taking all required courses helped her GPA , which mattered for grad school admission.

I’m with you. My kid is smart and I’m all for taking required courses, especially if they are math.

+1 my DC took multivar in HS but started with Calc 2 in college. Great decision given the math required for the major.

[Anonymous]

My kid had no desire to leap ahead. What is the harm in easing into the subject (while you are adjusting to college)? Taking it in college to be sure you have the basics down before taking an advanced class?

My kid was not interested in advanced classes in Calculus, US Gov, Psych, CS or Physics. He wanted to take care of Gen Ed requirements so he could take more classes in his major/minor.

At least Maryland has a uniform system. He would have gotten credit for ALL of his scores (3-5) at VA Tech, but got credit for only 4/5 scores at JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm aware that the Maryland Higher Education Commission now mandates that Maryland universities give credit for 3's (not just 4's and 5's) on AP exams. I'm worried about the lowering of academic standards. Did the MHEC give a strong reason for this change? How do university professors feel about it? Please direct me to another thread if this has been discussed elsewhere. Thank you.

A 3 doesn’t demonstrate mastery of the subject; it’s just an average score in a class that’s barely college level to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm aware that the Maryland Higher Education Commission now mandates that Maryland universities give credit for 3's (not just 4's and 5's) on AP exams. I'm worried about the lowering of academic standards. Did the MHEC give a strong reason for this change? How do university professors feel about it? Please direct me to another thread if this has been discussed elsewhere. Thank you.

A 3 doesn’t demonstrate mastery of the subject; it’s just an average score in a class that’s barely college level to begin with.

it is a "passing grade"