10+ AP classes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for your replies. My questions are:

1) Are your kids not taking MV calculus - not an AP class?
2) What about double period AP classes - like chemistry and bio, in our kid's HS? Do they not eat up into other classes (e.g. you can only take 6 subjects rather than seven)
3) My kid wants to take AP drawing but it takes a long time to get there (4 years). Any advice?

Admissions departments gave them the eye brow and suggested slowing students down.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis DC student; one each in 8th and 9th (and could have taken 2 in 9th); 6 in 10th (two econ, which are 1 semester courses), and 5 or 6 in 11th. And unusually, calc is split into 2 years (AB then BC).

DS's college friends came into college with enough math for half a math major.

Good on them for getting the non-proof based math out of the way so they can start with the meat of the major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like many schools have put an AP in front of a lot of their classes. A different kind of inflation.

That's not inflation and they have to take AP tests.

[Anonymous]

My DC’s private school requires the honors version of science classes before the AP version. So honors Bio in 9th, honors Chem in 10th and honors Physics in 11th. You can take the AP versions in 11th as an elective and another as your 12th grade science. I thought this was commonplace. So some schools let you go straight to AP bio, etc without ever taking biology in high school? Kids also have to take Calc AB before Calc BC. I am realizing that allowing a ton of APs from 9th grade and without pre-requisites or applications into the AP classes is also a form of grade inflation!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC’s private school requires the honors version of science classes before the AP version. So honors Bio in 9th, honors Chem in 10th and honors Physics in 11th. You can take the AP versions in 11th as an elective and another as your 12th grade science. I thought this was commonplace. So some schools let you go straight to AP bio, etc without ever taking biology in high school? Kids also have to take Calc AB before Calc BC. I am realizing that allowing a ton of APs from 9th grade and without pre-requisites or applications into the AP classes is also a form of grade inflation!

That’s how our MCPS HS does it, too. DD had to double up on sciences in 10th in order to be eligible for AP and IB sciences in 11th/12th. But she had friends at other schools who took AP Physics as freshmen.

[Anonymous]

What you'll find here is that reports of number of APs or GPA isn't really helpful. You need to get that info from your own school. See the example above where some student was taking an AP in 8th grade. Our school doesn't allow them in 9th and students only take one in 10th grade. Another HS in our district has kids take 1 AP in 9th. At our school, AP science (except Physics C) all take up 2 periods, so they are only enrolled in 6 classes. The AP class and lab will count at 2 APs for weighting, but only one for college credit. Our school doesn't weight honors classes and others weight it all. Ours includes all classes and some remove PE and other electives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis DC student; one each in 8th and 9th (and could have taken 2 in 9th); 6 in 10th (two econ, which are 1 semester courses), and 5 or 6 in 11th. And unusually, calc is split into 2 years (AB then BC).

More schools should split them. The rush to get students to do math as quickly as possible is getting out of hand. DS's college friends came into college with enough math for half a math major.

AB and BC are very similar. No reason to split.

Building the skills slowly can be helpful. Like Separating Mechanics and E&M rather than jamming them into one courses like some high schools do.

+1

Like actually allowing students to learn the material---what a novel concept. Our school does AB first then BC. And BC is taught assuming this so the "AB review portion" is only 3-4 weeks, then onto the "new BC material". This way the students really have time to learn and internalize the material.

And Mech and E&M are separate courses. All APs are full year courses, no "double period for 1 semester".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC’s private school requires the honors version of science classes before the AP version. So honors Bio in 9th, honors Chem in 10th and honors Physics in 11th. You can take the AP versions in 11th as an elective and another as your 12th grade science. I thought this was commonplace. So some schools let you go straight to AP bio, etc without ever taking biology in high school? Kids also have to take Calc AB before Calc BC. I am realizing that allowing a ton of APs from 9th grade and without pre-requisites or applications into the AP classes is also a form of grade inflation!

I cannot imagine taking AP Bio or AP Chem as your first BIo/Chem class in HS. Our HS requires you to take the regular course first.
IMO, it's time to remember these kids are HS aged, not College students. Goal is to actually learn material. Really there is no need for AP Bio in 9th grade. My kid did Bio in 8th, Chem in 9th, then Physics in 10th, then started AP science in 11th (AP Chem in 11 and AP Physics C Mech in 12). Did not have a learning gap at a T30 university as an Chem Eng major. As Eng major, they actually need to understand most of those courses, so it's about actual learning, not "getting credit to never take another science/math course in college"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC’s private school requires the honors version of science classes before the AP version. So honors Bio in 9th, honors Chem in 10th and honors Physics in 11th. You can take the AP versions in 11th as an elective and another as your 12th grade science. I thought this was commonplace. So some schools let you go straight to AP bio, etc without ever taking biology in high school? Kids also have to take Calc AB before Calc BC. I am realizing that allowing a ton of APs from 9th grade and without pre-requisites or applications into the AP classes is also a form of grade inflation!

My DC's public does the same. I honestly don't think it dings a kid at all to do BioH, ChemH, PhysicsH, AP Sci. Diving into a rigorous science AP as a 13/14 year old just screams "I want to take lots of APs!" rather than a desire to learn. JMO.
They do also a allow AP Bio with Physics H junior year. So you can end up with 2 science APs, if you are STEMy.
We don't require AB before BC though. But I think the honors math you take as a junior is somewhat comparable to AB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis DC student; one each in 8th and 9th (and could have taken 2 in 9th); 6 in 10th (two econ, which are 1 semester courses), and 5 or 6 in 11th. And unusually, calc is split into 2 years (AB then BC).

More schools should split them. The rush to get students to do math as quickly as possible is getting out of hand. DS's college friends came into college with enough math for half a math major.

AB and BC are very similar. No reason to split.

Building the skills slowly can be helpful. Like Separating Mechanics and E&M rather than jamming them into one courses like some high schools do.

+1

Like actually allowing students to learn the material---what a novel concept. Our school does AB first then BC. And BC is taught assuming this so the "AB review portion" is only 3-4 weeks, then onto the "new BC material". This way the students really have time to learn and internalize the material.

And Mech and E&M are separate courses. All APs are full year courses, no "double period for 1 semester".

Really? You thought HS was for education? Education ended in MS. HS is a stepping stone to college, college is a stepping stone to a cushy job, and when you are bored in your old-age then you can learn Calc AB.

[Anonymous]

Sure they took ton of APs. But how did they do in school and in AP exams?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC’s private school requires the honors version of science classes before the AP version. So honors Bio in 9th, honors Chem in 10th and honors Physics in 11th. You can take the AP versions in 11th as an elective and another as your 12th grade science. I thought this was commonplace. So some schools let you go straight to AP bio, etc without ever taking biology in high school? Kids also have to take Calc AB before Calc BC. I am realizing that allowing a ton of APs from 9th grade and without pre-requisites or applications into the AP classes is also a form of grade inflation!

I cannot imagine taking AP Bio or AP Chem as your first BIo/Chem class in HS. Our HS requires you to take the regular course first.
IMO, it's time to remember these kids are HS aged, not College students. Goal is to actually learn material. Really there is no need for AP Bio in 9th grade. My kid did Bio in 8th, Chem in 9th, then Physics in 10th, then started AP science in 11th (AP Chem in 11 and AP Physics C Mech in 12). Did not have a learning gap at a T30 university as an Chem Eng major. As Eng major, they actually need to understand most of those courses, so it's about actual learning, not "getting credit to never take another science/math course in college"

the point is to save money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC took 12. 2 sophomore year, 5 junior year, 5 senior year. Lots of honors classes freshman and sophomore year. It's possible.

Our DC took 14: 2 2nd (Soph.) year, 7 3rd (Jr.) year, 5 4th (Sr.) year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC’s private school requires the honors version of science classes before the AP version. So honors Bio in 9th, honors Chem in 10th and honors Physics in 11th. You can take the AP versions in 11th as an elective and another as your 12th grade science. I thought this was commonplace. So some schools let you go straight to AP bio, etc without ever taking biology in high school? Kids also have to take Calc AB before Calc BC. I am realizing that allowing a ton of APs from 9th grade and without pre-requisites or applications into the AP classes is also a form of grade inflation!

My DC's public does the same. I honestly don't think it dings a kid at all to do BioH, ChemH, PhysicsH, AP Sci. Diving into a rigorous science AP as a 13/14 year old just screams "I want to take lots of APs!" rather than a desire to learn. JMO.
They do also a allow AP Bio with Physics H junior year. So you can end up with 2 science APs, if you are STEMy.
We don't require AB before BC though. But I think the honors math you take as a junior is somewhat comparable to AB.

My DC is at a school like this and is doing the honors science classes (Bio, Chem and Physics) and then AP Environmental Science in 12th. Not sure if that will hurt admissions chances, but applying to non-stem major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure they took ton of APs. But how did they do in school and in AP exams?

Mine had a 4.0 and pretty consistent 5s. No one takes a bunch of APs and fails them.