Double Period AP Science

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are some posters so nasty and aggressive?

The OP just wants to know how their kid can enroll in AP science courses without sacrificing other coursework. Others, who have faced or are facing the same issue, are trying to help.

If you feel jealous or insecure, this is not the thread for you.

The magnet program is different, for good and ill. The magnet classes are more interesting and challenging... but the rest of the classes offered depend on the high school, and there is a perception that magnet students face stiffer competition for spots in first tier universities than general ed students do.

Maybe because people are sick of entitled parents who try and boss staff around to get what they want. There are over 160k students. If you want an al a carte high school experience that goes against MCPS advice, go to private.

Like private is any better. We would consider homeschooling but we are both working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the deal with Door Period AP Science classes, which also have a prerequisite of the Honors version of the course? (Biology, Chem, Physics)

How do high performing science/engineering inclined students get through their course goals, with all this time blocked off in the schedule?

Do they take extra online courses to round out their schedule?

Double Period cuts the school day back to 6 courses, while over at the magnet the students have 8 classes and they are get the classes done in less time.

You need to stop this idea of competing with the magnet kids. There's nothing wrong with a double period science and not having 8 class periods. It's actually better to go more into depth with fewer classes!

Slower is not more in depth. Magnet classes go faster and also deeper (even getting double credit for intro science by lying about it being DP on the transcript!), because they expect students to understand things more quickly.

Capable students who are not at the magnet are in pinch. Many take online APs (up to 2 at a time) to supplement.

Exactly. PP must be teaching one of those precious snail-paced MCPS classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the deal with Door Period AP Science classes, which also have a prerequisite of the Honors version of the course? (Biology, Chem, Physics)

How do high performing science/engineering inclined students get through their course goals, with all this time blocked off in the schedule?

Do they take extra online courses to round out their schedule?

Double Period cuts the school day back to 6 courses, while over at the magnet the students have 8 classes and they are get the classes done in less time.

My magnet kid took two “double period” classes last year (chemistry and physics). Neither of them were actually double period - that is they took up one class for one sensor only but are clearly identified as “double period”.

What happens in magnet isn't relevant. Nothing special about the magnet programs except parents like you brag.

Seriously. It’s so weird. Whose high school career is it? The kid’s or the parent’s?

The magnet does not allow for student choice or electives. No flexibility. We declined it. I did not see what was so great about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was in high school, I had single period AP Bio (by some miracle we somehow managed to do the labs like every other school in the country, most of which are single period) and I had room in my schedule to take an Anatomy&Physiology class to "go deeper". We even managed to have labs in that class!

Exactly but our school does not have ap classes in science which sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the deal with Door Period AP Science classes, which also have a prerequisite of the Honors version of the course? (Biology, Chem, Physics)

How do high performing science/engineering inclined students get through their course goals, with all this time blocked off in the schedule?

Do they take extra online courses to round out their schedule?

Double Period cuts the school day back to 6 courses, while over at the magnet the students have 8 classes and they are get the classes done in less time.

My magnet kid took two “double period” classes last year (chemistry and physics). Neither of them were actually double period - that is they took up one class for one sensor only but are clearly identified as “double period”.

What happens in magnet isn't relevant. Nothing special about the magnet programs except parents like you brag.

Seriously. It’s so weird. Whose high school career is it? The kid’s or the parent’s?

The magnet does not allow for student choice or electives. No flexibility. We declined it. I did not see what was so great about it.

What are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the deal with Door Period AP Science classes, which also have a prerequisite of the Honors version of the course? (Biology, Chem, Physics)

How do high performing science/engineering inclined students get through their course goals, with all this time blocked off in the schedule?

Do they take extra online courses to round out their schedule?

Double Period cuts the school day back to 6 courses, while over at the magnet the students have 8 classes and they are get the classes done in less time.

You need to stop this idea of competing with the magnet kids. There's nothing wrong with a double period science and not having 8 class periods. It's actually better to go more into depth with fewer classes!

The Blair magnet shows what can be done and what can be learned within MCPS. It's a very useful reference point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are some posters so nasty and aggressive?

The OP just wants to know how their kid can enroll in AP science courses without sacrificing other coursework. Others, who have faced or are facing the same issue, are trying to help.

If you feel jealous or insecure, this is not the thread for you.

The magnet program is different, for good and ill. The magnet classes are more interesting and challenging... but the rest of the classes offered depend on the high school, and there is a perception that magnet students face stiffer competition for spots in first tier universities than general ed students do.

Maybe because people are sick of entitled parents who try and boss staff around to get what they want. There are over 160k students. If you want an al a carte high school experience that goes against MCPS advice, go to private.

Like private is any better. We would consider homeschooling but we are both working.

That is the best option to tailor education as parents see best. Anything else, there needs to be some compromise.

[Anonymous]

What are the names of the double period science courses? For example, AP Bio AP Chem AP ?? Do all MCP high schools have these double period science courses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the deal with Door Period AP Science classes, which also have a prerequisite of the Honors version of the course? (Biology, Chem, Physics)

How do high performing science/engineering inclined students get through their course goals, with all this time blocked off in the schedule?

Do they take extra online courses to round out their schedule?

Double Period cuts the school day back to 6 courses, while over at the magnet the students have 8 classes and they are get the classes done in less time.

My magnet kid took two “double period” classes last year (chemistry and physics). Neither of them were actually double period - that is they took up one class for one sensor only but are clearly identified as “double period”.

What happens in magnet isn't relevant. Nothing special about the magnet programs except parents like you brag.

Seriously. It’s so weird. Whose high school career is it? The kid’s or the parent’s?

The magnet does not allow for student choice or electives. No flexibility. We declined it. I did not see what was so great about it.

Well that’s strange because my magnet kid at Blair has both choices and electives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the names of the double period science courses? For example, AP Bio AP Chem AP ?? Do all MCP high schools have these double period science courses?

Is it same across the district or do only some HS offer double period AP science courses? Is AP Environmental Science double period?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the names of the double period science courses? For example, AP Bio AP Chem AP ?? Do all MCP high schools have these double period science courses?

Is it same across the district or do only some HS offer double period AP science courses? Is AP Environmental Science double period?

At our high school, AP Bio and AP Chem are both double periods. It may depend on the high school, so check your course offerings. I know AP Physics C is just one period (but a really hard one!). The double period is really just so the experiments have time to give you a result. Some high schools lack sufficient teachers or interested students to offer some science courses. At our high school, we were warned that AP Chem might not be offered every year, which is a bummer for my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are some posters so nasty and aggressive?

The OP just wants to know how their kid can enroll in AP science courses without sacrificing other coursework. Others, who have faced or are facing the same issue, are trying to help.

If you feel jealous or insecure, this is not the thread for you.

The magnet program is different, for good and ill. The magnet classes are more interesting and challenging... but the rest of the classes offered depend on the high school, and there is a perception that magnet students face stiffer competition for spots in first tier universities than general ed students do.

Maybe because people are sick of entitled parents who try and boss staff around to get what they want. There are over 160k students. If you want an al a carte high school experience that goes against MCPS advice, go to private.

The top privates are supposed to be better at teaching writing, because teachers have fewer students and more time to give personal feedback. In MCPS, I have observed that writing feedback is sparse and kids get away with pretty poor text analysis skills until they get to AP Lit, which separates the wheat from the chaff.
MCPS and FCPS are supposed to be better at teaching science, because with their resources and sheer number of students, they can offer a wide array of STEM classes, with decent labwork. Math is hit or miss depending on the teacher in any school, but MCPS offers more advanced coursework in math than most privates, with possibility of accepting credits from CC and UMD if the kid runs out of classes in school (I knew such a kid). MCPS STEM magnets offer fascinating and challenging topics for the STEM-minded. Sidwell has its math proof section, which is a nice, in-depth series. It doesn't go far, but it goes deep. Area publics have no equivalent, to my knowledge.

That's before we talk about whether 70K/yr is worth it for the top private, when a writing or math tutor costs far less

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the deal with Door Period AP Science classes, which also have a prerequisite of the Honors version of the course? (Biology, Chem, Physics)

How do high performing science/engineering inclined students get through their course goals, with all this time blocked off in the schedule?

Do they take extra online courses to round out their schedule?

Double Period cuts the school day back to 6 courses, while over at the magnet the students have 8 classes and they are get the classes done in less time.

You need to stop this idea of competing with the magnet kids. There's nothing wrong with a double period science and not having 8 class periods. It's actually better to go more into depth with fewer classes!

Slower is not more in depth. Magnet classes go faster and also deeper (even getting double credit for intro science by lying about it being DP on the transcript!), because they expect students to understand things more quickly.

Capable students who are not at the magnet are in pinch. Many take online APs (up to 2 at a time) to supplement.

No one, even if they are smart magnet kids can do a lab with substantive depth in 45 minutes. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

AP Human Geography counts for Science

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP Human Geography counts for Science

Single period