GDS just dropped AP testing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at STA and they have now kept APs in science, math and foreign language. They administer AP exams in the humanities.

Are NCS students allowed to take these APs at STA?

I think so. Not sure.
NCS has also kept the science, math and foreign lang APs.
At the rising 11th grade meeting this past spring they said they were officially in "AP limbo" with this class (2025). It wasn't
clear if they intend to bring back more APs but that wasn't ruled out.

[Anonymous]

If GDS classes are of such high rigor, surpassing traditional AP classes all students should be able to easily get a 5 on each one.

Why wouldn’t GDS administer the exams to prove that very point? It is an actual objective measure. No grade inflation or deflation there. GDS has been making so many unreasonable decisions in the past few years. A lot of expensive aggravation.

[Anonymous]

If you want to prove that a 3.65 at GDS is equivalent to an unweighted 3.98 at a public school, have the kids prove it. Take the AP exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at STA and they have now kept APs in science, math and foreign language. They administer AP exams in the humanities.

Are NCS students allowed to take these APs at STA?

I think so. Not sure.
NCS has also kept the science, math and foreign lang APs.
At the rising 11th grade meeting this past spring they said they were officially in "AP limbo" with this class (2025). It wasn't
clear if they intend to bring back more APs but that wasn't ruled out.

NCS and STA are doing much better by their students on this front than GDS is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to prove that a 3.65 at GDS is equivalent to an unweighted 3.98 at a public school, have the kids prove it. Take the AP exams.

That’s what many students have been doing. The school just made it even harder for them.

[Anonymous]

Private schools are wisely retrenching to establish their value as institutions where kids don’t have to grade-grub and rely on unquantifiable privilege and prestige instead.

[Anonymous]

Is GDS the only one of the schools that all agreed to get rid of APs that stuck with that decision?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The wording is key.

It’s true, there is no negative effect if a school does not have any AP classes to offer. The problem here is that is meant for schools in poorer districts that cannot afford to have AP programs and teachers got those classes or where there is very little interest by the majority of the student body.

A ‘top’ private, that charges $$$$, and has a mostly wealthy and privileged clientele that decides no more APs or AP exams is a red flag that’s obviously trying to game the system and rely solely on reputation. They know their students can’t compete with the public school kids in this area.

yep. Jackson Reed (DCPS) is next door and kids start cranking out APs in 10th grade there. Top kids will take 15+ but their pass rate (scores of 3+) on most is in the teens. My neighbor's kid was in 2 APs last year that didn't have teachers for 6+ months. So the kids just all got As for doing nothing (they couldn't grade them as there were no teachers to give any assignments).

The JR pass rate is actually around 58%. Not saying that is anything amazing, but why make up s**t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The wording is key.

It’s true, there is no negative effect if a school does not have any AP classes to offer. The problem here is that is meant for schools in poorer districts that cannot afford to have AP programs and teachers got those classes or where there is very little interest by the majority of the student body.

A ‘top’ private, that charges $$$$, and has a mostly wealthy and privileged clientele that decides no more APs or AP exams is a red flag that’s obviously trying to game the system and rely solely on reputation. They know their students can’t compete with the public school kids in this area.

yep. Jackson Reed (DCPS) is next door and kids start cranking out APs in 10th grade there. Top kids will take 15+ but their pass rate (scores of 3+) on most is in the teens. My neighbor's kid was in 2 APs last year that didn't have teachers for 6+ months. So the kids just all got As for doing nothing (they couldn't grade them as there were no teachers to give any assignments).

The JR pass rate is actually around 58%. Not saying that is anything amazing, but why make up s**t.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS charges for the exams. It’s a passthrough expense, so they don’t make money. But these tests are given on school days and are proctored by teachers, who don’t mind a breather in lesson planning and grading.

IOW, it’s a win or a wash. So why get rid of the tests?

The tests aren't proctored by teachers. They bring in people to proctor them so teachers don't have to miss class. It's the wrong decision to stop offering the tests, but this has nothing to do with it and is inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If GDS classes are of such high rigor, surpassing traditional AP classes all students should be able to easily get a 5 on each one.

Why wouldn’t GDS administer the exams to prove that very point? It is an actual objective measure. No grade inflation or deflation there. GDS has been making so many unreasonable decisions in the past few years. A lot of expensive aggravation.

They can still take the exams, just the school isn't coordinating them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The wording is key.

It’s true, there is no negative effect if a school does not have any AP classes to offer. The problem here is that is meant for schools in poorer districts that cannot afford to have AP programs and teachers got those classes or where there is very little interest by the majority of the student body.

A ‘top’ private, that charges $$$$, and has a mostly wealthy and privileged clientele that decides no more APs or AP exams is a red flag that’s obviously trying to game the system and rely solely on reputation. They know their students can’t compete with the public school kids in this area.

yep. Jackson Reed (DCPS) is next door and kids start cranking out APs in 10th grade there. Top kids will take 15+ but their pass rate (scores of 3+) on most is in the teens. My neighbor's kid was in 2 APs last year that didn't have teachers for 6+ months. So the kids just all got As for doing nothing (they couldn't grade them as there were no teachers to give any assignments).

The JR pass rate is actually around 58%. Not saying that is anything amazing, but why make up s**t.

Uh, no it's not.
Please find me the source for that 58%.
You're the one making s%^t up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t promote equity. It’s just doubling down on their awful decision to discontinue AP courses.

We don’t understand why that note went out at all.

It makes no sense. And trying to pretend their OpEd and personal view on national/global level AP testing is the end all be all, is not a good look.

bCC Ib program is looking really solid not GDS. Cuts the noise.

My kids don’t want a 1000 total student, $100k pa, liberal slac studies major, and small alum base anyhow.

[Anonymous]

*now, not not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not having to host the tests does save them time and effort and money. Maybe they will fold the savings into FA.

Yeah, can rent more space out in the weekends.
Private school teachers don’t want to proxy AP tests Saturday morning once a year on their specialty subject matter anyhow!