AP Classes to be Eliminated by 2022

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what to make of it other than that certain schools favored by the wealthy are trying to game the system to ensure their kids don't have compete with smarter kids, particularly Asians, at area public schools.

You, sir, are ridiculous. There are tons of smart kids, including Asian Americans, at all eight schools. That is but one reason you are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

I posted about this on this forum about four months ago and was called a liar! Ha!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By dropping APs, that means that adjusted GPAs in private schools will also end, right? (As I recall, an AP A is a 5.0, etc.)

What? Most private schools around here do unweighted GPAs. My dd is at NCS - the top GPA is 4.0 only. It's the publics that have gone crazy with the grade inflation.

Exactly. No reputable privates inflate grades. That is only an issue in publics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But won't these classes just be replaced by classes that are equally demanding, but not called "AP?"

If the new classes don’t recall hundreds of dollars in testing fees each year that would be a great thing.

Private s hills know how to create good rigorous classes, they don’t need APs,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The seven top private schools in the area issued a joint statement that they’re all eliminating AP. According to the Post, before “dropping AP, the schools surveyed nearly 150 colleges and universities about the potential impact. They said admission officers assured them the change would not hurt the chances of their students.”

Of course it won’t. Privilege begets privilege.

As a public school parent, this strikes me as privileged parents gaming the system so their children can never be compared directly to public school children. Colleges will just be told to trust them that their classes — and their children — are superior.

Hate to break it to you but the private school kids typically take many fewer AP’s compared to the public school kids. Regular honors classes in private school are rigorous enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But won't these classes just be replaced by classes that are equally demanding, but not called "AP?"

If the new classes don’t cost hundreds of dollars in testing fees each year that would be a great thing.

Private schools know how to create good rigorous classes, they don’t need APs,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The seven top private schools in the area issued a joint statement that they’re all eliminating AP. According to the Post, before “dropping AP, the schools surveyed nearly 150 colleges and universities about the potential impact. They said admission officers assured them the change would not hurt the chances of their students.”

Of course it won’t. Privilege begets privilege.

As a public school parent, this strikes me as privileged parents gaming the system so their children can never be compared directly to public school children. Colleges will just be told to trust them that their classes — and their children — are superior.

Hate to break it to you but the private school kids typically take many fewer AP’s compared to the public school kids. Regular honors classes in private school are rigorous enough.

Yep. I took one AP class in high school. I graduated with honors, though, and got into two top 20 universities early action (my top choices). HS was so much harder than college, too; I graduated with a 3.85 from college and barely tried.

Here’s the reason: 500 level classes at my HS are equivalent to AP in difficulty, while 600 level classes (which seniors typically take) are harder and are equivalent roughly to classes for college sophomores. Having done well in those classes is something few other high school students can say, so it sends a huge signal to colleges about our preparation for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP classes were designed for families who hope to save some money by have their kids get through college more quickly by skipping the freshman requirements. Its also been a way to "prove" that public schools are teaching advanced classes by using prescribed college level instruction and then publishing the number of those kidws who pass the exam with a 4 or 5. The problem is that the AP classes are rote and all the critical thinking and natural progression and tangential learning are removed.

There is no need for AP classes in top private schools like the ones named in this thread. Honors and advanced classes in these schools, with a little extra studying, is all that is necessary to pass the AP exam with a 4 or 5. Plus, colleges are already very aware of the high level or teaching and expectations at the top privates so "A"s really mean something and there is no need for weighting grades. Overall, APs just arent needed in private schools.

Elitist much?

I know of one well-known private that hired a three of my former PUBLIC school colleagues b/c their AP scores were abysmal. Even IF these top tier privates offer rigorous courses, if Daddy has money, even little Jo Jo, with her average intelligence, gets in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to RMIB, so I experienced both AP and IB classes. The AP classes were a mile wide and an inch deep, particularly in the humanities. In all my years of schooling K-12, I spent one week total on the Civil War. One week! That was in AP US History. One of the seminal events of our nation's history, and it gets one week. We learned how to answer a DBQ but didn't really learn how to engage with primary source material. Meanwhile, thanks to taking IB History, I could probably still write an essay explaining the roots of the Russian Revolution and the impact of every Romanov tsar from Mikhail to Nicholas II on its development. And when I got to college, the history courses were much more like my IB classes than my AP classes. The top-tier colleges didn't even really count AP for anything, and I quickly understood why. So I applaud this move. If you want to churn and burn a bit above grade level, AP is great. If you want to learn in depth, you need something else. You can still take the AP exam and do well--just get a review book to learn the format and you'll be fine. That's what the IB kids did. People pay for private school to get something beyond what public school can offer, and AP is not that.

The AP courses and exams have changed significantly since you took them. College Board doesn’t prescribe how much time to spend in things like the Civil War. That was a choice your teacher made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP classes were designed for families who hope to save some money by have their kids get through college more quickly by skipping the freshman requirements. Its also been a way to "prove" that public schools are teaching advanced classes by using prescribed college level instruction and then publishing the number of those kidws who pass the exam with a 4 or 5. The problem is that the AP classes are rote and all the critical thinking and natural progression and tangential learning are removed.

There is no need for AP classes in top private schools like the ones named in this thread. Honors and advanced classes in these schools, with a little extra studying, is all that is necessary to pass the AP exam with a 4 or 5. Plus, colleges are already very aware of the high level or teaching and expectations at the top privates so "A"s really mean something and there is no need for weighting grades. Overall, APs just arent needed in private schools.

Elitist much?

I know of one well-known private that hired a three of my former PUBLIC school colleagues b/c their AP scores were abysmal. Even IF these top tier privates offer rigorous courses, if Daddy has money, even little Jo Jo, with her average intelligence, gets in.

Except it’s true, at least at top private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had three families with kids at W schools call me to ask about the private my kid attends. All 3 said they were looking to switch because the pressure on kids to take so many AP classes wasn’t healthy in their opinion. AP classes can be fine but only in moderation and some area schools have done a terrible job counseling moderation to the kids.

This. My kid is in a DC private (not a big 3) and AP offerings are slim. There are none in freshman year, one in sophomore year, and it ramps up a bit in junior year (up to four if you take an AP language).

Consequently, my kid has only taken two so far as a rising senior. He is considered competitive for top 20 schools regardless because he has excellent grades and test scores. The fact he only had 2 APs doesn't matter because he supplemented it with many honors courses (which are truly advanced courses unlike the public honors courses) and he has high GPA and ACT score. The admissions people look at the rigor of the student's course load relative to what the school offers, not compared to other students in other schools. This is where public school parents mainly don't get it. It's sad that schools like the one in my area (a MCPS W school) are pressuring these kids to take 10 and more APs during their high school career. Just one reason we are glad we decided on private.

[Anonymous]

I am curious, Doesn’t replacing AP with honors or higher level classes by another’s name just move the higher level course work to something with another name, even if higher quality or something, doesn’t it just turn the heat up even further on competition and pressure to do more, take harder classes, etc....? Like that’s these classes are going deeper but does that limit access to these classes to a smaller poool— just confused about the the dynamic it creates to replace the well know. AP dynamic...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am curious, Doesn’t replacing AP with honors or higher level classes by another’s name just move the higher level course work to something with another name, even if higher quality or something, doesn’t it just turn the heat up even further on competition and pressure to do more, take harder classes, etc....? Like that’s these classes are going deeper but does that limit access to these classes to a smaller poool— just confused about the the dynamic it creates to replace the well know. AP dynamic...?

They're just changing the name of the classes, dropping the "AP". Kids will still take the AP tests if they feel that they're going to get a 4 or 5. Kids will still skip the AP test if they think they'll get a 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP classes were designed for families who hope to save some money by have their kids get through college more quickly by skipping the freshman requirements. Its also been a way to "prove" that public schools are teaching advanced classes by using prescribed college level instruction and then publishing the number of those kidws who pass the exam with a 4 or 5. The problem is that the AP classes are rote and all the critical thinking and natural progression and tangential learning are removed.

There is no need for AP classes in top private schools like the ones named in this thread. Honors and advanced classes in these schools, with a little extra studying, is all that is necessary to pass the AP exam with a 4 or 5. Plus, colleges are already very aware of the high level or teaching and expectations at the top privates so "A"s really mean something and there is no need for weighting grades. Overall, APs just arent needed in private schools.

I agree with this - which is not to say that they aren't "needed" in public schools. I think children wanting a rigorous academic path in PS can see AP courses, taught by competent teachers, as a proxy for that. Public Schools don't get fancy courses like Neuroscience, etc. - we don't pay $40K a year so there are trade-offs. The AP courses, however, are good (not the best, not perfect) courses that serve a purpose of providing a road map for a decent education in a particular subject.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The privates just want more freedom to do what they want. Teach what they want. It doesn’t mean it’s necessarily better. I’m glad mine are out of HS and got credit for those freshmen classes. More time to concentrate on majors.

It is better. That’s why the best privates (ex: Andover) haven’t offered many APs in years.

Dear Andover woman 20+ years out of school,

Can you please cool it with your constant Andover comments.
Seeing you post the same name-dropping stuff every week, or maybe even every day, is embarrassing to the brand. Even if your in K-12 education industry and your are VP of Online Media viral marketing for private schools, please cool it with the DCUM drops.

have a good summer offline,
alum c/o 1997