which Big3 schools actually dropped APs this year as planned?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yawn.

They didn't stop offering classes that are rigorous enough to prepare you for the AP tests, they just removed the "AP" from the class description.

It's a shift in semiotics because the "AP" lost cred because it's so common now.

This is complete fallacy. They don't teach to the AP curriculum and kids will have to devote significant time to outside classes or independent study if they wish to score 4 or 5s. No easy way around it. The schools have screwed students up big time.

This just isn’t true. Maybe a weekend with a cottage industry book but that’s about all that is required, at least for decent students

Let's face it, the people pontificating about AP courses here have NO idea what is taught in them or not and how that compares to current non-AP offerings at DC area privates. They are just inventing assumptions to suit their prejudices.

This would be a very interesting discussion with people who actually teach. Like this, not so much.

[Anonymous]

I don't know, but earlier this year a friend of mine who teaches at NCS told me they still had some APs. Said getting rid of them was hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yawn.

They didn't stop offering classes that are rigorous enough to prepare you for the AP tests, they just removed the "AP" from the class description.

It's a shift in semiotics because the "AP" lost cred because it's so common now.

This is complete fallacy. They don't teach to the AP curriculum and kids will have to devote significant time to outside classes or independent study if they wish to score 4 or 5s. No easy way around it. The schools have screwed students up big time.

This just isn’t true. Maybe a weekend with a cottage industry book but that’s about all that is required, at least for decent students

Let's face it, the people pontificating about AP courses here have NO idea what is taught in them or not and how that compares to current non-AP offerings at DC area privates. They are just inventing assumptions to suit their prejudices.

This would be a very interesting discussion with people who actually teach. Like this, not so much.

+100
We parents have no clue but just go by what the school tells us.
I’m assuming that private schools prefer to differentiate themselves from public schools in as many ways as they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yawn.

They didn't stop offering classes that are rigorous enough to prepare you for the AP tests, they just removed the "AP" from the class description.

It's a shift in semiotics because the "AP" lost cred because it's so common now.

This is complete fallacy. They don't teach to the AP curriculum and kids will have to devote significant time to outside classes or independent study if they wish to score 4 or 5s. No easy way around it. The schools have screwed students up big time.

This just isn’t true. Maybe a weekend with a cottage industry book but that’s about all that is required, at least for decent students

Let's face it, the people pontificating about AP courses here have NO idea what is taught in them or not and how that compares to current non-AP offerings at DC area privates. They are just inventing assumptions to suit their prejudices.

This would be a very interesting discussion with people who actually teach. Like this, not so much.

Actually, it is about the students, not the teachers. I know that is a shock given your obviously vested interests. But not taking the class and then taking the exam is really not a big deal when you go to a strong private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yawn.

They didn't stop offering classes that are rigorous enough to prepare you for the AP tests, they just removed the "AP" from the class description.

It's a shift in semiotics because the "AP" lost cred because it's so common now.

This is complete fallacy. They don't teach to the AP curriculum and kids will have to devote significant time to outside classes or independent study if they wish to score 4 or 5s. No easy way around it. The schools have screwed students up big time.

This just isn’t true. Maybe a weekend with a cottage industry book but that’s about all that is required, at least for decent students

Let's face it, the people pontificating about AP courses here have NO idea what is taught in them or not and how that compares to current non-AP offerings at DC area privates. They are just inventing assumptions to suit their prejudices.

This would be a very interesting discussion with people who actually teach. Like this, not so much.

+100
We parents have no clue but just go by what the school tells us.
I’m assuming that private schools prefer to differentiate themselves from public schools in as many ways as they can.

I actually think we do know what our kid’s experience is. But the issue is you can’t generalize between all private schools and all private school students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yawn.

They didn't stop offering classes that are rigorous enough to prepare you for the AP tests, they just removed the "AP" from the class description.

It's a shift in semiotics because the "AP" lost cred because it's so common now.

This is complete fallacy. They don't teach to the AP curriculum and kids will have to devote significant time to outside classes or independent study if they wish to score 4 or 5s. No easy way around it. The schools have screwed students up big time.

This just isn’t true. Maybe a weekend with a cottage industry book but that’s about all that is required, at least for decent students

Let's face it, the people pontificating about AP courses here have NO idea what is taught in them or not and how that compares to current non-AP offerings at DC area privates. They are just inventing assumptions to suit their prejudices.

This would be a very interesting discussion with people who actually teach. Like this, not so much.

Actually, it is about the students, not the teachers. I know that is a shock given your obviously vested interests. But not taking the class and then taking the exam is really not a big deal when you go to a strong private.

I agree with you 100%. Those blindly defending AP classes are the folks who don't know how they differ from non-AP classes. Of course, if they used Google then went to the College Board's detailed description of each AP course, they could find out. If they spent $15 on a prep book, they would see how all of the facts and essay techniques are spelled out in detail there with multiple practice exams.

But that would push them beyond simple, emotional message board activity and into the world of actual evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yawn.

They didn't stop offering classes that are rigorous enough to prepare you for the AP tests, they just removed the "AP" from the class description.

It's a shift in semiotics because the "AP" lost cred because it's so common now.

This is complete fallacy. They don't teach to the AP curriculum and kids will have to devote significant time to outside classes or independent study if they wish to score 4 or 5s. No easy way around it. The schools have screwed students up big time.

Why would anyone take an AP exam if their school dropped it? Does not make sense.

Because
- UK/EU colleges require them for applications
- Many schools give you credit for AP scores of 4/5 - the biggest being the UC system
- Many schools let you place out of core requirement courses with AP scores and this gives a student flexibility to either choose a course of their liking in that core subject and can make it easier for a student to get a double major or add a minor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Several things bother me about this as a parent of a high schooler at one of these schools that dropped AP classes

First, the DOJ sued and settled with these DMV schools alleging collusion. They colluded and did not ask parent input. Big party foul. Look up the DOJ news release

Second, my school still offers the tests but not the classes. The school college office is very oblique when asked why. Here’s what I figured out since we are now deep in college process. Many colleges in US still take AP test scores to place kids out of required core classes. Otherwise the kid has to repeat language or chemistry or math at many of these schools. That’s actually an economic and choice architecture loss. The Ivies mostly stopped allowing AP tests to place out but basically every other college does grant credit. And credit is time and money.

Finally, the UK and EU universities - many of whom are gaining in popularity I notice, require 3 to 5 AP classes.

There’s never been a single email from our school warning parents of these last two facts. Not one.

And the UC system specifically calculates weighted GPA using AP. They do not accept UL tagged classes as high level. So these DC private schools have screwed over their students for UC admission. And the data shows that. The DC private YC admits to UCLA and UCB are very low last two years (can see it on UC regeants website)

So most parents and kids ignored signing up for AP tests (you can take the tests but they don’t teach the class). A small subset took the tests.

My advice - if you think at all that your kid fits into any of these buckets (placing out / up of some college core, UK/EU/Canada colleges, or UC) then have them sign up for AP tests at beginning of each each school year - esp sophomore, jr, senior. You can always opt out in the spring

Now if my $45k of tuition would compel the college office to explain this to parents and kids in advance, it would be great.

Instead they send this annual September email that says “you don’t need to sign up for these tests but here’s the link).

This is the advice I'd give anyone who asked me about taking APs at our Big 3 (probably the same one). The school is not as clear on this as they should be.

But FYI - according to my rising senior, it wasn't a small subset who took the AP Lit and APUSH tests last Spring - the numbers were too high - it was probably 50-75% (probably more for Lit than USH).

Agree. Also, students, there is no guarantee that you will get into a school that doesn't give credit (e.g. Ivy). If this happens, and you don't end up where you expected, and choose a school a that does give credit, as upset as you may be about not getting into the hoped for school, add to it that you will be taking intro courses for a year or two that others have placed out of. Particularly, if it is a big school, most of the top 25th percentile kids will be a year ahead of you in coursework, (e.g., some kids completely place out of the core requirements and jump right into the major, putting them at an advantage for internships). A lot of kids don't mind this, but it is something to consider.

Add to this that some schools have course registration based on the number of credits you have. A student with a ton of APs can register for classes their first year along with sophomores.