AP course for high school freshman?

[Anonymous]

We went to my son's high school yesterday to talk about his placement and courses for next year. He's a smart (somewhat lazy) kid with ADHD, but he's a good test taker. Due to his Pre-ACT score he was placed in all honors classes for his freshman year and AP World History (the only AP course offered for freshman at his school). He's an excellent reader, but his writing skills are mediocre. Honestly, I'm worried about him taking an AP class his freshman year, but my husband insists that we should trust the academic advisor's suggestion and challenge our son. I really don't care if he scores high on the AP test, but I wonder if it could be a good experience and help him better develop his critical thinking and writing skills. I'm torn between challenging him academically for the first time in his life versus letting him have some balance as he acclimates to high school. Anyone have experience with AP World History or with AP courses for freshmen?

[Anonymous]

Is this a public school? If it is, all honors is pretty much on-grade level courses. I have a kid with ADHD in 10th grade but it's private school. The workload for regular and honors courses is already intense. In his case, he won't take any AP courses at all until 11th or 12th grade. He already has a good 3+ hours of HW each night.

[Anonymous]

OP here. No, it's a private school. Thanks for the info.

[Anonymous]

My DD with inattentive ADHD who had been a straight-A student throughout middle school was about killed by AP World History. I really wish I'd said no to it. There was a ton of reading and managing that work load + honors in all other classes was far beyond her executive function skills. I would not recommend it.

[Anonymous]

Students in my kids' public high school program do AP US Gov freshman year. I understand it's sometimes a one-semester class, but they do it over two semesters, and are very deliberate about using it to introduce students to AP classes. Then, it's a jump up to AP US History sophomore year, and the kids do notice an increase in work and level of challenge. AP World History junior year is then easier by contrast. But I think that could be harder to jump into freshman year!

[Anonymous]

OP this is completely normal/ standard for schools like Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP this is completely normal/ standard for schools like Whitman.

Taking an AP in 9th grade is common at Whitman, but not taking AP World History which is supposed to have a very tough workload and is for 11th graders at Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Last year, my son with severe ADHD took AP US Gov and AP Computer Science in 9th grade. Then Covid hit, and the computer science project was not managed correctly (by him or his teacher) - he only got a 3. He got a 4 in AP US Gov thanks to an excellent teacher that did not let up on him, and pushed him to come to extra Zoom reviews outside of class. Without her, he'd have failed miserably, because he had difficulty sorting the definitions and memorizing examples for each.

I am sure your son can do well, but he has to be organized and work diligently all year long. I suggest you check whether he's doing all the assignments, particularly the practice tests, and ask the teacher whether flash cards or other material would be useful. Any bad grade means he's missed something and needs to consult with the teacher. He mustn't be afraid to ask for help and go to the office hours outside of class (or whatever they call it at his school)... and that goes for any subject. As you get closer to the exam, he can try a few practice tests to make sure he stays under the time limit and gets a feel for whether he's prepared or not. The College Board has help sessions on all the subjects every year, and of course, there are many tutors that can help (but that's a last recourse, because some can get pretty expensive).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went to my son's high school yesterday to talk about his placement and courses for next year. He's a smart (somewhat lazy) kid with ADHD, but he's a good test taker. Due to his Pre-ACT score he was placed in all honors classes for his freshman year and AP World History (the only AP course offered for freshman at his school). He's an excellent reader, but his writing skills are mediocre. Honestly, I'm worried about him taking an AP class his freshman year, but my husband insists that we should trust the academic advisor's suggestion and challenge our son. I really don't care if he scores high on the AP test, but I wonder if it could be a good experience and help him better develop his critical thinking and writing skills. I'm torn between challenging him academically for the first time in his life versus letting him have some balance as he acclimates to high school. Anyone have experience with AP World History or with AP courses for freshmen?

Have you asked your son what he wants to do? That matters as much or more than what you, your DH, or your kid’s counselor think he should do. If he’s 100% on board, then this sounds like It could be a good fit.

We were in the same situation a year ago, with teacher recs and test scores placing DC into AP World as a freshman. DC said no, thank you, it’s a pandemic, I haven’t even been to high school yet and I have plenty of time to take college classes. We respected that decision and it worked well for her this year.

[Anonymous]

^ regarding writing. It's the Achille's heel of many ADHD students. Writing on AP history tests has its own very peculiar rules, but it won't hurt to perhaps get a writing tutor this summer, someone who knows what the College Board is looking for, just to familiarize him with the various types of writing he'll encounter as he goes from AP to AP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to my son's high school yesterday to talk about his placement and courses for next year. He's a smart (somewhat lazy) kid with ADHD, but he's a good test taker. Due to his Pre-ACT score he was placed in all honors classes for his freshman year and AP World History (the only AP course offered for freshman at his school). He's an excellent reader, but his writing skills are mediocre. Honestly, I'm worried about him taking an AP class his freshman year, but my husband insists that we should trust the academic advisor's suggestion and challenge our son. I really don't care if he scores high on the AP test, but I wonder if it could be a good experience and help him better develop his critical thinking and writing skills. I'm torn between challenging him academically for the first time in his life versus letting him have some balance as he acclimates to high school. Anyone have experience with AP World History or with AP courses for freshmen?

Have you asked your son what he wants to do? That matters as much or more than what you, your DH, or your kid’s counselor think he should do. If he’s 100% on board, then this sounds like It could be a good fit.

We were in the same situation a year ago, with teacher recs and test scores placing DC into AP World as a freshman. DC said no, thank you, it’s a pandemic, I haven’t even been to high school yet and I have plenty of time to take college classes. We respected that decision and it worked well for her this year.

This! What does your kid want? If he doesn’t want that workload, it doesn’t matter what his daddy wants.