Anonymous wrote:All classes were easy. Some required more note taking. 4s and 5s. Made an attempt to cover the 5 core subject area before 12th grade. Good mix of Humanities too for a solid STEM student.

Did not take easy filler courses like Psych, Enviro, Human Geography. Took 1 in 9th, 3 in 10th, 4 in 11th and 4 in 12th. Started on the courses during summer break. Utilized Barrons as well as the online class in CollegeBoard.

Anonymous wrote:My "average" 10th grade kid is taking regular English, regular Algebra 2, Honors Chemistry, Honors World History, and Spanish 3 and has all As and 1 B+. His goal is to have about 4 AP courses by the end of high school so that he can be accepted into JMU. He will take AP Calc and AP Govt during his senior year. Any recommendations on which AP classes he should take as a junior? He would love to take AP Human Geography, and he hopes that there is enough interest for his FCPS HS to offer that class. He was also thinking about AP Psych or AP Biology or AP Enviro. He is worried that AP Physics might be too hard and is planning to take Honors Physics next year. He has no idea what he wants to major in at college.

Anonymous wrote:

My kid is also on track to graduate with 13 APs, including at least one in each of the 5 core subjects. I agree the classes are not universally easy (in particular ap psychology has been a lot harder for my kid than anticipated- he finds it tougher than bc calculus). I also agree, though, that some classes are rote and many “teach to the test” rather than being engaging, college level classes. On the whole we are still glad he has taken so many because one constant is that the peer mix in the classes is more focused and motivated.

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Anonymous wrote:I don't think the comment was b*itchy at all. The poster correctly called you out for saying all the classes were easy, yet your kid studied every day in the summer to prep for the test.

+1 it’s great that your kid is self motivated but they started studying in the summer which facilitated an easy experience with AP classes. That’s a significant qualifier to your statement!

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Anonymous wrote:My DS has done 7 AP classes, including 4 now during his senior year. We're not big fans of the classes. The teaching is geared entirely to helping the kids do well on the AP test itself, which are multiple choice and short answer essays. It blows my mind that my kid will graduate HS without ever having written a real research paper despite taking multiple AP history and government classes, that he read only one book in AP Lang, that AP Stats tests are all multiple choice (so no partial credit for work.)

We have a younger kid and may send him to private - since most of the higher tier DC privates don't do AP tests because of the test-focused curriculum. Or we'll have him do the IB curriculum at his public HS.

I think it might be your school, PP. DC has taken an AP history class every year since freshman year and has always had to write an in-depth term paper every semester. The two AP English had summer reading as well as several books read as part of the classes.

I don’t know about stats.

But I agree that AP’s are getting crazy. There are just too many! And schools have different rules regarding who can take the AP class.

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Anonymous wrote:No. All AP classes were easy for my kid. Got all 5s. Well balanced course load.

Easy because you forced your kid to prep for hours over the summer. Sure, my kid could get 5 and have an “easier” year if he started studying over the summer and bought a study guide too. But I’m not a tiger mom so my kid is doing just fine doing what is expected in class but I would not describe all APs as universally “easy.” OP, we are still in the middle of it (junior year) and my kid finds psych more work than expected but interesting. The core classes (calc, physics, Lang) are about what he expected.

Nope, no need for me to force my kid to prep. He likes to do well in school and in ECs and is super organized. I am not a Tiger mom but my kid is surely a Tiger kid. Sour grapes?

Nope. My kid is on track to have 13 APs and has a 4.0 so we are all good over here, but thanks. But I can still be honest and say to OP that all APs are not easy and my DS is definitely working harder this year than prior years to get good grades. And he is actually finding several of the classes interesting and engaging, not just rote teaching to the test as other PPs have suggested. As with everything, it very much depends on your kid and the individual teachers, but we have had a good experience so far.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the comment was b*itchy at all. The poster correctly called you out for saying all the classes were easy, yet your kid studied every day in the summer to prep for the test.

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Anonymous wrote:No. All AP classes were easy for my kid. Got all 5s. Well balanced course load.

Easy because you forced your kid to prep for hours over the summer. Sure, my kid could get 5 and have an “easier” year if he started studying over the summer and bought a study guide too. But I’m not a tiger mom so my kid is doing just fine doing what is expected in class but I would not describe all APs as universally “easy.” OP, we are still in the middle of it (junior year) and my kid finds psych more work than expected but interesting. The core classes (calc, physics, Lang) are about what he expected.

Nope, no need for me to force my kid to prep. He likes to do well in school and in ECs and is super organized. I am not a Tiger mom but my kid is surely a Tiger kid. Sour grapes?

Nope. My kid is on track to have 13 APs and has a 4.0 so we are all good over here, but thanks. But I can still be honest and say to OP that all APs are not easy and my DS is definitely working harder this year than prior years to get good grades. And he is actually finding several of the classes interesting and engaging, not just rote teaching to the test as other PPs have suggested. As with everything, it very much depends on your kid and the individual teachers, but we have had a good experience so far.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. All AP classes were easy for my kid. Got all 5s. Well balanced course load.

Easy because you forced your kid to prep for hours over the summer. Sure, my kid could get 5 and have an “easier” year if he started studying over the summer and bought a study guide too. But I’m not a tiger mom so my kid is doing just fine doing what is expected in class but I would not describe all APs as universally “easy.” OP, we are still in the middle of it (junior year) and my kid finds psych more work than expected but interesting. The core classes (calc, physics, Lang) are about what he expected.

Nope, no need for me to force my kid to prep. He likes to do well in school and in ECs and is super organized. I am not a Tiger mom but my kid is surely a Tiger kid. Sour grapes?