Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Judging by the number of 4s and 5s being reported, I'd say the tests are too easy. Or anything below a 4 isn't worth mentioning.

Anyone know when/where a distribution of scores will be published?

My kids' school pre-tests all of the AP kids in late February, and they discourage anyone from taking the AP exam who isn't already at a high 3 level at that time. Unsurprisingly, when the results come out, all of the kids allowed to take the test earn 4s and 5s. The tests aren't necessarily too easy. There's a ton of self selection in who is taking the exams and who is opting out.

I agree, though, that anything below a 4 is unlikely to help with admissions or grant any credit.

My kids’ school does this too. They also adjust year end grades to reflect AP scores. So kids are likely to score in the 4/5 range IF they take the exam.

I’ve never heard of a school doing this! What about students who want to take it to get college credit. Even a 3 will earn credit at many colleges. That’s a terrible
Policy.

It’s probably Basis, or anyway Basis has a policy like this. It’s for-profit. And that’s the problem with for-profit schools, the policies are designed to make the school look good even if it hurts the kids.

Yay. A frothing at the mouth Basis hater jumping into a thread to spread misinformation. Just what we all needed.
I'm the first PP who said that my kid's school discourages kids from taking the AP if they're not on track to earn a 4 or 5. And yes, it is Basis. The key word here is "discourages", which is not the same as "prohibits." Any kid at Basis who is not recommended to take an AP can still do so. The only real difference is that Basis won't pay for the AP exam if the kid fails.

I think pre-testing the kids around late February, letting them know what score they would have earned on a real test, and then recommending them or not for the real test is a great policy that helps the kids immensely. Basis pays for the AP tests that they think your kid will pass, which is a lot better than most schools, where you have to pay for it. The system where kids are not recommended helps kids either avoid taking an exam that they will likely fail or helps them understand that they need to study hard and kick it into gear to pass the exam. One anecdote I have is that one of my kid's friends was not recommended for AP Physics I. He opted to take it anyway, crammed hard, and attended a lot of office hours with the teacher. He ended up earning a 4 on the test.

FWIW, I checked UVA, and for the most part, you need a 4 or 5 to earn any college credit. Not that many schools give credit for 3s. It's debatable that it makes sense for either the parents or school to pay for an AP exam that likely won't earn any college credit.

We are fortunate to be in a public school that pays for the exams - regardless of result. You can rationalize your school's policy all you want. I'm not convinced at all. It merely contributes to the "everyone must succeed, no failures" culture we've cultivated. It's not a waste of time for a student to take a hard exam and not do well. It can open their eyes to what college expectations v. high school expectations are. It can instill some needed humility in a kid who otherwise has always been told nothing but how wonderful he is. Your school's policy is driven by self-interest. How many "discouraged" students do you think go ahead and take the exam anyway? How many believe their teachers that they're not good enough and don't take the exam?

You really don't know how a student is going to perform an any given exam. My kid went into her AP Lit exam knowing she needed a 5 for credit at her future college and absolutely confident there was no way she would get a 5. She got a 5. She had no idea what she'd get on some of her others, took them anyway. She got 5's and one 4. Except for one of them, I don't think she really thought she'd get a 5. And there was no prediction practice test mid-year. BTW, a 3 is not a "failed" exam; but I guess the definition of "fail" at Basis is different. APs aren't pass/fail per se - they're credit/no credit.

Well, someone has to pay for each failed exam. One could argue that a school should have better uses for the thousands spent on failed AP exams, especially when the teacher is pretty sure that the kid will fail. I'm sure there is a lesson to be learned if a kid takes a hard exam and does poorly, but I'm not sure that the lesson is worth $140+. If I had to pay for my kids' exams, I wouldn't pay for any that I thought my kid might fail. But you do you. As far as Basis goes, it's really only the 9th and 10th graders who are "discouraged" from taking exams that they're likely to fail. All of the kids are required to take an AP in each core subject to graduate. If they haven't done so prior to 11th grade, they'll be required to take them at that point.

I'm not sure what the point is of your anecdote. Your kid didn't do a practice test, didn't have any way to gauge her performance, but got 5s. T[b]hat just means your kid has anxiety, second guesses herself a lot, or didn't know what the exams or grading looked like[/b]. If a kid is taking practice tests using prior tests or is using the materials provided by college board, they should have a pretty good idea of the general range of their score. Maybe a kid is on the margins and gets a low 4 rather than a high 3. For the STEM exams, you either know how to do the calculus/physics/chemistry, or you don't. There aren't really any surprises.

Huh? Because she didn't take a practice test she has anxiety or second guesses herself?
They don't do practice tests at our school; but they "practice" with prompts throughout the year and their teachers are focused on preparing them for the exam. So students do have some idea of what to expect, especially after they've taken their first AP exam.

Regardless, my point was simple: you never really know for sure how a student is going to perform on a given test.
So all of those "discouraged" students are not likely or guaranteed to "fail." I think it's very unfortunate that they are dissuaded from trying.

It's really weird for a kid to have such a distorted view of their performance that they got a 5 but thought there was no way they would get a 5. The college board released material should give you a pretty good idea of how you are likely to do. My kids have collectively taken 16 APs. Not a single result was a surprise.

Most schools don't pay for AP exams. Many schools also strongly gatekeep access to AP courses. I'm not sure why you're hating on Basis, which gives kids pretty broad access to AP courses even in 9th grade and pays for all of the ones that the kids look on track to pass, rather than hating on the majority of publics, which severely restrict APs in 9th and 10th and don't pay for any of them. The kids who aren't allowed to enroll in the AP class at all or who can't afford the pricetag for each test are surely feeling more "discouraged" than the Basis kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Judging by the number of 4s and 5s being reported, I'd say the tests are too easy. Or anything below a 4 isn't worth mentioning.

Anyone know when/where a distribution of scores will be published?

My kids' school pre-tests all of the AP kids in late February, and they discourage anyone from taking the AP exam who isn't already at a high 3 level at that time. Unsurprisingly, when the results come out, all of the kids allowed to take the test earn 4s and 5s. The tests aren't necessarily too easy. There's a ton of self selection in who is taking the exams and who is opting out.

I agree, though, that anything below a 4 is unlikely to help with admissions or grant any credit.

My kids’ school does this too. They also adjust year end grades to reflect AP scores. So kids are likely to score in the 4/5 range IF they take the exam.

I’ve never heard of a school doing this! What about students who want to take it to get college credit. Even a 3 will earn credit at many colleges. That’s a terrible
Policy.

It’s probably Basis, or anyway Basis has a policy like this. It’s for-profit. And that’s the problem with for-profit schools, the policies are designed to make the school look good even if it hurts the kids.

Yay. A frothing at the mouth Basis hater jumping into a thread to spread misinformation. Just what we all needed.
I'm the first PP who said that my kid's school discourages kids from taking the AP if they're not on track to earn a 4 or 5. And yes, it is Basis. The key word here is "discourages", which is not the same as "prohibits." Any kid at Basis who is not recommended to take an AP can still do so. The only real difference is that Basis won't pay for the AP exam if the kid fails.

I think pre-testing the kids around late February, letting them know what score they would have earned on a real test, and then recommending them or not for the real test is a great policy that helps the kids immensely. Basis pays for the AP tests that they think your kid will pass, which is a lot better than most schools, where you have to pay for it. The system where kids are not recommended helps kids either avoid taking an exam that they will likely fail or helps them understand that they need to study hard and kick it into gear to pass the exam. One anecdote I have is that one of my kid's friends was not recommended for AP Physics I. He opted to take it anyway, crammed hard, and attended a lot of office hours with the teacher. He ended up earning a 4 on the test.

FWIW, I checked UVA, and for the most part, you need a 4 or 5 to earn any college credit. Not that many schools give credit for 3s. It's debatable that it makes sense for either the parents or school to pay for an AP exam that likely won't earn any college credit.

We are fortunate to be in a public school that pays for the exams - regardless of result. You can rationalize your school's policy all you want. I'm not convinced at all. It merely contributes to the "everyone must succeed, no failures" culture we've cultivated. It's not a waste of time for a student to take a hard exam and not do well. It can open their eyes to what college expectations v. high school expectations are. It can instill some needed humility in a kid who otherwise has always been told nothing but how wonderful he is. Your school's policy is driven by self-interest. How many "discouraged" students do you think go ahead and take the exam anyway? How many believe their teachers that they're not good enough and don't take the exam?

You really don't know how a student is going to perform an any given exam. My kid went into her AP Lit exam knowing she needed a 5 for credit at her future college and absolutely confident there was no way she would get a 5. She got a 5. She had no idea what she'd get on some of her others, took them anyway. She got 5's and one 4. Except for one of them, I don't think she really thought she'd get a 5. And there was no prediction practice test mid-year. BTW, a 3 is not a "failed" exam; but I guess the definition of "fail" at Basis is different. APs aren't pass/fail per se - they're credit/no credit.

Well, someone has to pay for each failed exam. One could argue that a school should have better uses for the thousands spent on failed AP exams, especially when the teacher is pretty sure that the kid will fail. I'm sure there is a lesson to be learned if a kid takes a hard exam and does poorly, but I'm not sure that the lesson is worth $140+. If I had to pay for my kids' exams, I wouldn't pay for any that I thought my kid might fail. But you do you. As far as Basis goes, it's really only the 9th and 10th graders who are "discouraged" from taking exams that they're likely to fail. All of the kids are required to take an AP in each core subject to graduate. If they haven't done so prior to 11th grade, they'll be required to take them at that point.

I'm not sure what the point is of your anecdote. Your kid didn't do a practice test, didn't have any way to gauge her performance, but got 5s. T[b]hat just means your kid has anxiety, second guesses herself a lot, or didn't know what the exams or grading looked like[/b]. If a kid is taking practice tests using prior tests or is using the materials provided by college board, they should have a pretty good idea of the general range of their score. Maybe a kid is on the margins and gets a low 4 rather than a high 3. For the STEM exams, you either know how to do the calculus/physics/chemistry, or you don't. There aren't really any surprises.

Huh? Because she didn't take a practice test she has anxiety or second guesses herself?
They don't do practice tests at our school; but they "practice" with prompts throughout the year and their teachers are focused on preparing them for the exam. So students do have some idea of what to expect, especially after they've taken their first AP exam.

Regardless, my point was simple: you never really know for sure how a student is going to perform on a given test.
So all of those "discouraged" students are not likely or guaranteed to "fail." I think it's very unfortunate that they are dissuaded from trying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My FCPS senior took 6 exams this year (Lit, Bio, BC, Gov, Micro and Macro). All 5s and 4s. Did not do any studying outside of classes. Her school prepared her well (same thing in past years - took World in 10th grade and APush, Lang, Chem and AB as a junior).

Just checking "did not do any studying outside of classes" - do you mean the kid did zero revision? If that is the case, she would have likely got all 5's if she'd put some effort into it, even just the week before exams. It would have been worth it.

Not my kid but I told my senior last year not to study for APs. She was already in at college and there is basically no difference for credit or placement in a 4 or 5. She killed herself studying junior year so I really didn’t want that to happen again.

Yes I understand that. My DS worked his ass off in 11th grade and got all his needed 5's then he had a place in college sorted out in October, so I told him he didn't actually have to take a single AP exam this year (12th) and he so didn't. I just think if you're going to the effort to take the exam, you want a 5.

That’s silly. If you’re already into college, and the college gives credit for a 3, why isn’t it worth taking the exam for a 3?

Many schools don’t give credit for a 3.

Others put a cap on the number of AP credits they’ll accept. Too students have already reached that cap with their 10th/11th grade APs, so the 12th grade exams are useless.

What's the typical cap?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Judging by the number of 4s and 5s being reported, I'd say the tests are too easy. Or anything below a 4 isn't worth mentioning.

Anyone know when/where a distribution of scores will be published?

My kids' school pre-tests all of the AP kids in late February, and they discourage anyone from taking the AP exam who isn't already at a high 3 level at that time. Unsurprisingly, when the results come out, all of the kids allowed to take the test earn 4s and 5s. The tests aren't necessarily too easy. There's a ton of self selection in who is taking the exams and who is opting out.

I agree, though, that anything below a 4 is unlikely to help with admissions or grant any credit.

My kids’ school does this too. They also adjust year end grades to reflect AP scores. So kids are likely to score in the 4/5 range IF they take the exam.

I’ve never heard of a school doing this! What about students who want to take it to get college credit. Even a 3 will earn credit at many colleges. That’s a terrible
Policy.

It’s probably Basis, or anyway Basis has a policy like this. It’s for-profit. And that’s the problem with for-profit schools, the policies are designed to make the school look good even if it hurts the kids.

Yay. A frothing at the mouth Basis hater jumping into a thread to spread misinformation. Just what we all needed.
I'm the first PP who said that my kid's school discourages kids from taking the AP if they're not on track to earn a 4 or 5. And yes, it is Basis. The key word here is "discourages", which is not the same as "prohibits." Any kid at Basis who is not recommended to take an AP can still do so. The only real difference is that Basis won't pay for the AP exam if the kid fails.

I think pre-testing the kids around late February, letting them know what score they would have earned on a real test, and then recommending them or not for the real test is a great policy that helps the kids immensely. Basis pays for the AP tests that they think your kid will pass, which is a lot better than most schools, where you have to pay for it. The system where kids are not recommended helps kids either avoid taking an exam that they will likely fail or helps them understand that they need to study hard and kick it into gear to pass the exam. One anecdote I have is that one of my kid's friends was not recommended for AP Physics I. He opted to take it anyway, crammed hard, and attended a lot of office hours with the teacher. He ended up earning a 4 on the test.

FWIW, I checked UVA, and for the most part, you need a 4 or 5 to earn any college credit. Not that many schools give credit for 3s. It's debatable that it makes sense for either the parents or school to pay for an AP exam that likely won't earn any college credit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Judging by the number of 4s and 5s being reported, I'd say the tests are too easy. Or anything below a 4 isn't worth mentioning.

Anyone know when/where a distribution of scores will be published?

My kids' school pre-tests all of the AP kids in late February, and they discourage anyone from taking the AP exam who isn't already at a high 3 level at that time. Unsurprisingly, when the results come out, all of the kids allowed to take the test earn 4s and 5s. The tests aren't necessarily too easy. There's a ton of self selection in who is taking the exams and who is opting out.

I agree, though, that anything below a 4 is unlikely to help with admissions or grant any credit.

My kids’ school does this too. They also adjust year end grades to reflect AP scores. So kids are likely to score in the 4/5 range IF they take the exam.

I’ve never heard of a school doing this! What about students who want to take it to get college credit. Even a 3 will earn credit at many colleges. That’s a terrible
Policy.

It’s probably Basis, or anyway Basis has a policy like this. It’s for-profit. And that’s the problem with for-profit schools, the policies are designed to make the school look good even if it hurts the kids.

Yay. A frothing at the mouth Basis hater jumping into a thread to spread misinformation. Just what we all needed.
I'm the first PP who said that my kid's school discourages kids from taking the AP if they're not on track to earn a 4 or 5. And yes, it is Basis. The key word here is "discourages", which is not the same as "prohibits." Any kid at Basis who is not recommended to take an AP can still do so. The only real difference is that Basis won't pay for the AP exam if the kid fails.

I think pre-testing the kids around late February, letting them know what score they would have earned on a real test, and then recommending them or not for the real test is a great policy that helps the kids immensely. Basis pays for the AP tests that they think your kid will pass, which is a lot better than most schools, where you have to pay for it. The system where kids are not recommended helps kids either avoid taking an exam that they will likely fail or helps them understand that they need to study hard and kick it into gear to pass the exam. One anecdote I have is that one of my kid's friends was not recommended for AP Physics I. He opted to take it anyway, crammed hard, and attended a lot of office hours with the teacher. He ended up earning a 4 on the test.

FWIW, I checked UVA, and for the most part, you need a 4 or 5 to earn any college credit. Not that many schools give credit for 3s. It's debatable that it makes sense for either the parents or school to pay for an AP exam that likely won't earn any college credit.

We are fortunate to be in a public school that pays for the exams - regardless of result. You can rationalize your school's policy all you want. I'm not convinced at all. It merely contributes to the "everyone must succeed, no failures" culture we've cultivated. It's not a waste of time for a student to take a hard exam and not do well. It can open their eyes to what college expectations v. high school expectations are. It can instill some needed humility in a kid who otherwise has always been told nothing but how wonderful he is. Your school's policy is driven by self-interest. How many "discouraged" students do you think go ahead and take the exam anyway? How many believe their teachers that they're not good enough and don't take the exam?

You really don't know how a student is going to perform an any given exam. My kid went into her AP Lit exam knowing she needed a 5 for credit at her future college and absolutely confident there was no way she would get a 5. She got a 5. She had no idea what she'd get on some of her others, took them anyway. She got 5's and one 4. Except for one of them, I don't think she really thought she'd get a 5. And there was no prediction practice test mid-year. BTW, a 3 is not a "failed" exam; but I guess the definition of "fail" at Basis is different. APs aren't pass/fail per se - they're credit/no credit.

Well, someone has to pay for each failed exam. One could argue that a school should have better uses for the thousands spent on failed AP exams, especially when the teacher is pretty sure that the kid will fail. I'm sure there is a lesson to be learned if a kid takes a hard exam and does poorly, but I'm not sure that the lesson is worth $140+. If I had to pay for my kids' exams, I wouldn't pay for any that I thought my kid might fail. But you do you. As far as Basis goes, it's really only the 9th and 10th graders who are "discouraged" from taking exams that they're likely to fail. All of the kids are required to take an AP in each core subject to graduate. If they haven't done so prior to 11th grade, they'll be required to take them at that point.

I'm not sure what the point is of your anecdote. Your kid didn't do a practice test, didn't have any way to gauge her performance, but got 5s. T[b]hat just means your kid has anxiety, second guesses herself a lot, or didn't know what the exams or grading looked like[/b]. If a kid is taking practice tests using prior tests or is using the materials provided by college board, they should have a pretty good idea of the general range of their score. Maybe a kid is on the margins and gets a low 4 rather than a high 3. For the STEM exams, you either know how to do the calculus/physics/chemistry, or you don't. There aren't really any surprises.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5 in Gov for my rising 10th grader. Yea! (Though they recentered the scoring on this test a couple years ago with easier scoring. Grade inflation for the APs!)

What school system has 9th graders taking AP US Govt? This is weird to me.

Likely an IB school. I think our district requires AP World before starting the IB program. Maybe it's AP Gov, but I thought it was World (which makes more sense to me, given the "I" in "IB")

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5 in Gov for my rising 10th grader. Yea! (Though they recentered the scoring on this test a couple years ago with easier scoring. Grade inflation for the APs!)

What school system has 9th graders taking AP US Govt? This is weird to me.

Likely an IB school. I think our district requires AP World before starting the IB program. Maybe it's AP Gov, but I thought it was World (which makes more sense to me, given the "I" in "IB")