Originally Posted by
jimmymax
This sums it up pretty well. I considered APs a positive: I was able to bank a bunch of college credits, graduate early, and save money. Not so much for my kids. While the HS advised them to take APs to make them more attractive college candidates (and they offer so many more APs these days so kids load up) this only helped them place out of intro college classes -- no credits. So these days I look at APs negatively as they ratchet up pressure on HS kids and don't help with graduating college early. And while APs get kids into more advanced college classes as soon as they land on campus, that just ratchets up the pressure adjusting to college. And don't get me started on the cost of taking the AP exams.
Originally Posted by
Bostondevil
Yes, but rigorous and AP are not synonymous. AP classes teach to a test and are therefore somewhat limited in scope. Teachers don't get questions ahead of time but they are advised on general areas that should be covered each year - so - that's what gets covered. I would argue that a student who foregoes the multitude of AP classes in favor of digging deeper into one or two areas of interest has a much more academically rigorous schedule than one who takes every AP class on offer. You only major in one or maybe two subjects in college. I'd prefer to see students who go beyond the expected. The expected is taking a bunch of APs.
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The AP tests used to be a way for kids to get through college in 3 years so that they could save money. Colleges got wise to that and stopped giving college credit for more than 2 courses - they want the 4 years of tuition money in exchange for their name on your degree, thank you very much. So really - what is the point of them now? More well off towns will offer more AP classes in the first place and students with the resources to pay for the exams are more likely to take those classes. They have morphed from a way to help students save some money into yet another expensive pre-req for entrance into the upper middle class. I, for one, would like to see AP classes de-emphasized although I suspect for very different reasons than what is going on in Florida.
Yeah I feel somewhat conflicted about the arms race all these AP's have become and not sure what we'll push for with our kids (still elementary) in the future - will we have to do a ton because everyone else is? Or will there be some sort of market correction in the next 5-10 years?
This Florida situation is interesting, because, regardless of the political culture war type reasons that ignited it, it does raise the question of how much a private monopolistic company with no real voter accountability should get to essentially dictate curriculum to any given state.
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