Advanced Placement courses at CHS are becoming more popular, especially this year with many more being added. According to students and teachers, taking these courses are worth it for the right people.
Advanced Placement courses at CHS are becoming more popular, especially this year with many more being added. According to students and teachers, taking these courses are worth it for the right people.
Advanced Placement courses, or AP courses, are classes where students follow a college-level curriculum, which is more fast-paced and demanding compared to the same class at a regular level, and at the end of the year, they take a final national test created by the College Board, the same company that creates and scores the SAT. The highest score a student can get is a 5, but they need a 3 to pass. Depending on which college a student goes to, if they pass these tests, they can earn college credit early, and/or not be required to take a course in college. Student should be aware of what score a college accepts, however, as it may be a 4 or a 5 instead of a 3.
At the same assembly in which Mrs. Hopkins received the Milken Award for excellent teaching, it came to many students’ attention that more AP classes for different subjects have been added this year, and that interest in these classes has greatly increased. Apparently, 100 more tests had to be ordered this year, according to head guidance counselor Mrs. Beaudoin. She claims there are seven new courses now available, including Probability and Statistics, English 12, Music Theory, U.S. Government and Politics, and French, Italian, and Spanish 4. Beaudoin appeared quite proud by this accomplishment. “I think it’s great for students to already be earning college credit before they leave. It’s their biggest advantage,” she says. When asked why more classes are being added, she explained, “our district has made a commitment to increase academic rigor.”
In terms of the future of AP classes, CHS hopes to continue to add new ones, but it is not yet known if or when this will happen. “We’ll need to look and see how students do,” says Beaudoin. The guidance department does not want to rush the process, only to have students not understand or be able to handle the material.
While earning college credit is beneficial for many, Mrs. Beaudoin still advises that students make sure they can handle the material. “Every year, there is a group of students who underestimate how hard the classes are,” she says. Just like regular courses, any student can decide to take an AP course within reason, and there is a period of a week or two where they can drop the course in exchange for something else. During this time, students should take the time to evaluate whether they think they will have a chance to pass the AP test if they work hard enough. They should also be aware of what classes take one or two years of high school to complete before taking the test. If it is two, the student does not have to participate in the second year if they had a hard time in their first year, and therefore do not have to take the test, either.
After talking with a few students about whether taking an AP course was worth the time and money, the consensus was very similar to guidance. The majority said that it was worth it for them, but it may depend on the type of person you are. As long a student perseveres and really wants to succeed, then chances are they can pass the test.
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