Exclusive APs

It’s that time of the year again. We are in the midst of setting our schedules for the following year. Busily trying to meet all of the classes you need to take for colleges, you suddenly realize that you do not have the space to take that extra year of Spanish or the full year of Anatomy and

Physiology, which would greatly benefit your college choice and acceptance. And why is that? Because you were a victim of the High School Placement test. Although you may have been an honors student all throughout middle school, you fell short by a couple of points and were forced to take General Science instead of Biology. Little did you know that this would set you back a year and prevent you from taking additional classes besides the required ones.

The truth is that some people are good at taking tests such as the HSPT and the SAT and some are not. Placement into certain classes should be determined by the consistency of a student’s academic performance and not be based off of one test.

The High School entrance test provides a benchmark to make determinations on a student’s academic performance. You can only take the HSPT once, and what happens when you are sick, you lose your place on the scranton or maybe just having a bad day? You can kiss your high school schedule goodbye. In addition to the High School Entrance test, the subject of who should and who shouldn’t get to take an AP class has also raised a few eyebrows.

AP classes are designed for those who are academically savvy. These students are challenged and learn at a quicker pace than those students in regular classes. The number of students who qualify for honors and AP classes have been increasing, which means that the school is having to create more sections of honors.

Though it is helpful to have a solid GPA before entering an AP class, any student should have the opportunity to take an AP class. If a student is motivated to learn and challenge herself, then she should take the class. However, according to a survey mentioned on Education Week, only 30 percent of teachers are in favor of letting AP classes be open to all interested students.

There are many students who fall a little bit short from the required GPA in order to take an AP class. They should not be held back from taking the AP class especially if they are only few tenths of a point away from the required GPA.

Not all students take five AP courses a year, so taking only one or two for the border line student shouldn’t be an issue. Taking an AP class gives a student a certain portion of the college experience, plus it allows them to stand out in an increasingly competitive college application process. It teaches students to discipline themselves and adopt useful study methods before they enter college.