The record for the most Advanced Placement tests ever taken is 30 — AP scholar Justin Zhu even earned the highest score possible on 26 of the 30 tests he took. Is it a good idea to encourage your child to break Justin’s record? Absolutely not.
However, the harsh reality is that many college admissions officers expect to see some AP tests on the transcript of every student whose high school offers them. If AP classes are not an option, college-bound students need to seek other means of challenging themselves in order to demonstrate a high level of academic rigor.
The late Eric Rothschild, a Harvard alumnus and celebrated high school history teacher, states in his journal article, “Four Decades of the Advanced Placement Program,” that in the early 20th century the gap between secondary and higher education broadened, and few people in the United States wished to address that issue. Then, Rothschild explains, “The Cold War and the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 changed all that, convincing many that the upgrading of American education was a matter of survival in a death struggle with communism. We needed engineers and scientists and people of talent in all areas if America was going to see another century.”
A pilot AP program in 1952 was launched to increase opportunities for exceptional students. Seventy years later, AP classes are more widely available and must adhere to a standard curriculum set by the College Board, which has governed the program since 1995. The College Board delegates test design and evaluation to Educational Testing Systems.
By 1984, South Carolina established a state-funded AP program, requiring all public high schools to offer AP courses and all public universities to accept scores of 3 or higher on AP tests. From its inception, the AP test has been scored on a scale of 5 (High Honors) to 1 (Fail).
One practical alternative to AP coursework is taking dual enrollment classes at a local community college, thus earning not only college credit but also grades that might transfer to a university. Another possibility is self-study. Technically, a student can take the AP test without having enrolled in the corresponding class, but preparation requires a great deal of personal discipline.
Even students who complete an AP course probably need to use a study guide and take practice tests before sitting for an exam. Each year, the College Board website posts its free-response questions after the testing period, so students can familiarize themselves with the format and content of the test.
As another alternative, some students opt to enroll in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a demanding advanced curriculum which started 50 years ago in Switzerland. Particularly ambitious high schoolers might take AP classes concurrently with IB classes. But the two programs offer different coursework. IB is centered around critical thinking skills and global awareness, and AP focuses on individual college-level subjects.
In 2014, the College Board added a program that appears to align more closely with the IB diploma curriculum. The AP Capstone Diploma and the AP Seminar and Research Certificate require students to take in-depth seminar or research classes in addition to four or more AP subject courses.
AP classes are offered in 38 subjects, all standardized high school curriculum designed to mimic college coursework. Because the classes are so demanding, even the most selective universities do not expect students to take more than seven to 12 AP classes. Many people can take three or four and still get into a school of their choice. In the 1980s, college-bound students could get by with taking one or two AP tests, and classes were not as standardized as they are now.
Although some students begin AP classes as sophomores, or even freshmen, most wait until their junior year. It is wise to consult teachers and guidance counselors early in students’ high school careers to decide whether AP classes are appropriate. A history of good performance in honors-level classes is usually a good indicator that a student is ready for Advanced Placement. Students should choose classes based on personal preference, as AP classes demand college-level work, which is time-consuming and difficult even when the subject matter is interesting.
The College Board also administers the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the PSAT, a practice test that students take in eighth or ninth grade. Score reports on the PSAT indicate whether a student’s performance on the test demonstrates an aptitude for any particular AP class.
Many other factors should be considered before signing up for an AP course. Many schools add as much as one point to a final AP grade, which raises a 4.0 to a 5.0, and up to half a point to an honors grade. It is important to consider the benefits of a weighted grade against the work required for an AP class versus an honors class. A good grade in an honors class might be better than a poor AP grade.
Before deciding which classes to take, a student should find out how much homework each course requires. Extracurricular activities or responsibilities after school might make it difficult to complete a lot of homework. Also, if a teen wants to study a subject in which he does not have a natural proclivity, an AP class might not be the best choice. Still — it bears repeating — high school students should have the final word in choosing their curriculum.
Now that AP courses are standardized, AP teachers are encouraged to ask students to watch videos for homework on the AP Central platform or YouTube channel. One reason for this is to provide “expert” instruction that is consistent for students across the nation. Some teachers find that assigning students videos to watch, even if they contain relevant AP topics, is counterproductive. In part, this is because students can passively watch videos while checking their social media accounts on their phones. And, honestly, after a year of virtual learning, kids may be tired of online instruction.
In order to address the issue of high-stakes testing, a teacher might need to employ a backward design of curriculum, which means teaching students what teachers expect will be on the exam. Do AP teachers have to teach to the test? Yes, sometimes they do.
Physical, mental, and emotional health should always be a priority. Teens need eight to 10 hours of sleep each night, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine — and Mama. Staying up late every night in order to memorize facts or annotate 50 pages of reading can result in diminishing returns.
In her 2015 book, Beyond Measure: Rescuing an overscheduled, overtested, underestimated generation, Vicki Abeles, with co-writer Grace Rubenstein, bemoans the fact that school has become a source of stress. “Our children need our understanding,” she writes. “Sometimes they need us to help them talk with teachers and principals about overwork.” She advocates telling kids that neither grades nor test scores define who they are and encouraging them “to exercise voice and choice in the school experience.”
One school Abeles visited, Irvington High in California, discouraged students from registering for too many AP and honors classes in an effort to boost their chances of getting into college. In 2014, guidance counselors met individually with every underclass student in the school to help them register for classes. They also set prerequisites for AP and honors classes. Within a semester, Irvington High cut its AP failure rate in half.
What can parents learn from this? Seize the opportunity to meet with your child’s teachers and guidance counselors whenever you can. Especially if your child is a high achiever, you may be tempted to leave her to her own devices. Attend the meetings anyway. Even if you listen more than you talk, which is not a bad plan, you can gain invaluable insight into your child’s education.
Once a student has narrowed down a list of preferred colleges, check the institutions’ websites and the National Center for Education Statistics, found at NCES.ed.gov, to compare college programs and admissions requirements. Some schools grant college credit for scores of 3, 4, or 5, and others do not accept anything lower than a 4. If the chief purpose of taking an AP class is to exempt the class in college, it might help to know what score is required on the AP test. Earning college credit for AP classes can save tuition dollars, and it can also provide a little wiggle room for students to complete an internship, take some electives, or even graduate early.
If an AP class is appealing for reasons other than earning college credit — perhaps a history buff might actually enjoy memorizing facts and dates for AP U.S. History — then it does not really matter whether that student ends up with a 4 or 5 on the AP test. Learning, not achievement, should always be the main goal.
And here is another bit of advice: despite what students might think, they are not required to take the AP test just because they took the preparatory class. It is certainly preferable to take the AP test because admissions officers will wonder why a college applicant would skip it, but students can explain why they chose not to take the test. Being too lazy to study is not a valid excuse, but a reason like having to hold down an after-school job might be.
However, it does cost $94 to take an AP test, and either a parent or the school itself has to pay the registration fee six months prior to the test, which is administered in May every year. If someone registers for a May test after the November deadline, the College Board will add $40 to the fee. Cancelling a score after sitting for the test also incurs a $40 fee.
This puts a lot of pressure on a young person. Still, if a school and teacher have invested time and money to provide AP instruction, the least students can do is sit for the exam. Parents can help by knowing when to protect their children’s mental health even at the expense of test fees. They can also hold kids accountable — if students commit to taking the exam, they should show up, barring illness or other extenuating circumstances.
The key for students is to sign up for the test only if they are prepared to do their best work in an AP class and the effort required to prepare for each test. What is the worst that can happen? If a student receives a score of 1 or 2, then they might have to take a course again in college. In the grand scheme of life, one AP exam score is not all that important.
Allison Tate Slater, in her essay “College Counselor: This Matters More Than Anything Else” shares this parental wisdom on Grown&Flown.com: “It’s easy for any of us to get caught up in all of it, to begin to believe that we need certain scores, grades, titles, or acceptances to validate ourselves and tell the world our value. Our job is to let our children know that their value is inherent.”
Not every school offers all 38 Advanced Placement classes, but here is a menu:
Art and Design (formerly Studio Art): 2-D Design
Art and Design (formerly Studio Art): 3-D Design
Art and Design (formerly Studio Art): Drawing
Art History
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Chemistry
Chinese Language and Culture
Computer Science A
Computer Science Principles
English Language and Composition
English Literature and Composition
Environmental Science
European History
French Language and Culture
German Language and Culture
Government and Politics (Comparative)
Government and Politics (U.S.)
Human Geography
Italian Language and Culture
Japanese Language and Culture
Latin
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
Music Theory
Physics 1: Algebra-Based
Physics 2: Algebra-Based
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
Physics C: Mechanics
Psychology
Spanish Language and Culture
Spanish Literature and Culture
Statistics
U.S. History
World History: Modern
Research
Seminar
Where is the Class of 2022?
Congratulations to the graduating class of 2022 on their first semester of college! Below are the top 15 colleges attended by this year’s freshmen from a sampling of independent schools and public school districts of the Midlands.
Ben Lippen
Anderson University
Belmont University
Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University
College of Charleston
Columbia International University
James Madison University
Liberty University
Samford University
The Citadel
University of Mississippi
University of South Carolina
University of Tennessee
Western Carolina University
Wofford University
Cardinal Newman
American University
Denison University
Duke University
Emory University
Loyola Marymount University
Northwestern University
Pepperdine University
Sewanee - The University of the South
University of Georgia
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Virginia
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Washington and Lee University
Hammond
Clemson University, Honors
College of Charleston, Honors
University of South Carolina, Honors
Furman University
Oberlin College
Purdue University, Honors
Tulane University, Honors
United States Air Force Academy
United States Military Academy, West Point
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Richmond
University of Virginia
Wake Forest University
Wofford College
Heathwood
Brown University
Clemson University
Cornell University
Howard University
Middlebury College
New York University
North Carolina State Honors College
The College of William and Mary
University of Georgia
University of South Carolina Honors College
University of Virginia
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest University
Washington & Lee University
Yale University
Richland District One
Benedict College
Claflin University
Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University
Charleston Southern University
College of Charleston
Lander University
Midlands Technical College
Newberry College
North Carolina A&T State University
South Carolina State University
University of South Carolina
Wingate University
Winthrop University
Voorhees College
Richland District 2
Charleston Southern University
Claflin University
Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University
College of Charleston
Columbia College
Lander University
Midlands Technical College
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
South Carolina State University
University of North Carolina - Charlotte
University of South Carolina - Beaufort
University of South Carolina - Columbia
University of South Carolina - Upstate
Wofford College
