This month, thousands of Vail School District high school students are heading back into the classrooms. Many have elected to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. There are numerous reasons for students taking these courses. Some like the challenge of a tougher class while others are hoping to get college credit for their studies. What are the risks of taking these classes? Are there potential pitfalls to participating in AP?
Ruth Fraser is a retired teacher and counselor with 40 years of experience in the Dallas School District. Ruth is concerned about putting the student at a disadvantage. “I’m concerned about the learning process for the student,” said Ruth. “For instance, taking AP Chemistry 101 in high school can have a different content than taking college Chemistry 201 in one of the state universities. Application of the subject going forward may be different in the advanced college classes.”
This can be especially problematic for students in competitive degrees such as medical and law courses, where a grade of a B or C can mean the difference between getting accepted into the field or not. Taylor Miller took seven AP classes in high school. She later attended Northwestern University, a highly selective and prestigious school. “The best classes I took were the lecture style AP classes. AP work in History, Political Science, English Literature, and Psychology were very beneficial since the formats are college style.”
Languages and math can be more challenging for students if they aren’t already excelling in those subject areas. AP tests are scored on a 5 point scale with 5 being the highest rating. Most AP tests require a score of 4 or higher for college course credit. Some colleges permit a score of 3 for credit. The point is, even having an A+ grade in the high school course does not translate to a college credit. The student must pay $91 to take the test option and receive a passing grade that is accepted by the university they are attending.
The latest AP test statistics are from 2014. Nationwide, the most popular exams were (in order): English Language, English Literature, US History, US Government, and World History. But nationally, students attained test scores with a “3” or higher rating just 55.8%, 55%, 54.5%, 50.7% and 54.5% part of the time, respectively. An AP test score of 3 equates to a “Qualified” score rating, and may or may not mean the student receives college credit for the course. Statistically, the highest AP exam pass rates go to: Chinese Language 94.5%, Spanish Language 89.3%, Calculus BC 84.6%, Studio Art 2-D Design 78.5%, and French Language 78%.
The argument can easily be made that there were a high number of native language speakers, naturally gifted math students, or talented artists that took these tests and passed with a high score, thus inflating the averages. But if you are good at learning one of these three things, then this may be a good strategy to use in order to receive a college credit.
In 2015, the Vail School District offered 38 different AP courses in their 4 high schools. There were 977 students enrolled in these classes. Some of these had students taking more than one AP class.
When it came time to test, according to Darcy Mentone, “483 students took a total of 825 AP tests.” Darcy is the communications specialist for the Vail district. “ (Of those students taking the test) … the number of students who earned a college credit goes to 295.” This equates to about a 36% pass success rate for college credit.
I contacted all three Arizona state universities to determine if there was any concern on their part of students getting too far ahead, essentially skipping the course. ASU’s Meenah Rincon is their media relations officer and stated, “ASU does not discourage students from taking advanced placement courses during their high school years. We encourage students to be ambitious, seek challenging courses while in college, and become life-long learners.”
Advanced Placement courses can be a great way for students to get ahead in their college studies. However, it is important to fully understand the risks before enrolling.
