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In 2005, 2.7 million students took the Advanced Placement exams which must be passed before college credit can be earned. Of the students attempting the exams, only 15% passed, which was a slight increase from the previous year. For some, this A.P. reality raises the appeal of the classes: To some it means kids must be really smart if they take the class and pass the test.
Are Advanced Placement classes really good for students, though? These classes are often presented as "required" for the high school student who plans on attending college. But not all kids benefit from taking the Advanced Placement route. The grades achieved in these classes are given a different weight in calculating grade point averages. Sometimes this works in the student's favor; sometimes not. The true value of A.P. instruction depends a great deal on the teacher, the student and his motivations and career goals.
Educators tend to be big fans of the Advanced Placement curriculum by the College Board which also administers the SAT. In these classes--designed to be more advanced than typical high school curricula--juniors and seniors do college-level school work. In theory, these kids are then able to test out of freshman college classes in the areas for which they took Advanced Placement, or A.P., classes.
Parents are enthusiastic about the A.P. concept for several reasons: 1.) they don't have to pay for as much freshman college course work, 2.) they get to brag about how their kids are "above-average" since these are today's Honors classes, and 3.) some believe A.P. classes are less likely to be attractive to troublesome kids. There are, also, some parents who are concerned that their teenage children are not being challenged by standard curriculum. Perhaps one of the biggest attractions, however, is that both educators and parents tend to believe that students need A.P. classes to get into "good" colleges.
The idea of an elite school being required for eventual life success has been challenged by recent studies, however. A research study, published by Krueger and Dale in 1999, indicated that graduates of Harvard University earned no greater income (a measure of success) than equally-achieving students who attended less highly-ranked colleges. This same study indicated that college education per se mattered more than which college granted a degree.
Many still have, however, the intense urge to get into the "right" school when many high school students don't even know what career path they'll eventually choose. Degree programs vary widely between schools. A student could get into a "good" school that doesn't even offer her the degree she'll eventually decide is best for her.
Taking Advanced Placement classes--sometimes six or seven at a time--is still touted as almost a requirement for smart kids. In general, the higher-achieving kids, who don't cause educators a lot of trouble, are encouraged to take Pre-A.P. and A.P. classes. These students tend to have better educated parents who are more invested in their children's academic success. Students are generally college-bound and are expected by teachers and parents to succeed academically.
From an educator's point of view, A.P. classes are a win-win. They get academically-motivated students who are less likely to cause classroom disruptions. But are A.P. classes really good for the students? The answer can vary as widely as the classes themselves. Ask most kids who've joined the Advanced Placement bandwagon: Some teachers make the classes so hard that even college students would have difficulty maintaining high grades. Some A.P. teachers are truly innovative, inspiring educators who stimulate their students to appropriate developmental challenges. All teachers should have this focus. On the other hand, some instructors of A.P. classes know they have the good kids and they ask even less of them than students who're taking regular classes.
Taking too many Advanced Placement classes, since these tend to be more time-consuming, can actually hamper adolescents' general development. High school is not only a time for achievement that leads to college entrance. There are life lessons that need to be experienced at this time as well. Teenagers who work can learn some of the responsibilities of adulthood: showing up on time and doing an acceptable job. Career paths can be explored and either followed or discarded based on early jobs. At this time of development, kids can also learn to negotiate vital social lessons in both friendships and romantic relationships.
Parents and teachers may tend to dismiss the fact, but teenagers are right when they say there's more to life than school work.
As odd as it may sound to parents who may feel anxious about the perils of adolescence, kids need to learn some lessons now. These challenges only get harder and have larger life consequences down the road.
Taking A.P. classes doesn't mean less chance of kids finding drugs, sex and bad relationships. If they're taking A.P. classes, it just means they're probably being asked to do college-level academic work while living a high school-level life. Some students find the demands of A.P. classes to be overwhelming. There are some situations--for some kids--when being academically advanced isn't much of an advancement.