<p>D's AP Chemistry class is struggling. According to the teacher, everyone did poorly on the last few tests. Teacher says things like "Since everyone did so poorly, I wish I could re-teach the chapter, but I can't. This is a college course and I have to move on." Any time the kids express frustration, he points out that this is a college level course, period.</p>
<p>I totally understand that the teacher is responsible to cover a lot of material before May, and I also get the fact that this is a hard class which requires a different level of commitment and ability than lower-level classes. But somehow, I also get the feeling that this is a convenient way for the teacher to discharge any responsibility for an ineffective instructional effort or exams which don't test what he taught. I can't speak for everyone in the class, but D is working extremely hard and spends countless hours on Chemistry homework and study. She is bright (objectively confirmed by recent NMF level PSAT as soph), so I don't think ability is all of the problem either, though it might be partially an issue because I wouldn't say she is exceptionally brilliant. Nonetheless, D can complete the HW problems just fine, but claims the ones on the test are just a whole lot more difficult.</p>
<p>What are your thoughts? I feel worried because tutoring for a course like this is extremely expensive and we can't afford it. Besides, D doesn't know what she doesn't know, they're not allowed to bring home tests, and she can do all the HW problems just fine. I've asked the teacher to give me a list of what topics or problem types D hasn't mastered. He replied "There are no easy answers to that." So, I'm not sure he is going to actually give me anything.</p>
<p>How to know what you don't know? Use study guides. My daughter thinks the Princeton Review books are the best ones. </p>
<p>Quote:
Scoring high on the AP Chemistry Exam is very different from earning straight A’s in school. We don’t try to teach you everything there is to know about chemistry—only the strategies and information you’ll need to get your highest score. In Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam, we’ll teach you how to
·Use our preparation strategies and test-taking techniques to raise your score
·Focus on the topics most likely to appear on the test
·Test your knowledge with review questions for each chemistry topic covered
This book includes 2 full-length practice AP Chemistry tests. All of our practice questions are just like those you’ll see on the actual exam, and we explain how to answer every question.
End Quote</p>
<p>Maybe she could work on this with one or two other dedicated students, so if there happens to be an explanation she just can't follow, maybe one of her friends can follow it. Or they could try asking that teacher or some other chemistry teacher. If she does this with a few books and if you run out of AP prep books, use SAT II prep books, and she'll do fine on the AP test. It sure sounds to me as if this teacher is not particularly good at teaching the AP material, but I hate to judge - maybe there are too many kids taking the class who aren't keeping up and the teacher is in an impossible situation.</p>
<p>It may be time to take this up with the head of the department. Not questioning the teaching, necessarily, but questioning the fact that they can't bring the tests home so they don't know what it is that they need to correct. And that you can't get a straight answer. Those are issues that the head of department can deal with, without feeling the need to "defend" the teacher.</p>
<p>Thanks, Midwest. That confirms our plan for now, which is for her to really study those AP books and try to score well on the exam. I'm praying that colleges will overlook a poor grade if the AP test score is good.</p>
<p>Has you daughter had chemistry before talking the AP course? I am a little confused because it sounds like she is a sophomore. I know that at our private school, AP sciences are offered only to juniors & seniors. If she has never had any chem before and is now taking a college-level course, I can only imagine how difficult it would be. </p>
<p>I might add that this is a school that graduates 30-40% NMSF every year, so they are very bright kids.</p>
<p>My daughter had AP Chem as a sophomore, taking Chemistry as a freshman. AP Chem is hard. Study groups and review books helped a great deal. We also purchased a Schaum's outline that contained a great deal of information - it wasn't specific to AP Chem but was really helpful. Does the teacher give them released AP exams to work from? That was an effective technique for my daughter. Also, something pointed out to me as a "help" for organic chemistry was MIT Opencourseware- there might be some information available for general chemistry that would be appropriate for your student.</p>
<p>Since you are on a full year's course, there is little reason that a teacher in an AP class can't cover all the curriculum by May and leave room for going over more difficult areas. Also be ready to offer review classes, office hours and perhaps extra study material. I now that the AP teachers at his school are more often available for extra help in the spring compared to the fall. My S is on block scheduling, so I always advise that students take the AP courses they have least command of in the fall semester. This way there is no pressure to fit everything in a shorter period of time. I concur with midwestmom that there are several options other than private tutoring; including on-line. Study groups is a great way to help each other out in that one person may understand some area better than others and can help as well as receive help from others in their difficulties. She could also seek out the help of the Chem whizkid at her school.</p>
<p>horse girl is likely to be correct. The teach may just be keeping the pressure on. I heard complaints that seniors often "blow of the courses" in the last year and don't take the test. Teachers at D's school are trying to fight senoritis. It may be a version of the same thing.</p>
<p>It's great that she's committed to working on home study from prep books.</p>
<p>Ask your D if she thinks it would also be helpful to try an occasional study group to break the monotony of individual study. You can provide snacks. Some students like group study because, as other posters point out above, the other kids help them think and pick up what's not known. OTOH, some groups aren't on task, too much side-talk etc. She might try it out once and let you know if it was effective for her. </p>
<p>Some like "buddy study" rather than a group. Ideally, she has a strong subject and two students can exchange as leaders on different subjects..in the perfect "buddy study" setup where each has something to offer. Or find some other exchange of favors, so it's not all "give" from one side only.</p>
<p>If you have a group study, ask them to work in the dining room, not bedrooms (I did, anyway...). My kids told me the group stayed on task better that way.
That piece isn't crucial, however, we just found it helped.</p>
<p>disagree with Chedva -- not taking tests home is commonplace in education -- it's been our district policy for years.</p>
<p>cfg: AP Chem is a tough class; it requires both memorization and reasoning skills in volume. Some high school teachers are just baaaaaad. Yes, the teacher HAS to move on to the next topic. Second the others: 1) prep books; 2) purchase a different college-level chem textbook; 3) tutors from high school; 4) group study.</p>
<p>I agree with runmanstl. It sounds like your daughter is only a sophomore. Did she take chemistry last year? At my daughter's school, nobody can take an AP science until they have taken and done well in a non-AP (preferably honors) class in the same subject. I think AP classes are supposed to be taught with the understanding that students already have a decent background in the subject... If that is not the case at your school for some reason, that might explain why the students are struggling.</p>
<p>If the school is allowing students to take AP Chemistry who did not previously take high school chemistry, this may be the fundamental problem.</p>
<p>Some APs can effectively be taught as alternatives to regular high school courses, but others need the background that the regular high school course would provide. I think Chemistry falls into the latter group.</p>
<p>In my opinion, about all your daughter can do is use an AP review book to make sure she is well prepared for the AP exam even if her grade in the course will not be as good as she might have hoped.</p>
<p>Our HS science program has been revised so that the highest science "track" takes in introductory honors science class in 9th--which is a substantive course, not some kind of "general science" fluff--followed by AP Chem in 10th, AP Bio in 11th, and AP Physics in 12th. (Kids who are really gung-ho might be able to double up in earlier years, I think. There is also an ongoing Science Research class.) My S's class was an intermediate year in this, so they took the introductory Honors class, Honors Chem, AP Bio, and now AP Physics (and in some cases, are doubling up with AP Chem also). This is all coordinated with the math program, so that kids will have the necessary math background to be able to succeed in the science classes.</p>
<p>I don't know how things will work out for those going directly into AP Chem, but the kids who went directly into AP Bio had no problem.</p>
<p>Our AP Physics teacher is pretty much an incompetent jerk. He isn't very bright, is authoritarian in meaningless ways, and according to S gives erratic tests that may or may not address the material covered. Nevertheless, according to reliable sources, the kids taking AP Physics last year had excellent results on the AP exam. I have no idea why. Perhaps they all got study guides and worked on their own, or perhaps only the best-prepared kids took the test.</p>
<p>At least at our school, AP Physics B is taught as a first physics course, it's just not that hard. Physics C tends to attract only the top math and science students, since you have to have taken Calc, or be taking it concurrently and for the average honors student unless they double up in science there is time to take only two science APs, and many opt for AP Enviro. So it wouldn't surprise me that even with a mediocre teacher the kids in AP Physics would do well.</p>
<p>To answer the question of science background, my D took first year chem (and 1st year "college" physics) as a freshman and did very well. If she hadn't done well in regular chem, we wouldn't have allowed her to take AP Chem next and the school wouldn't have either.</p>
<p>I think that the guy is probably a pretty good teacher. But as compared to my S and his peers who are 4 years older, D and her classmates did not have as good a middle school preparation in math and science (the best teachers retired) and probably not as strong first year chem. prep. either. Also, I think her class (age group in general) is not as academically gifted as a group as previous classes.</p>
<p>I think those can all be contributing factors. Having a strong peer group is really important. After 1st year Chemistry, D took a summer session at CTY for advanced Chem - and that was a real plus when she took the AP course. Does your D enjoy science? You mentioned she is working hard - but having a study partner could make a big difference.</p>
<p>I've been thinking about the peer group issue. You guys might have really nailed something with that. For one thing, there are mostly boys in the class. But what D has complained about is that she and one other student are the only ones in the class who aren't of a certain ethnic group, whose members hang together and help each other (even cheat together, apparently).</p>
<p>But to take your advice, she contacted a girl from the other AP Chem. section which has a different teacher, and is going to try to get together with her to study.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input, everyone. I'll let you know what ends up working. Hopefully something will.</p>