@mathyone We’re in Ohio and the conference not only has athletics in common, but also academic competitions. The teachers and students and administrators talk. 3 or 4 of the 18 member schools do indeed take a comprehensive approach to the AP classes by deferring to the teacher evaluation intially, but also, in some circumstances, rewarding students for outstanding performance on the AP exam by retroactively increasing grades. Moreover, I have a positive relationship with the school principal and reiterate that my discussion with the administration would be for prospective change.
@maya54 I agree whole-heartedly with the general guideline that parents should be involved with their minor children’s academic lives…in moderation…but decreasingly so as the adolescent navigates his/her way through high school. Teachers—like the rest of us----are human and make mistakes. In addition,in our district the school leaders have conferences each grading period and encourage parental involvement, preferably lower than helicopter flight level, however. :)]
@BarristerDad118 - I teach in Ohio (Cleveland) and I don’t know any schools with a retroactive ap policy (not questioning you- obviously you know your own kid’s school). Is your child at a public or private school? Just curious
We don’t have any policy like that. I have seen a few kids here on CC talk about it, so you could post in the High School Life forum if you want to hear of some schools that allow it.
I’ll be the lone voice…our school has a few teachers that do a bump a grade if you do well on the AP exam. How well you have to do on the exam and how much the bump is varies on the teacher. Of course, this is only practical for non-seniors. I doubt any graduate bothers to come back for a grade change—but it is something those rising seniors request if they’ve met the teacher’s criteria. (Grade changes are done before class ranks are calculated)
Not all, but some of S’s AP teachers bumped up grades because of AP scores. Teachers told parents at back to school night in September if bumping would be done. Policy varied by teacher. No senior APs were bumped up as final transcripts had already been sent to colleges by time AP scores were released.
S had over 625 kids in his class, close to 3000 in school.
My daughter’s AP Calc teacher had a policy of giving a passing grade in the fourth quarter to all students who took the AP test. I assume this was to encourage the students who struggled in the class to still take the test.
Being a good test-taker and a good learner are two different things. Only one of the two aforementioned skills should be rewarded, as only one measures how well you do on a more worldly scale.
For those whose schools require students to take the test, I’m assuming it covers costs as well, no? AP tests can be very expensive even for those who don’t qualify for aid on paper.
DD got a 5 on the APUSH exam when she took it two years ago and B in the class, and the 5 had no influence on her final grade. She had some medical issues that caused her to miss 2+ weeks of school, which was a major reason that her grade dropped to a B, but it never occurred to me that the 5 might change her final grade. This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing. (She also got an 800 on the SAT II, FWIW.)
Interesting. I’m pretty sure that would be illegal in Michigan as it’s illegal to require additional fees/supplies/etc in order to participate in a class in a public school.
That is my school policy as well. (For parents to pay unless receiving free lunch etc) After all, it’s something the student chooses. I agree it gets pricey- my kid took 4 tests her senior year- But in the end it has saved us a ton of $$
My school would offer online and/or post secondary options as well (which would not present a cost to student- other than transportation to cc for post secondary) I have never heard being “forced” into ap via level of class as an issue at my school, but I will freely admit- I don’t pay attention to linear scheduling in subjects like math/science. My own kid topped out at her HS and “had to” take AP math senior year…but that had always been in the plan anyway so it didn’t bother me. In my dept (history) there is always a “non ap” option (U.S. history, U.S. Government etc…) so kids always have a choice.
re being a good learner and test taker- part of the learning process is to be able to know enough to test well on material.
The reason to have standardized AP tests is that there is no control on being sure the same material in an AP course is taught in all schools. Examples- son didn’t like the way his AP Chemistry teacher taught and more or less blew off the course, getting a C his final HS semester but a 5 on the test taken a month before school ended. In a different state his also gifted relative but a much more diligent studier got an A in his class but only a 3 on the AP test. The difference- a well taught class and not well taught. A B in son’s AP US history paralleled his 4 on that AP test- he did not talk to his excellent teacher about his essays (not enough time to finish the book son was attempting on an essay subject…).
Getting a good grade in a class is more than just the test results. But- the test results show learning the material that is being tested for. Do not confuse AP tests with the ACT and SAT tests- those are testing different skills, not material learned.
My son got a 5 on the chemistry AP test and only got a B in the class. Go figure. I met with the teacher when she basically made a comment about my son to another student and stated to her that there was no way he got a 100 on the test without cheating. We had a meeting in the assistant principals office. I have never been to the school and the AP told me he could not figure out why I was there as my son is a nice smart kid and he never gets to see those. Teachers have a lot of power and their words matter. (and they can hurt esp. when they are wrong) My son asked me why I went there and was so embarrassed. I told him the purpose of the meeting was to let her know…if you jack with my kid I will jack back.
While quality of teaching of course varies- schools/teachers have to submit their course curriculum to be college board and have it approved in order for the class to carry the “AP” designation. Now of course- the college board isn’t there in the room to see what really happens- but there are at least “some” checks on what is (meant to be) taught.
Btw woodlands- you don’t have to get anywhere near 100% to get a 5. The actual ap scoring rubric is a carefully guarded secret (I was an ap reader for 5 years and I still don’t know) But… Traditional wisdom (in the history subject tests) is that you need over a 50% in multiple choice to be in “scoring position” (with quality of essays being a huge variable) 60% for a 4, and Upper 60s to 70ish% for a 5. Given that the U.S. Test was redesigned this year- I don’t know if that matrix continues to hold- but has been true in past years. Neither kids nor teachers get to see individual multiple choice scores. We can request essays be sent back - but there are no comments or individual essays scores (which range from 1-9) are given. Basically then college board gives you your 1-5 number, and that’s all you get. Running (and cliched) joke among ap teachers is that they throw them down a flight of stairs and whichever it lands on…
This happened to my cubemate’s kid in AP Chem. He 5’d the AP exam but earned a C in the class. His idea was to skip one Chem class in college for which he needed the 5, and did not depend on the course grade itself. So he put a lot more effort on the AP exam.