<p>Article on AP tests:</p>
<p>Thanks for the link. Its not suprising. Only that it took this long to figure out the problems!!</p>
<p>Thanks for the article, overseas.</p>
<p>I'm new to all of this, but from what I've read and what I've heard it appears that most high school students feel they are expected to take AP courses. One of my daughter's friends has said several times that a number of colleges "expect" students to take a "certain number" along with certain SAT II tests... Then I hear how poorly they feel their AP classes have been, how stressed they are, etc., and it really makes me wonder: why do we have to have our kids do these tests? (Mine is taking AP US History next year along with honors courses in other subjects - so we're not immune!)</p>
<p>Humor me, the neophyte who is trying to find her way, what is the big deal about these AP courses? What's wrong with a really well taught high level high school course?</p>
<p>I now see that I should have read the other thread about Is there too much of a push for APs and, if anything, posted my questions there. Sorry!</p>
<p>eh the changes will take place much later..people shouldnt panic</p>
<p>Yet another way for the College Board to make more money.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>At its core, there really is nothing wrong with that. The key word in the game is "standardized." Not all schools will have well taught classes; not all honors courses were created equal; not all classes have great teacher. The same is true of AP courses BUT! there is the added caveat that there is an exam to take at the end of the year which is the same for all kids in taking that exam all over the world. It is supposed to be, content wise, equivalent to an intro level college course. They provide the materials (mostly) and the testing schedule (as far as what points to cover), and so all teachers need to do is fill in the blanks. Right?</p>
<p>Well, that's the basic idea, anyway. My high school was the same as your kid's, in that if you didn't take AP classes you weren't in the "smart" group, and the class was forced to open up to "any interested students" (as opposed to the ones qualified by an exam the teacher pre-set that was excluding every parent's special child, of course). The quality of the class seriously degraded -- it works just fine when the students who are ready to take college-level material are in, but fails VERY quickly when students who aren't quite there join because the college applications (to the colleges their parents tell them they want to attend) tell them they need to fill those spaces in.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I think the AP program could use a few tweaks, but I think it's the administration of it, not the actual program, that needs more help. Though it is yet another money-making machine for the Collegeboard, I do think it greatly benefits students (particularly those, like me, who don't have a JC or university nearby at which to take classes).</p>
<p>All good points, undecided. </p>
<p>I really don't know that much about my daughter's school's AP courses, except that you have to be recommended to take them - at least that is what they said. I tend to stay out of my daughter's course decisions and leave it up to her, the school and her advisor. </p>
<p>Guess we'll see what happens.</p>