<p>I believe there should be a restriction. At my school everyone takes the same AP classes. Lets face it, not everyone can handle the AP curriculum. The only problem is that since many people can't handle the REAL AP curriculum, all the teachers make it incredibly easy to get an A in the class. This is why when people take AP tests at our school, the good students only get a 3 or if they're lucky, a 4. Good students have been crippled at my school because our AP curriculum has been slowed down.</p>
<p>That's is why I think the way my school does is better. The AP classes are so hard at my school that at least half of the class gets 5's.</p>
<p>Haha. This reminds me of when I took AP US History as a junior.</p>
<p>I'd slacked off for both my freshman and sophomore years. I was barely on the honor roll, and the only student in the entire classroom not in the top 25% of my class. Some of my classmates said I should not have been allowed to enroll in the course.</p>
<p>Guess what? I buckled down that year, started working for once, and ended up getting a 5 on the AP exam. The classmates that said I shouldn't have been allowed to enroll ended up getting 4's. Oh, how sweet that felt.</p>
<p>That AP course ended up showing me something: when I first received a test score greater than the girl who has had a 4.0 GPA for years and was a National Merit Scholarship finalist in that class, I realized that "the smart kids" are people, too. I ended up turning my high school career around as a result of that class.</p>
<p>So I think that limiting an AP course to the top 10% is a terrible idea. I got a lot out of AP, and I'd hate to think that at another school I wouldn't have been allowed to.</p>
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I believe there should be a restriction. At my school everyone takes the same AP classes. Lets face it, not everyone can handle the AP curriculum. The only problem is that since many people can't handle the REAL AP curriculum, all the teachers make it incredibly easy to get an A in the class. This is why when people take AP tests at our school, the good students only get a 3 or if they're lucky, a 4. Good students have been crippled at my school because our AP curriculum has been slowed down.
[/quote]
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<p>I don't see why a restriction is an answer. I say, keep the curriculum at its full strength and let kids sink or swim. If the kids can't handle it, they'll fail.</p>
<p>And as for you "crippled good students..." buy an AP review book. Look up some practice questions online. Study the textbook harder. Don't blame "the dumb kids." Talk about a way to dodge personal responsibility!</p>
<p>At my school, it's incredibly difficult to get into AP classes. To get into AP Classes in 10th grade, you need a 95% tile on the PLAN test from Freshman year+ A- average in courses from the same department. To get into AP Calc/Sciences following 10th grade, you need a 65+ on the Math PSAT and an A- average in Pre-Calc Honors. AP English requires a 70 PSAT, A- average, and some writing samples.</p>
<p>restrictions are not fair... if someone wants to take a chance, LET THEM TAKE IT!!!</p>
<p>it's very hard to get into an AP class at my (private) school. You need teachers recs., really high standardized test scores (for english/history you need high reading&writing PSAT scores, for math and science APs you need high math PSAT scores), usually at least an A in the honors or whichever class the yr before, and one of the highest grades on the test to get into the AP class. the AP classes themselves have so much work and are so hard that it's extremely rare for anyone to take more than 2 or 3 in one year.. but i guess it works, for example: in the past 3 years, no one has gotten lower than a 4 on the US History exam with about 80-90% of the people getting 5s</p>
<p>OK, here is a case study to show why there should be NO restrictions:
I was only in the top 25% of the class and I got 4's on:
Calculus BC
Physics C
US History
American Government
Macroeconomics</p>
<p>I was nowhere near the top 10% yet I was pretty successful in those classes...</p>
<p>they can do this, but it is unfair. I think they should not allow this to happen.</p>
<p>I feel anyone should be allowed to take AP classes. It doesn't take a person in the top 10% to realize taking all AP classes can be nuts. I have friends that hover around the 40-50% ranking, and they won't even touch an AP class despite our school allowing it. I myself rank within the top half, and I currently take 4 AP classes. Prior to this year I only took one honors class. Right now I'm able to pull a 3.5 GPA with those 4 AP classes. Junior year second semester I had only a 2.5 GPA. But something over the summer must of happened and made me push myself. I took a risk and took those 4 AP classes and don't regrit it one bit.</p>
<p>I agree with Kinglin. Some kids in my class are in the bottem half of the class but they are good at certain subjects like biology. Our school lets anyone take the class unless the teacher feels strongly against it and then if parents get involved the school always yields to the student. But what I think shouldn't be allowed is a kid in my class taking AP English when he literally can't spell properly and refuses to do any of the work. The only reason he is passing that class is because the principal won't let the teacher fail him.</p>
<p>dik i think there r too many students in AP classes and that kind of sacrifices quality with quantity. Since there's limited funding, more people means the same blocks, more people in the class. I could never understand those people who take 5 APs and get Cs or lower on those. In my school's case, i want limited access and better quality.</p>
<p>VICTORIAL do you go to Ludlowe or Warde?</p>
<p>I think it's fair, depending on the number of students in the class(grade level). If you aren't doing well on the regular/honors curriculum, what proof have you given your school that you're ready for AP?</p>
<p>I agree that its fair, but look at the school system in America, very unfair. Espescially with ED. It's mostly about whether or not you have money to pay for college, take the SAT prep course, take unpaid internships and all that jazz. Just having potential means nothing anymore. Thats why so many kids are in AP classes who really shouldnt be. They need to get into college so schools give them the resume they need. Fair? No, but thats the way the system works. I say that a ten percent restiction is great.</p>
<p>I think all should be allowed to take the AP. If they can't do well, then that's their fault. </p>
<p>At my school, I think about 60% of graduating seniors had taken at least one AP class of some sort.</p>
<p>First of all, I think its completely unfair and wrong to not allow kids to take AP tests. That's a chance at paying less money and getting out of classes and no person should be denied that oppurtunity. I don't think kids should be kept out of AP classes either if really want to. Of course you have to have the ability but if you really can't handle it-that's what dropping out of the class is for. A bunch of kids in my school do that when they realize the tests and workload is more than they thought. At my school you need a teacher recommendation but that can be overrided by your parents. </p>
<p>I just think its ridiculous to use measures like class rank or test scores and act like they prove anything about how well that kid can do in the class and on the exam. If they learn a lot, what's the problem? Some of the measures in schools to qualify for the classes seem very exagerated. It's like you're applying for college and there's definitely a difference between the two. AP classes are important to colleges, thats a fact and I think its a very mean thing to do to deny kids a chance to challenge themselves and prove to them that they can handle "college" courses. </p>
<p>If there's not enough space or teachers or whatever, well then obviously something needs to be changed. Education isn't about keeping the gates locked, its about opening the doors to knowledge.</p>
<p>I live in Fairfield County, and my public high school allows almost anyone to take APs. In fact, they let so many unqualified students take them that our scores suffer greatly.</p>
<p>in my hometown all u had to do was ask.</p>
<p>but then they make the classes hard enough that either most don't want to or they end up dropping it.</p>