@skieurope and @GMC2918 – the constrainment of their curriculum is the same reasoning Choate has used for eliminating APs. One of the administrators did mention last year that there has been some resistance from parents.
As we embark on this journey, I am wondering which AP tests lend themselves to serious prep work if one has not taken the requisite AP course? My guess would be tests that are more subjective, such as World History, etc. Thanks in advance for any first-hand insight.
Again, much depends upon the school. I would say the 3 history exams (world/US/Euro) and AP Language would be amongst the most difficult as those 4 require an essay crafted using primary sources. If that has not been taught in the course or their is no teacher to readily assist in reviewing the essays, the exams will pose a challenge, IMO.
Another reason for BS and private schools to trend away from APs is colleges are trending away from giving them weight and even credit.
APs IMO are just another money making machine for the College Board. I’m glad my kids went to a school with no APs. They never took an AP test so less stress and less money spent on that.
@itcannotbetrue I was hoping DS1 go to a college in a swing state for 2018/2020 
- OH, PA, MI, NC, ME, etc. Looks like it is not turning out that way. He will go to a place where his vote will not matter. :-S
On colleges, DS2 says “No Hills!” - I don’t think he will ever have to walk over the hills in 5 minutes during college though. Not a packed schedule like in BS.
@itcannotbetrue: Choate has never been a fan of the AP program and resisted adding APs to its curriculum back in the day but eventually caved to parental pressure. Curtis is trying to swing the pendulum back as Choate’s regular curriculum is more than sufficient for students to get 5s on those exams while not causing them (or faculty) to suffer through mind-numbing teach-to-the-test courses; your kid could get that in spades at home. Avoiding the AP rat race was part of the reason for allowing kiddo to go to BS. ChoatieKid only took AP calc courses because they are part of the standard math sequence at Choate, but was able to get 5s on the APs he sat for. The regular curriculum was more than sufficient, and teachers provided a few off-hours prep sessions for student who wanted to take various exams. For whichever exams your student is interested in taking, have him/her talk to the current teacher or department head for that subject to discuss arrangements.
I totally appreciate the idea of not being constrained by the curriculum of the AP and having to teach to the test.
At the same time, AP (and IB) exams can help kids get the most out of their college dollars by allowing them to place out of the classes rather than take them again. Particularly for kids whose means are limited, denying them that on the grounds of “intellectual freedom” sounds a little elitist – or at least insensitive. The way @ChoatieMom describes addressing it works for most schools and is a good halfway house. It’s a tough balance if inclusivity is part of what you want in your community (and that includes SES diversity/inclusion.)
@itcannotbetrue I just love the red state reference. I would not be thrilled if any of my kids went to college in a red state but I guess that’s a future yell. In fact, I think I must change my entire retirement strategy and plan for the east coast in Florida as there was far too much red on the west coast county map!
@gardenstategal my understanding is that if you take the AP exam that helps with college placement the same way that taking the actual class does. But maybe that’s not the case? It’s an interesting question.
Many of the colleges and universities favored by boarding school grads don’t give credit for graduation requirements for AP courses/tests. They often qualify the student for advanced placement but don’t result in earlier graduation/tuition savings.
Most colleges will give credit (as in "you satisfied a requirement ") or placement for an AP or IB grade at or above a certain level. Some even give actual credit so that a student can finish in fewer than 4 years. But you need the test score itself to get that. Being able to skip distribution or language requirements can be appealing as can moving into higher level classes. Personally, I wouldn’t encourage my kid to skip any part of the 4 year experience (but to take advantage of placement to take other classes). But having had the opportunity to talk to a number of kids who anticipated grad school and who had very limited means, I recognize my view as one of privilege. Many of them saw the value of the IBD, for example, as tuition for one year of college. It’s an interesting topic… Our school did offer both paths, AP and IB, (sometimes through the same course) but didn’t teach to the test per se. And no weighting for GPA purposes - no incentive to take those classes unless there was an interest. DS took a number of those classes and took the tests in most. Used a few for placement, chose to repeat the ones in what he thinks may be his major, and a few others were scores on his application but nothing more.
Colleges that give AP credit give it for the AP score not the AP class, so it doesn’t matter how you prepare for the exam.
@doschicos , you’re right that few BS students would skip a semester or year (whether by choice or the school they attend.) But why would you want to pay twice for the same class, once at BS and again in college? That is the benefit of having a credential that allows a bye. If a student takes the exam and does well, that saves buying the same class twice, and at close to $7500 a class in college (for a FP student at a private college), that’s not chump change. I’d want my kid to take something new, or at least have the choice.
As has been said here, at most BS, in most classes, the courses are pretty good prep for the exam and teachers will often offer sessions to help kids who want to take the exams. What I would add is that if you’re at all sensitive to costs, there can be an advantage to paying for the AP exam, and it’s probably fair to explain to the school why you’d appreciate their support in that.
Well, personally, it hasn’t affected me directly, @gardenstategal, as my kids have gone the humanities/social sciences route in college so your valid point hasn’t been relevant to their course of study. I can see it being more applicable in the sciences. However, kids from their AP-free school seem to manage fine, regardless. Some take the AP exams anyway. Mine were never that motivated. They’re probably more slackerish than many BS kids. 
Having a '17 who is in the midst of applications I’ll say that APs are handled differently at each college. Some schools give credit, some give placement. Many have a list of how they count each exam/score - usually need a 5, sometimes a 4. DS took 5 exams - one language and the rest science. Once he picks a school he’ll figure out how they handle it. He’s a bit more focused on post-AP math he’s taken and placement.
Tips for the discussion in #6 and #7 on the Math subject tests:
@RustyTrowel my kids used their TI-83 plus for Math 2 subject test with no problems.
I don’t remember my kids having any problems with the TI-89 on tests either because it was heavily used in coursework during their classes.
The larger strategic issue is that College Board says in their “calculator policy” that one does not need to clear the memory of one’s “approved calculator” before taking the exam (both TI-83 plus and the TI-89 are “approved calculators”). So, that means that whatever one might have done to configure one’s calculator for speed and ease-of-use is ok on exam day. Which begs the question of what College Board is really testing on this test…
TI Nspire CX CAS calculator is also allowed for the Math subject test. So one can pretty much program the calculator or use its functionality.
If the student knows what functionality of the calculator is necessary to solve a particular math problem, that is good enough for me. For example, DS plotted the function on TI Nspire when asked for the number of its asymptotes. I drew the function. The same answer.
In the past I had read comments (here) indicating that Choate was moving away from AP classes. I asked a question about that at a Choate sophomore parent orientation last fall. In answer to my question I was told there is not a uniform position on that issue among faculty and administration. The Dean who answered my question made it very clear he will continue to teaching an AP class going forward (even if the school no longer calls it an AP class).
Having watched my older son go through this, in my opinion, the question of whether an AP class is taught as a “teach to a test class” has more to do with the teacher than the AP curriculum. I agree AP classes can be very helpful - particularly for future engineering majors that have to live with a college curriculum set by ABET and often have little flexibility in college to select different classes.