Because of limited HL course availability at our HS, many kids in the IB program end up taking AP courses to supplement the IB curriculum.
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Most colleges still give credit for AP scores. While they may not be necessary for admission, good scores sure do not hurt
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Interesting! I didn’t know this. In our district the HL classes offered are a couple of math classes, Bio, CS, some Health Science class, Visual arts, some History class, Language and Lit, 2 Spanish classes, a French class and a German class. Most of the IB kids do AP Chem and AP Physics during freshman or sophomore years, as well as some AP classes in the social sciences.
Based on this, does the “IB type” in our district make sense? Honestly, I have very little understanding of IB! My kid chose all his classes on his own and I never asked questions.
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For those of us who don’t have IB programs, what are HL and SL?
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High level and standard level. Whether they receive credit varies a ton based on HL or SL, despite many SL classes being comparable to AP - in OUR experience. My daughter easily passed several AP exams having just taken the SL classes as a few of the schools on her list would give credit for AP, but not IB SL.
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Seems like your school has a good selection of HL choices. Some others have reported IB programs with much more limited choices for HL (e.g. no math HL).
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Are you referring to college course credits or admissions? If it’s the former, colleges, especially elite privates, have become more judicious in awarding college credits with the proliferation of AP courses that may not meet college standards. However, if it’s the latter, I’m not sure that’s necessarily the case. Harvard’s Fitzsimmons testified during the Harvard trial that AP courses and scores were the best predictors, among the ones Harvard had looked at in its internal study, of students’ performances at Harvard. Many other elite colleges likely have reached similar conclusions. It’s obviously difficult to use AP courses/scores uniformly for admission purpose, because of the lack of uniformity of AP courses offered in high schools across the country. But for applicants from the same high school or very similar high schools, AP courses/scores may play a significant role (and perhaps even an increasingly significant role in a test optional environment) in admissions.
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And this is why I think they should not be eliminated.
our small private school cut back on AP classes and turned some of them into DE - from what i’ve heard it was because the teachers were able to teach DE, but not able to teach AP. Happened with calc, psych; stats and perhaps a few others.
This is kind of what is happening at my kid’s school. The new teachers apparently aren’t qualified to teach existing AP courses, so they are being dropped. Kids either have to take an AP at another school or do dual enrollment.
Do you know of any school that will give credit for DE but not AP?
Honest question - open to anyone who knows. I don’t right off, but I know of some that will give credit for AP and not DE.
Well, there are a lot of KIDS who won’t get credit for an AP class (score a 3 or below), but who would get credit for getting a B or C in a DE class. Some kids have mastered the material but just aren’t good standardized test takers.
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There are some situations where a college course may be accepted but an AP score for a similar AP course may not. For example, UCB gives subject credit for many community colleges’ physics and history courses as listed at http://www.assist.org , but subject credit for AP physics and history scores is much less likely, although an AP score of 3 generally gives credit units even if it gives no subject credit.
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That’s true, but I’ve seen DE classes that are also much easier, making it easier to get that B or C (or A) than a good score on an AP test. It’s not an issue if the student doesn’t really need the class for college (just a gen ed), but when it’s something like Calc and they want to be an engineer, it’s a problem.
Yes. Anything below a 4 often gets no credit but a C will in many schools.
Regardless of which way students go, if trying to get credit for Calc or other math (some do College Alg), I always suggest either taking a placement test at the college or asking to see if they can see previous exams to know if they’re ready for the next course or not IF math matters to them. It’s not at all good to have a poor foundation in math when going into a math heavy major and not all As are identical.
Physics is only AP at our school, so kids/colleges should have a good idea where they stand on that one with their score, but if one were doing DE instead it’s another I would want to be sure is solid if it’s a needed course for future classes.
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It might be best to take AP in fields you are interested in and the bare minimum to graduate and then take cc classes outside of school dual enrollment. Most colleges take cc classes if they are not part of dual enrollment. I don’t know how they can deny them and still take transfer students. This was how I, going back 30 years ago, and many kids are doing now. You basically can have your associates degree by the time you finish high school if you start taking community college classes in 9th grade summer. Even the tech schools do this. If one wants to go become a teacher start taking cc classes in high school go another year to community college then transfer. Most ivy leagues, top schools, and state schools take transfers as it is a big money maker.
Not necessarily true for first year students at private universities. They consider it as part of preparation for college.
Well, they do. e.g.
Credit is not awarded for college-level coursework undertaken at other institutions while a student is enrolled in high school or in the summer after high school. Such coursework is considered a part of a student’s preparation for a Penn education.
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I think this is the case for every single school my kid applied to, and all but one for D21–almost all private, as you pointed out. Parents/students, check the college websites in advance, if you have or plan DE.
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Yes, it’s definitely university specific
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