D has AP Chem and AP Psych today and felt very well prepared for both, AP Physics and English state test tomorrow, Wednesday is an off day and I told her she could stay home to prep for APUSH (first time ever allowing this), Thursday Calc BC, which she’s well prepared for, and Friday is APUSH. Unfortunately, she got stuck this year with the bad APUSH teacher. He happens to have the highest AP exam pass rate and most with 5’s, but I told D that it must be because the students realize how bad he is early on and study extra hard on their own. So she could really use Wednesday to get in some additional prep. She feels good about the MC, but wants additional prep for the free response. Next week she has AP English language on Wednesday, and the following week she has AP Spanish language on Wednesday. I just wish they’d have allowed her to use the other alternate exam days for Psych and Physics, but she says it will be fine. She is really looking forward to end of day May 18th. We’ll go celebrate with pizza and a movie and she can start catching up on her sleep. Not much planned in most of her classes for the rest of the school year. The kids are looking forward to lots of card playing and reading during class time.
@greeny8 Wow! at chem situation and school for not addressing it early. There are usually more teachers interested in teaching AP than there are spots, so there is no reason that happened. I hope your son does well despite the crappy teacher.
Yuck, @greeny8. That is awful for those kids!
@itsgettingreal17, S had physics mechanics and physics E&M back to back next Monday. He is comfortable with the mechanics, but isn’t sure about E&M. They are did a practice test last week and will be correcting and reviewing it in class today, so he will get to see if he would pass with a 3 or higher. That is stressing my type B kid out a bit.
Yes, good luck to all your kiddos. I had to ask D again which tests she’s taking. She has a combined Chem/Phys AP class, but does not take both AP tests this year. I don’t really get it. Anyway, I guess I’ve asked her to clarify what tests she’s taking so many times that this last time she just gave me a stare, like: “I’ve got this. Don’t worry about it, I’ll tell you when I’m done.” So I’m gonna stay out of it (other than paying!). I believe hers are well spaced (3) between tomorrow and next Thurs.
She has SAT Math 2 coming up in June. I’ve heard we should have done this a year or two ago, since it has no calculus (?). She’s in Calc BC now, so hopefully she’ll do OK and hasn’t forgotten too much pre-calc. Any tips on what to review would be appreciated, though. She’s got a Barrons study guide that she’ll be using.
@2muchquan – College Board sells a book that includes two ‘real’ practice Math II tests. The other book that contains all 20+ tests includes one Math II test, but it is one of the two contained in the dedicated Math book. So…if she has the overall book, she can look at the sample math test in that, but if she has nothing, I would buy the dedicated Math subject test book. Just search Amazon for College Board Math Subject Test.
And I know what you mean about ‘the look’. I think it was a parent on the class of 2014 site who had the user name I Just Drive. And that is how I often feel.
@2muchquan my son is in the same boat regarding SAT Math 2. He’s in AB/BC calc this year and scheduled to take math 2 test in June… Wish we had him take it last year.
He reported that he felt pretty comfortable with math on the ACT which he just took in April (no score yet, and probably won’t get it for quite some time since he took test through his school on April 19). I’m hoping that is a good sign since also no calc on ACT (and I was worried that he’d feel rusty with that math, but apparently he didn’t), but really I have no idea what math is covered on SAT Math 2 or any of these tests. I would also appreciate any insights/tips about this!
@greeny8 that is appalling about the Chem teacher,I can’t believe the district and school let that continue for a whole quarter.
@WhereIsMyKindle how stressful!!!
My son took the AP History test last year and didn’t do so well. For some reason our school doesn’t seem to teach was is needed for the AP tests. They push taking dual credit classes. He will have 30 dual credit hours when he graduates high school. My daughter did the same thing and it helped her a ton. Just gave her a little wiggle room when she went off to college so that she could take yoga and kick boxing to relieve the stress.
Question for everyone: does your school weight dual credit classes the same as AP classes?
At Ds school, AP and IB classes are weighted but dual credit classes are not.
Yes, good luck to all the kids taking AP tests! My DD just has Calc A/B this week and Eng next week. @262mom and @2muchquan , the math 2 SAT goes up through pre-calc. Your calc kids may need to review some of that fun trig stuff. My D prepared only with the Barron’s book and did well, but she took it after finishing pre-calc. You can miss up to 5 I think and still get an 800. My D has honors physics and won’t take an AP test, but may try for the subject test in June (she registered). She has not had a great teacher (just doesn’t explain things) so trying to study on her own, but it’s a lot of material. I think after AP tests she’ll need to try a few practice tests to see if it’s realistic to take it. UCs often recommend subject tests, so hard to know how critical it is.
@canpava…what do you mean weighted? At our school the dual credit classes are the same as an AP classes when it come to the GPA. Is that what you mean? At our school AP classes and PreAP classes are out of 6.0 alsong with dual credit classes. 5.0 is a regular class. I think it depends on the school. Our school does the whole 95 in an AP class is 5.5 where as a 91 in an AP class would be 5.1. That can make a huge difference.
At D’s school, AP and IB are weighted 5.0, dual credit is weighted 4.5. D is going to take her first dual enrollment course next semester. She didn’t want to take any 4.5 courses, but its a pre-req for her college major and she wants to get it over with. Her next math class, multivariable calculus, will be concurrent enrollment instead of dual credit so it won’t factor into her GPA at all. I’ve heard that the DE courses are easier than the AP and IB courses.
@Tgirlfriend There are just so many bad AP teachers out there. I do not understand it. It is a mixed bag at D’s school. Some of the AP teachers are fantastic and others not so much. My D got a little spoiled with her first two AP courses - Human Geo and World. The teachers were so good that she didn’t have to do much review on her own before the exam and did really well on both. Then this year she got the worst of the APUSH teachers. Her luck ran out.
D is also currently scheduled to take the SATII’s on Saturday. Ouch! I forgot to have her take the math last year. I did buy her a review book that she can flip through Friday night, but that’s all she has time for. I want to leave June test date open for retaking the SAT if she needs to.
That’s a good idea; I’ll ask the girls if they want to do that.
@greeny8 that is terrible about the chem teacher. I’d be pissed. Shame on her for doing that to the kids.
I don’t think our school does dual credit-they do dual enrollment and at a distance learning with GA Tech (D saw the class being taught one day and said she wishes she had taken it instead of the in-person class). IB an AP are on a 5 scale, honors and on-level are on a 4 scale.
Today was my last day of the semester and I made A’s! I’m mostly happy because I feel guilty for spending money on school, so I feel a little like at least I got my money’s worth with the A’s. I have a month to clean up the poor house and pull a few weeds and wash the rolling trashcan that has become my car, then back to school in June for 4 more classes. Ack.
Mother’s Day is this weekend, and I got my MIL a Fitbit. Hey, she got me a scale that tracks my weight, so that’s Karma, right 
(seriously, though, I have a fitbit, and I love it.)
@itsgettingreal17 …I think my S is past the point of caring about the AP business. lol He is headed from UIL State in 3 different math areas and that is all that is on his mind right now. WIN STATE!!!
@canpava, S’s school weights dual enrollment classes that are 200 level or higher on a weighted scale. At his HS, these classes, along with the advanced HS classes are weighted on a 4.5 scale. Everything else, including the 100 level college classes, is on a 4.0 scale.
@itsgettingreal17, S is taking the SAT in June, or at least he is signed up for it already! 
@MotherOfDragons Way to go on your great grades! :bz <:-P
DS17 went off to take AP Chem without touching any of the prep books I bought. :-w
Oh, well. I try to STAY CALM. Worst case, he won’t get any credit so will be placed into Chem 101. Not the end of the world. ~X(
Bigger problem is he is pulling C in AP USH class. This will be his first C in 6 years; no letter grades in elementary.
(In this age of grade inflation, this C means F. Not turning in dozens of homework, getting 1 out of 6 in tests, etc)
Colleges do accept kids with C, right? :-&
@MotherOfDragons Congrats on a great semester! I think its so awesome that you are going to school. 
Have you guys ever seen Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield? I keep joking with my D that I’m going to follow her to college and be the cool, embarrassing mom. lol
@payn4ward colleges definitely still accept kids with a C. He’ll be just fine.
@greeny8, that is terrible about the teacher checking out long before physically leaving. I often wonder if teachers like that realize how much their (lack of) actions impact their students.