I’m nervous about SATs. The test took 5 hours and the proctor kept talking. Her phone rang several times, and she kept looking at the students in an accusing way before realizing it was her own phone making the noise.
She also told them they had 5 min left on a section when they really had 15 min.
This all happened after students stood in line for 60 minutes past the starting time of the test…
I have a feeling Kid23 will have to re-take the SAT…
Would an AO assume the teacher wasn’t that great or the school isn’t that good if the students are mostly getting 1-3s on APs?
The English teacher was let go part way through the year. He hadn’t been teaching, so I feel like my child’s score is amazing given all that happened. They did a year’s work in 4 months. But, of course, no AO will know that.
If students are getting As in the course but 1s and 2s on the exam, I think the assumption is that there is grade inflation.
My S23 was disappointed to get a 3 on AP Calc AB, since he really liked the teacher and the class, but happy to also get 3s on AP Bio and AP English Comp, which were very poorly taught. I imagine most students in his classes did not pass those tests, although the colleges won’t know that. I think he just got lucky because he was not motivated to study on his own. He will be doing early college at a community college next year, and I think he can get credit from them for AP Calc and move into Calc 2 this fall.
Interesting. I don’t know what the students who received 2s received as far as grades.
In addition to grade inflation, you could have a teacher who isn’t teaching what would be on the test. In one class, I think that’s what’s more likely. One teacher phoned it in and then was let go.
With the other class, maybe grade inflation was involved.
This is silly. Wouldn’t a school rather have someone w 5s than 3s on their AP exams, all else equal??
For most colleges, even quite selective ones, AP scores don’t factor into admission decisions at all.
And even for those that do take AP scores into account, they only affect decisions slightly. After all, a student can just have an off day on the one chance they have to take the test (and unlike the SAT/ACT there’s no opportunity to retake on a day you’re feeling better), or that they might simply not deal well with the format of the AP exams (which is structured quite unlike most college-level assessments anyway). And there’s also a recognition that, contra what the College Board claims, an AP exam does not provide great evidence that a student has actually mastered the equivalent of a college course—they do certainly measure some level of ability and knowledge, but not really that.
(Important caveat: This is for most colleges in the USA. For some countries, AP scores can factor in very, very heavily.)
What makes you think they do?
Definitely have them take it at a different location next time. That is unacceptable. Sorry that happened.
That is such a shame! Can the proctor be reported? I mean after all the time and money paid (for the test and maybe tutoring), this is unacceptable! How does your kid feel about taking it again?
My son didn’t do well in Calculus (finished year with a 73 Semester 1 and 80 Semester 2) - he didn’t do the work and consequently would bomb quizzes and a handful of exams. He scored a 5 on the AP exam. Go figure. In this case, I think it would be wise for him to report his scores to the schools he is applying to?
Absolutely- always show your highlights.
Wow, you all did a lot of driving. I’ve often made that Denver-Albuquerque drive and usually am ready to stop about halfway through. It really does take awhile to get to other states out here. I can drive for three hours in most any direction and still be in Colorado—it’s bonkers! I really appreciate the smaller east coast states. Traveling between them is so easy and enjoyable.
It can be so hard for kids to get impressions of colleges, so it is nice that your daughter was able to spend so much time at CU-Denver to form a solid opinion. Out of the options listed, my vote is for Denver. We have a thriving music scene and it’s a fantastic place to live, especially for younger people.
And, of course, we have the Avs—wow, wow, wow! It would have been nice to win the cup at home, but I’m so proud of our boys for grinding out the win. Those watch parties were insane, the hockey fanaticism infectious. Love that your daughter is now a fan for life!
For perspective, roughly 1 out of 2 kids graduate with 4.0 weighted. Are 50% of students in America straight A students when in many areas functional literacy rates are hovering around 50%? Some food for thought!
I’m in awe of you, truly. I’ve been pestering S23 to get more done. He’s got the SRAR completed but there’s a thorny grade entry that doesn’t transfer to the SSAR (don’t even get me started about these two things) and the ONLY school that takes SSAR has not been helpful; just parrots the webpage, which, doh, I know how to read.
Anyway, he’s revising his essay. But I know he hasn’t prepared any of the college-specific questions. And his volunteer hours remain empty b/c he hasn’t gotten his butt in gear yet this summer (he will) and so he hasn’t been able to complete one app that’s already live.
Do let us know how the Trinity interview goes! Fingers crossed!
Yes, my kid is applying to Uni Melbourne, where one qualification is that you either must have an ACT of 28 or a total of 13 points on 3 APs.
Regarding the AP scores and how they are used, Compass Prep has an update about it that is in line with what the local private schools have been saying for over a year:
“In the current policy language, we see many more schools moving towards reviewing AP scores as part of the holistic review…we reviewed the policies surrounding AP scores at 150 popular schools and found that 30% now make some mention of viewing the SCORES specifically in a holistic admissions process”
We are told AP scores could be important if the AOs aren’t familiar with your school but otherwise the grade in the class is more meaningful to them. But better is always better I suppose….
I agree, but I think APs have moved in the direction of that old AO question: Which is better, the A in the easy class or the B in the harder class? And the answer is the A in the hard class is better.
With evidence that more colleges are looking at AP scores, and GPA inflation on the rise AND the SAT-optional environment, I think it is not the grade in the AP vs the AP score, but rather you need the A in the class and the 4 or the 5 (unless you are in a well known school where “B” grades are very common in the hardest classes yet 95% of the class still gets 4s&5s–we know some private schools like that). My hunch is these types of differences are important at the most competitive schools, and it is not likely every grade and score are scrutinized–more like if all APs have scores of 2s and 3s yet the grades are As, it could be a problem.
Lol. Agreed, In our school what the counselor means is that if you got an A in the class but “only” a 4 on the AP exam it isn’t a big deal and better than a B in the class with a 5 on the AP. I am sure below a 4 can be a red flag and that an A in the class with a 5 on the AP is best of all!