<p>The problem some parents are having with the AP load at our school is that sometimes AP is your only option. (Mind you, I only have a sophomore and am not there yet; I'm just trying to gather information) For instance, a student must have four years of English to graduate. In your junior and senior years, your only English option is an AP English. In junior year, your only history option is AP USH. In senior year, you are required to take AP Govt and AP Macro.</p>
<p>Is this common?</p>
<p>Not at our school. In fact, my son had planned to take either honors or AP English but they conflicted with his other courses so he ended up doing an English elective in myths and legends.</p>
<p>No, but I do know of certain very highly ranked public schools that only offer two levels: College prep (regular) and AP....no honors...</p>
<p>Not at S1's private school.</p>
<p>Not at the schools my kids attended.</p>
<p>However, I am hearing about schools that are dropping the honors level of courses and offering only "regular" and "AP." This would pretty much force a student who wants a rigorous curriculum into the AP course.</p>
<p>D's school offers most courses at CP, Honor, and High Honors levels. I believe about 13 APs are also offered, and are offered to only jr & sr girls, and no more than three can be taken per year. AP science, for example, can only be taken after the girl has successfully completed the HH science course (an A is required.) AP students must sit for the exam, as well.</p>
<p>In our school it's either regular or honors/Ap. That is, if they have honors offered there is no AP offered. There's a lot of pressure on the administration to offer more AP's but not enough pressure for kids that are not slackers but don't feel up to AP's. I think it's a shame because it seems that the good, but not high achieving, kids are not acknowledged at all.</p>
<p>kathiep, the lack of options is part of the problem, real or perceived. For instance, if your child is a math/science whiz, then their junior year usually already includes AP Cal BC blocked with differential equations, plus AP Physics, and most kids opt for a fourth year of language, which is always an AP course. So, if they are forced to take an AP English and an AP USH, there's almost no release valve in that schedule. BTW, this year, an eight period was added so we could move to a block schedule, so that's one more class to add to the mix. And the best electives are APs, so kids end up choosing those as well. And even the non-AP electives are quite difficult, such as Anatomy & Physiology and Medical Microbiology.</p>
<p>Now, part of this is the fault of over-achieving kids and parents, taking the tops and pushing all the time. Ya know, why not just drop down in your math and science or take easier electives. But if your a math/science kid, I can understand wanting a little flexibility to not have to have AP English and history courses.</p>
<p>There was never "AP only" option in my kids' schools; but there often was the "AP or regular" choice; and the regular classes were not... errr... well, you know. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Son's school offers IB diploma and AP, along with 9th and10th pre-ib (non wtd) honors classes. Once you hit 11th grade, regular classes are not usually challenging. It pretty much is no homework or hours of homework with no happy medium. They are trying to phase out AP in favor of IB. Totally different programs, though the classes are often combined as IB/AP and kids just take the appropriate test at the end. That has had a negative impact on test scores, hence the desire to go with just IB. If I had another kid starting high school, I would choose one of the private schools that has decided to drop AP entirely in favor of a well taught, rigorous high school curriculum. The schools that have done so have great reputations so I do not think it hurts the kids come admissions time.</p>
<p>Son's public HS offered "advanced" (honors) language arts grades 9, 10 and 11 plus AP lang and AP lit as well as regular LA 9, 10, 11 and various semester LA courses for seniors- son had schedule conflicts and so did "ALA" 11 plus one AP; in talking with the GT coordinator and others at the school he may have had a better 11th grade course since the rigid AP curriculum wasn't required- they did different literature so there wasn't a problem with overlapping material (and the analyzing/writing instuction is always useful). Some students took only AP US History and/or Physics whereas some took the regular class followed by the AP course. No system will be perfect, all sorts of scenarios get kids into colleges with skills.</p>
<p>Yes, that's how it works at my kids' (public) school. They follow a cohort model, so all kids take the same classes for four years. All the AP courses offered are taken by everyone. It seems to work pretty well. The number of AP courses isn't crushing, which is good.</p>
<p>D's high school is like a mini-college. Classes are offered in many different courses and levels in one academic subject. It has AP, honor, regular, and something else. I recently checked a high school that's supposed to be well known in the Bay area, that is in the top 100 Newsweek, and all it has is either AP or regular for a subject.</p>
<p>In the county I live, you have the choice of regular classes or honors/AP. If AP is offered, there is no honors. Lots of parents complain about this to no avail. The honors students are forced to a full load of AP or to return to regular classes (which I am sure would not be looked favorably upon by admission officers)</p>
<p>Wow, so different here in Canada. Sure we have AP, but only after finishing honors 11 or honors 12 with at least an A average. Want to take AP Calculus? Have to be in Accelerated (not enriched math or regular math!) Math in grade 9, 10, 11, and 12, THEN AP Calculus (and can't take it but in 12th year). Sure.....</p>