<p>I have seen somewhere on the College Board site a discussion of AP test validation. The AP tests are validated from time to time by giving them to samples fo college students. Their scoring apparently reflects what first-year college students learn in first-year college courses, across a range of colleges that is perhaps broader than that considered by most CC parents.</p>
<p>I took APUSH this year, and disagree with the analysis part. Yes you need to analyze some aspects of the DBQ and essay but i really don't think it's enough. I came from korea last year, and when I enrolled for APUSH i expected an intensive curriculum that would include reading many history books and debating about policies of the day. But my AP class did not include that much. We were just too busy to finish up till the 1970s before the AP exam that there was no room for analysis and debate as i expected. I was deeply disillusioned and i understand why Exeter and many top schools have dropped the AP social studies curriculum. The curriculum is so focused on finishing before the first week of may that there is no time for analysis. If our school had a honor USH(that goes more in-depth than the AP) we could have a lot of class discussions and essays and even history reports we could do. Social studies isn't about memorization and needs a lot of analysis but CB's tests just can not provide that. That I felt the same for Chemistry and Calculus and even economics. For Chemistry, the curriculum only requires like an hour or two of organic chemistry basically memorizing the function groups nothing more. Also the class did not cover molecular bonding theory and bonding level which were on the UNSCO. Also too much of AP chem focuses on Stochiometry which is the basics for AP chem. I thought it was a waste of time that we had to focus on this so much when we could be doing other experiments. It is very crucial and basic but i thought that it had been adequately covered in regular or honors chem the year before.
For Calc BC I also found many problems. I believe that math is made from the logical connections rooted from the axioms that form a new theory. However, in my class we never did any proof. I had to look at the textbook myself to find the proof or actually do some of it myself.(of course doing it yourself is much better.) The exam focused on really basic things, not like the derivation process which is the mechanics in higher math where a small idea can turn into a whole proof of complicated theory. I really hate AP tests because they lack depth a lot and force the school to finish the curriculum by may and thus rushing them. I really think that AP tests should not exist and that we should take our advanced classes as our school offers them and take a placement test in the school we enroll to so that the quality of the classes can be ensured to the students taking the course. Five really doesn't mean much I've seen many people who struggled in class but got a five. We had a good teacher but still it shouldn't be like that.
Oh about the honor classes I feel that they should not be weighted as well as APs. Even if the school doesn't weight it colleges will able to see it and thus determine a weighted GPA of their own. Weighted GPA should be only used in school for determining the val/sal. This is what I think. Hope it doesn't offend anyone, and if it did i'm sorry; it's not my intention to.</p>
<p>a lot of great discussion on this topic. Here is my perspective on a few of the overall threads.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>It seems to me that the AP classes and tests are entry level "core" classes at many colleges.</p></li>
<li><p>Testing out of those entry level survey classes is appropriate where mastery is shown, either through the students AP score or the placement tests adminstered by the college.</p></li>
<li><p>To me, if a student takes the AP class for credit to show that they challenged themselves they must also take the test. The test validates the effort and grade. Those students who get As on their transcript and 1s on the test should be viewed as if they took an easier class then the AP class by the admissions officers.</p></li>
<li><p>Personally I am torn between 2 things, advanced standing and a full college experience. It seems to me that if a student is advanced they should take the higher level class. Further, perhaps the advanced standing will enable the student to more easily participate in study abroad or to earn their masters degree in 4 years instead of 5 or 6. I seem to come down on the side of going to school for 4 years and earning a masters degree if qualified.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Comment, the last note is why I am a bit uncertain about an LAC for my second son.</p>
<p>Eagle:</p>
<p>For only a handful of students is the need for more advanced classes not addressed by LACs. These students are usually to be found in math and sciences where the learning is sequential. Usually, there are no dearth of more history, more literature, more social sciences classes a student can take at a LAc without running out of courses unless the LAC has a very small department in the area of the student's interest. </p>
<p>My S who has AS eligibility wants to spend four years in college. He will definitely be taking more advanced classes; he does not know yet whether he will strive for a M.A. degree in four years or take more courses outside his major. And he does not have to decide right now. Students who opt for AS often change their minds later on anyway.</p>
<p>1Down,</p>
<p>I'm one person that won't need convincing about the info you rec'd. I visited the UCLA admitted freshmen profiles one or 2 cycles ago. (Haven't seen current cycle, but UCLA has publicized that the most recent admissions were their most selective in their history.) In any case, in the info I read on the UCLA site, what was listed, among other stats, were the # of AP and Honors (combined) courses that the TYPICAL ucla admit had completed. </p>
<p>My own D graduated from her h.s. with 10 completed AP courses (& exams), and I think about 8 (?) Honors courses. BTW, none of those approx. 18 courses were in the least watered-down. A student has to meet a very high bar to even take the courses, let alone remain in them & do well in them.</p>
<p>That combined above number was WITHIN THE NORMAL RANGE of what the typical UCLA accepted freshman had.</p>
<p>[On a separate note, that same ucla site also listed the typical e.c. accomplishment, leadership, etc. of those admitted students, which again matched the same rather high accomplishment of my own D. To my thinking, that only confirms the competitive level of admissions to the upper UC's in recent years especially. If you are not a special hook, you had better have a very impressive record to be considered for top UC admissions.]</p>
<p>The 10 AP's she took and 8+ Honors classes were all year-long. So the 20 semesters of AP's, while admittedly on the high end of the "17," is still within the range.</p>
<p>(Is there even an AP course that is one semester long, only?) I personally don't know of any but am all ears. My D did take one or two Honors courses that were one semester long, but no AP's, as I remember. I thought APs were designed as full-year curricula.</p>
<p>one-semester AP courses:
stat
microecon
macroecon
env sci
comp sci A</p>
<p>thanks, texas. I had forgotten about the econs (that's right!). I did assume that a comp. sci. might be one semester, but am surprised to learn that Env. Sci can be broken down into an A and B.</p>
<p>
[quote]
am surprised to learn that Env. Sci can be broken down into an A and B.
[/quote]
it can't. I believe that env sci and stat are simply one semester courses in terms of the AP curriculum. Of course, there would be nothing preventing a school from spending a whole year on the subject and covering a lot more material.</p>