Monday, January 24, 2011
A Legacy of Luster: A Profile of Theresa Luster
Another story I've wriiten for glossmagazineonline.com
Moving America Forward Obama Rally
A story I wrote for glossmagazineonline.com
Here's the link:
Are AP Classes Teaching up to par?
By Samantha Battle
The Illinois Board of Education put out a statement saying that record numbers of students took the advance placement test but many failed to pass. With this low number, the question of whether students are getting enough practice and information from their schools to feel confident in taking the AP exam is beginning to arise.
Students who take an AP class have to be either recommended, interviewed and cleared by faculty to actually be able to take the class, so just not any student can just take an AP class. The students learn material throughout the whole course of the class to teach and help them leading up to the AP test at the end of the school year. Students also have a choice to take the test or not.
“If you do not take the AP test at the end of the end of the class level, on your transcript, the credit drops to honors, which is essentially a waste of time seeing as it would appear the same on the transcript for a class that isn’t as rigorous,” said Christopher Betts, a senior at King College Preparatory High School taking AP Literature.
According to College Board.com, the fee for each AP exam is $86. This may seem like a lot to a college senior who has graduation fees, college and prom expenses to pay and then to not pass the test lose out on $86. This is why students would hope to be prepared enough from their class and teacher to pass the test. However, some students receive fee waivers, which can be a result of more minority students taking the AP exam.
“I took AP Language and Composition last year and I had a fee waiver for my AP exam so I really didn’t care if I didn’t pass the test, which I didn’t, because I didn’t have to pay for it and I wasn’t wasting out on any of my own money,” said Sydney Neverson, a senior at King College Preparatory High School.
Some students have even admitted to just taking an AP class just to boost up their grade point average. Taking an AP class is two extra credit points than taking a regular or honors class.
“I took an AP course mainly to raise my GPA, so if I don't pass the test, but still get a good grade, I won't feel as though it is entirely a waste,” said Gary Jackson, a senior at King also taking AP Literature.
Advanced placement classes can shave off at least two years of college if used efficiently throughout high school along with preparing students for college. That’s why high school AP teachers want to inclement AP classes to students as early as their freshman year.
“One of our big pushes this year was to align our curriculum to prepare students to succeed in AP level classes, starting from freshman year,” said Jungsun Moon, an AP Literature teacher at King College Preparatory High School. “We’re looking at revamping curriculum especially at the freshman-sophomore level to help develop skills early, as well as introducing them to more intellectually rigorous material so that it’s not a complete shock once they reach their junior and senior years.”
According to the Director of Admissions at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Paul Pless, about 80 percent of their incoming freshman has transferring AP credits.
“I think AP credit is very useful and I think that it is better when students use it so they can take more advanced courses in their four years in college rather than using it to graduate in three, Pless said.”
There are other organizations out there that tutor students in their AP classes such as Kaplan and there are many online tutoring companies. Kaplan charges for their services so students would be paying for extra help.
“Many of my classmates have purchased the Princeton review study guides and to my knowledge they look at them periodically,” Betts said.
AP classes are known to be harder than regular and honors classes because technically, they are taught at a college level. AP teachers prepare students throughout the whole course of the class year.
“The entire year is focused on developing skills necessary for success not only the AP test, but in college and in life as well,” Moon said. “We have several free response essays throughout the year, and some multiple choice practice during the second semester, as well as some direct test prep instruction and I regularly meet with students after school to work on reading and writing, as well as Saturday test sessions in April.”
Students feel as though when they don’t understand a certain thing, they can go to their teacher for help but feels that it varies for teachers per AP class.
“I am currently enrolled in two AP courses and I feel that one teacher has prepared me and one has not,” Betts said. “My AP literature teacher has definitely prepared us but in my AP Human Geology AP class, I sadly do not feel prepared.”
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