AP Tests

AP Tests January 10, 2013 Our Founder, Bev Taylor, wrote a controversial Huffington Piece article a couple of months ago about how AP tests  are a bit of a scam. She told the story of how her son, who had already been admitted to the Ivy League school of his dreams, chose to doodle on his AP Calculus exam. Why? Because the college he was matriculating to didnt have a hard math requirement and he didnt have a shot at getting a 5 anyway. One person (SteveinLA) wrote in the comments section to the article: Your son had the opportunity to demonstrate that he had some competency at mathematicsand he chose not to. That tells me much about his character.  Your anecdotal story emphasizes the need for teachers of AP courses to be strict regarding their grading policies, as we look like fools when the student receives an A in the class and scores a 1 on the exam. But, thats what happens when students have no pride, grades are due May 31st and the AP exam scores come out in July. AP tests are important in the college admissions process but they may not result in college credit for much longer. We happen to think that SteveinLAs comment is rather foolish. Bevs sons pride is not linked to a score he got on a meaningless test that had no chance of impacting his future. There was zero point in his having to take the test since his school didnt have a hard math requirement and it wouldnt impact his AP Calculus grade. The AP program is built on the foundation that students (and their parents) can save money towards college degrees by receiving credit in high school for AP courses. Well, SteveinLA, what do you have to say of Dartmouth Colleges decision to eliminate AP scores counting towards college credit? Does this contradict all that you believe about the AP program? According to The Dartmouth, The College’s new policy to stop accepting pre-matriculation credits for incoming students may impact students who wish to save on tuition by graduating early. The change, voted upon by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on Nov. 12, will take effect beginning with the Class of 2018, according to Registrar Meredith Braz. We apologize, SteveinLA, if this is a blow to your pride. High school coursework has no business in the same sentence as college coursework. And more and more colleges will stop accepting AP credits in the future.