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The
AP Debate
Special Thanks to The
Texas Academy of Math and Science For Allowing The Advanced
Academy to Use This Article
"We believe a college-level course should be offered on a college
campus, taught by a college professor with college students in the
room."
This quote from an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education
(December 4, 1998) summarizes a view that has gained currency in
academe, and is a cornerstone of the Advanced Academy's philosophy.
The Academy has been a highly successful vehicle for bright high
school juniors and seniors, and younger students if they are academically
capable, to earn as much as two years of transferable college credit.
Students contemplating The Academy should, of course, take honors,
pre-AP, and accelerated classes whenever possible. But what about
AP classes strictly as an equal alternative to The Academy -- a
way to earn college credits and reduce undergraduate requirements?
It may come as a surprise that AP credits are not universally accepted
by colleges, and that there is divided professional opinion about
AP courses in general.
While AP courses have the solid support of legislators and education
agencies (most notably the College Board which administers the program),
critics find fault less with the AP concept than with the course
content, and with the uneven acceptance of AP credits. In the following
excerpt from an online article [Ask The Dean], AP credit is praised
as "a good buy," a "preview of college-level work,"
and a means of saving time and money. However, the article goes
on to state:
"If you are taking AP courses specifically to reduce the amount
of credits you'll have to take once in college, or to have specific
classes 'waived' during your freshman year, be aware that every
college treats these classes differently. Taking AP English does
not necessarily get you out of taking English 101. The faculty (not
the admissions office) decides how an AP course is treated in light
of all credits needed to graduate… Call and find out before
you assume your credits will transfer over 'one-for-one'."
Regarding the end-of-course AP final exam on which students must
earn a score of 3, 4, or 5 (depending on the college) to get college
credit:
"Colleges are inconsistent," said Donna Main, who teaches
Advanced Placement U.S. government in Maryland. "Sometimes
they don't accept AP at all. Sometimes they ask for 3 or better,
or a 4 or better. Sometimes they say, 'it's great that you're taking
AP, but we want you to take our writing course.'"
Other cautions are noted. Consider two quotes from the Chronicle
article referenced above, authored by Leo Reisberg:
"David E. Mills, an economics professor at [the University
of] Virginia… believes that AP courses are tailored to the
exams, and that high-school instructors impart test-taking strategies
at the expense of writing and critical-thinking skills."
"AP-credits are not always an accurate gauge of student
learning… High AP scores in chemistry, for example, may indicate
that students understand the basic concepts, but that doesn't mean
they know what to do at a laboratory bench…" (Bobby Fong,
college dean and English professor).
Similarly, the president of Bard College in New York believes "AP
is a second-rate alternative to advanced teaching… It's a test-driven
curriculum, and that's completely anathema to anything a university
does." Consequently, Bard has joined other institutions in
not accepting AP credit.
Two related criticisms of AP programs are noted in a February 1,
2002 New York Times article (High School Drops It's A.P. Courses,
and Colleges Don't Seem to Mind):
AP courses restrict teacher creativity and the ability to probe
enticing themes.
AP syllabi cover so much ground that "there is very little
liberty for the teachers" to extend discussions.
The article's concluding paragraph is telling. Harvard's director
of admissions writes, "We look at whether the applicant has
taken the high school's most demanding courses. But whether the
classes are designated as A.P. or not is irrelevant. Abolishing
A.P. classes won't hurt the kids."
Finally, a National Academies release dated February 14, 2002 summarizes
a critique of AP math and science programs:
"Accelerated classes that cover a smorgasbord of topics and
final examinations that devote insufficient attention to the integration
of important ideas cannot produce superior learners, says the report,
which concentrates on biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics
in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB)
programs in U.S. secondary schools. AP and IB have raised the level
of mathematics and science education in the United States. However,
their efforts to emphasize the key concepts in science disciplines
have been largely unrealized because of the excessive number of
topics covered in each subject."
For Additional Quotes Regarding The AP Debate Click Here
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