The AP Debate, Continued

  • "[some professors] are trying to make it tougher for students to fulfill college requirements based on work done in high school. Most colleges decide whether they will grant a student credit for one of the 31 available A.P. courses based on how well the student does on the course's final examination. The scores on A.P. tests range from a low of 1 to a high of 5. The average score for which credit is given has risen from 3 a few years ago to between 3.2 and 3.5, according to officials of the College Board, which runs the A.P. program" (Reisberg, 1998, para. 11)

  • "A.P. credits are not always an accurate gauge of student learning; high A.P. scores in chemistry, for example, may indicate that students understand the scientific concepts, but that doesn't mean they know what to do at a laboratory bench" (Resiberg, para. 14)

  • "Students who are below the extraordinary level are increasingly getting drawn into it. High schools once funneled only the best students into those courses, and were strict about requiring top grades, high scores on the Preliminary SAT, and teacher recommendations, says Wase C. Curry, director of the A.P. program at the College Board" (Reisberg, para. 21)


  • "Some schools say their students simply prefer to take dual-enrollment courses, for several reasons. A.P. courses are typically more expensive for students than are dual enrollment program. Students who want college credit for an A.P. course must take an exam that costs $74-and there's no guarantee that a college will grant credit for it. Only about 15 to 20 per cent of students who take an A.P. exam receive scores of 4 or 5, while most students in dual-enrollment courses pass with at least a C. In many cases, a school district will cover the cost of a student's dual-enrollment courses." (Reisberg, para. 25)

  • "[the A.P. exam] is a one-shot exam. The way students will be assessed in college is over an entire semester" (Resiberg, para. 40)

  • "Even the College Board's Mr. Curry concedes that using A.P. courses to bypass freshman-level classes has its costs-such as missing out on a rewarding semester with an outstanding professor. When his daughter, Genevieve, enrolled at Haverford College in the early 1990's, the college did not accept her score of 3 on an A.P. English exam. So she reluctantly took freshman English. 'She had a professor [in college] who would respond to a two-page paper with one- or two-page e-mails', Mr. Curry says. 'He argued with her about her ideas, and helped her clarify her thinking. It was a wonderful experience for her'." (Resiberg, para. 42)



    Works Cited

    Reisberg, Leo (1998). Some professors question programs that allow high-school students to earn college credits. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 44, A39. Retrieved April 7, 2005, from ProQuest database.