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Thursday, August 22, 2013

1.3 million students fail Advanced Placement Classes! The whole system is all messed up.

I know what some of you are thinking, why is my class half empty? Why not talk about all the kids that took and passed A.P. classes instead, well friends read further and you may understand and here is a hint, it has something to do with kids leaving their intensive reading class to head to their A.P. literature class.
From State Impact: Students failed nearly 1.3 million Advanced Placement exams last year, according to an analysis by Politico. And the overall passage rate for the exams has declined since 2002.
In addition, The College Board, the nonprofit which administers the Advanced Placement exams, said research no longer supports the idea that students benefit just by taking the more difficult classes. Instead, research now shows students only benefit if they earn a passing score of 3 or higher on the exam.
Florida is among the states pushing more students to take accelerated coursework such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate. The state grading formula for high schools gives credit for the percentage of students taking an AP or other accelerated course.
When I was in school you had to get permission to take Advanced Placement classes and now students are forced into classes they aren’t ready for which also hurts the kids who are in those classes legitimately. AP teachers for years have complained about this but since schools get bonus points for kids just taking the classes, not passing them or the tests mind you, their cries fell upon deaf ears.
We can’t continue to put kids in situations where success is elusive and then wonder why they don’t succeed. Here it is the adults failing the kids.


  1. It's funny (if you ignore the consequences to real children) how the state grading formula games AP enrollment. Yes, High Schools get credit for enrolling more kids in AP classes, but lose credit when they can't pass. Both the percent TAKING and the percent PASSING work into the grade. How can a school maximize its points?

    WHICH IS EXACTLY THE WRONG QUESTION TO ASK! Yes, I meant to shout. We ought to focus on what's best for the student. We have the same problem in Middle School with pushing kids into algebra before they are ready.



  3. I so agree with above anonymous. My son who is a senior has been a good student with high honors every semester. He is now in a AP Calculus class where he probably does not belong as he has never taken an AP class before. Unfortunately the school pushes smart but not brilliant kids into this senior yr as there are no regular Calculus classes for them to take. He took pre-calc w/ trig already last year.

    We know it is getting to him (and us quite frankly). It is ridiculous that such an emphasis is put on this. He has been accepted to a college he is interested in and now I am hearing that one bad grade could hurt that acceptance.

    I am sick about this as he is so much more then this one class.

  4. I read about good students not being able to keep up with AP class. My question is why would the guidance councilor allow a straight "D" student to enroll in 3 AP classes he is unable to drop in their senior year? These AP classes will keep him from earning his diploma. WHAT ARE THEY DOING?