Increase in students taking AP classes

[doctorwho]

Some good news regarding students challenging themselves :

More students accept challenge of AP courses

August 31, 2007
By Tim Waldorf and Britt Carson Staff writers
It seems the rest of the state is catching on.

The Illinois Board of Education announced earlier this week that a record number of high school students took advanced placement tests last year.

According to a report released Tuesday by the College Board, more than 55,000 juniors and seniors from both public and private schools took AP tests. That's a 9.9 percent increase over 2006.


BY THE NUMBERS
District 204

2,381: AP tests taken

3.75: Average score

District 203

1,881: AP tests taken

3.85: Average score
In Naperville School District 203, the increase was even greater. At Naperville Central High School, students combined to take 904 AP tests and averaged a score of 3.83 on a five-point scale. Two years ago, they took 740 tests with an average score of 3.72.
At Naperville North High School, students took 977 tests and posted a 3.87 average. Two years ago, North students took 743 tests and averaged a 3.63.

Only 883 AP tests were taken in 2001 in District 204. In 2007, 2,381 test were taken. The district currently offers 18 AP classes and 1,702 students took the classes during 2006-07 school year.

Jim Schmid, principal at Waubonsie Valley High School, said discussions about AP classes are a part of the registration process for students.

"They have the opportunity to earn college credit, which also saves their parents money," said Schmid, whose two sons also took AP classes in high school. "It gives them a leg up in terms of preparation at the college level. The students in those classes that truly push each other and they push the teacher in a very positive direction together."

If students take several tests and score well, they could enter college as a sophomore, Schmid said.

For the past few years, District 203 has pushed all students to enroll in AP courses for subjects they enjoy and areas of study in which they excel. The effort has paid dividends, Superintendent Alan Leis said, as enrollment in AP courses has increased an average of 30 percent in each of the past three years.

"This has never for me been about our brightest kids. It's been about exposing each kid ... to some kind of college-level experience," Leis said. "If they know they can do college-level work in high school, they're just going to leave us that much more confident."

[jenrik2714]

I wish they would encourage the LD students to take AP classes, so they can see what it is like to go to college because my daughter plans of going to college. Alot of LD kids are going to college too, instead of the school districts saying they can't do it, they should encourage them too. I know I will get alot of heat from members of this board for saying this, but this is my opinion

[wvhsparent]

I think they should encourage ALL kids to take AP Classes. Parents also need to encourage their kids.

Just so I am clear, Are you saying they are discouraging LD students? If so then, I think you have a legitimate beef.

[jenrik2714]

wvhsparent said:

I think they should encourage ALL kids to take AP Classes. Parents also need to encourage their kids.

Just so I am clear, Are you saying they are discouraging LD students? If so then, I think you have a legitimate beef.

For the record, I do encourage my daughter to achieve

I know if my daughter asked to take AP classes, they would discourage it due to her "disability"

[momto4]

jenrik2714 said:

wvhsparent said:

I think they should encourage ALL kids to take AP Classes. Parents also need to encourage their kids.

Just so I am clear, Are you saying they are discouraging LD students? If so then, I think you have a legitimate beef.

For the record, I do encourage my daughter to achieve

I know if my daughter asked to take AP classes, they would discourage it due to her "disability"

Who are you talking about that would discourage this? Has this actually happened or are you speculating?

Has your daughter looked over the syllabus and course expectations for AP courses? The ones I'm familiar with are extremely demanding and difficult even for highest achieving students. I believe they are more rigorous than some college courses.

[doctorwho]

jenrik2714 said:

wvhsparent said:

I think they should encourage ALL kids to take AP Classes. Parents also need to encourage their kids.

Just so I am clear, Are you saying they are discouraging LD students? If so then, I think you have a legitimate beef.

For the record, I do encourage my daughter to achieve

I know if my daughter asked to take AP classes, they would discourage it due to her "disability"

I believe that with a limited amount of seats/offerings they have to look at who shows a history of having the best chance to succeed based on grades / test scores etc.... I believe that to be a fairly objective view though - I am not sure why any other factor would come into play ?
They should encourage everyone to take tests that might qualify them. are you saying they do not ?

[jenrik2714]

Obviously you don't have children with LD so you don't know what I am going thru.

One example:
WV counselors discouraged my daughter from taking American Studies her junior year because they thought it would be too rigorous. Yet, in sophomore year, they allowed to take Algebra 1 pt. 2 and Geometry in the same year. She was in the pilot class for this and these kids scored higher averages then the kids placed in the Regular Geometry and Regular algebra classes (if any of you attended the recognition awards ceremony in the cafeteria, you heard this)

[doctorwho]

jenrik2714 said:

Obviously you don't have children with LD so you don't know what I am going thru.

One example:
WV counselors discouraged my daughter from taking American Studies her junior year because they thought it would be too rigorous. Yet, in sophomore year, they allowed to take Algebra 1 pt. 2 and Geometry in the same year. She was in the pilot class for this and these kids scored higher averages then the kids placed in the Regular Geometry and Regular algebra classes (if any of you attended the recognition awards ceremony in the cafeteria, you heard this)

well no, that is why we are asking you to explain your position so we can better understand. I believe everyone deserves a fair shot - however there have to be some decisions made with regards to best chance at success since the seats are limited.

It has been 5 years since I had someone at WVHS - which is why I ask questions. However I do remember that American Studies class - I believe a gentleman named Kirk (?) taught it then - and I also remember it was brutal. My oldest was PA thru middle school and struggled with that class - as math and science were her strengths and reading comprehension was nowhere near as strong at the time - and she struggled with the class.
Is it possible it could be something like that also, because if not ( and I cannot put myself in your shoes because I don't have your experience with it) - and you feel she was denied a chance at something she deserved - then I would have appealed.

[gatordog]

Some basic questions from somebody with no-HS parenting experience (let alone AP):
1. How does the AP score or grade reflect your HS GPA? Does a B in an AP course = a B in a HS course? Are you "risking" you HS GPA by taking AP?

2. Is your course grade determined solely by your AP test score? The analogy is lots of college course grades are determined by say a midterm, final, couple of term papers. Is your grade solely determined by the "final exam"?

[doctorwho]

gatordog said:

Some basic questions from somebody with no-HS parenting experience (let alone AP):
1. How does the AP score or grade reflect your HS GPA? Does a B in an AP course = a B in a HS course? Are you "risking" you HS GPA by taking AP?

2. Is your course grade determined solely by your AP test score? The analogy is lots of college course grades are determined by say a midterm, final, couple of term papers. Is your grade solely determined by the "final exam"?

Percentage Grade Demonstrates Grade Points
100-91 A Outstanding progress 4
90-81 B Above average progress 3
80-71 C Average progress 2
70-65 D Minimum acceptable progress 1
64- 0 F Unacceptable progress 0
NG No Grade Given
NC No Credit Given
I Incomplete
**All Honors and AP Courses are weighted +1.00 Grade Point

[momto4]

gatordog said:

Some basic questions from somebody with no-HS parenting experience (let alone AP):
1. How does the AP score or grade reflect your HS GPA? Does a B in an AP course = a B in a HS course? Are you "risking" you HS GPA by taking AP?

2. Is your course grade determined solely by your AP test score? The analogy is lots of college course grades are determined by say a midterm, final, couple of term papers. Is your grade solely determined by the "final exam"?

1. The grade in an AP or Honors course is bumped up 1, so an A is worth 5 points instead of 4, a B is 4 instead of 3, etc.
2. The AP score is not at all related to your class grade because the AP score is not known for weeks after school is out. However, the AP score figures into whether your selected college will accept the course for credit or not.

In my oldest child's experience, an AP or Honors B takes about 10x as much work as a regular A.

[doctorwho]

doctorwho said:

jenrik2714 said:

Obviously you don't have children with LD so you don't know what I am going thru.

One example:
WV counselors discouraged my daughter from taking American Studies her junior year because they thought it would be too rigorous. Yet, in sophomore year, they allowed to take Algebra 1 pt. 2 and Geometry in the same year. She was in the pilot class for this and these kids scored higher averages then the kids placed in the Regular Geometry and Regular algebra classes (if any of you attended the recognition awards ceremony in the cafeteria, you heard this)

well no, that is why we are asking you to explain your position so we can better understand. I believe everyone deserves a fair shot - however there have to be some decisions made with regards to best chance at success since the seats are limited.

It has been 5 years since I had someone at WVHS - which is why I ask questions. However I do remember that American Studies class - I believe a gentleman named Kirk (?) taught it then - and I also remember it was brutal. My oldest was PA thru middle school and struggled with that class - as math and science were her strengths and reading comprehension was nowhere near as strong at the time - and she struggled with the class.
Is it possible it could be something like that also, because if not ( and I cannot put myself in your shoes because I don't have your experience with it) - and you feel she was denied a chance at something she deserved - then I would have appealed.

OK - I went to the syllabus for WV and realized it was not American Studies but the Honors World History class I was remembering that was brutal . It was taken as a choice between that and AP US History -

[momto4]

doctorwho said:

Percentage Grade Demonstrates Grade Points
100-91 A Outstanding progress 4
90-81 B Above average progress 3
80-71 C Average progress 2
70-65 D Minimum acceptable progress 1
64- 0 F Unacceptable progress 0
NG No Grade Given
NC No Credit Given
I Incomplete
**All Honors and AP Courses are weighted +1.00 Grade Point

I'm pretty sure that IME many of the HS teachers follow a tougher grading scale than this. I wish they would go with this, it's bad enough the courses are so much harder but I hate seeing work that percentage-wise should be an A, marked as a B.

[momto4]

doctorwho said:

OK - I went to the syllabus for WV and realized it was not American Studies but the Honors World History class I was remembering that was brutal . It was taken as a choice between that and AP US History -

AP US History and AP Calc BC I've heard are two of the hardest classes in the school. AP Euro is no picnic either. I'm not familiar with American Studies but have had two through Honors World History in 9th grade.

[doctorwho]

momto4 said:

doctorwho said:

OK - I went to the syllabus for WV and realized it was not American Studies but the Honors World History class I was remembering that was brutal . It was taken as a choice between that and AP US History -

AP US History and AP Calc BC I've heard are two of the hardest classes in the school. AP Euro is no picnic either. I'm not familiar with American Studies but have had two through Honors World History in 9th grade.

that was when my daughter took the Honors World History also - freshman year - it was quite the culture shock from Middle School.