Are AP classes truly worth it?

10/24/2018

Ap classes


Are AP classes/courses in high school truly worth it? According to Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education she said,

"That, of course, depends.
To the claim that they help students in college, it is true that students who take AP courses are more likely to succeed in college. But when you look deeper into the research, it's really hard to establish causation. It could just be that kids who take APs are kids who come from better high schools or high schools that better prepare them for college work, or they have better teachers or they're naturally more motivated. Very few studies use methods where they take these factors into account."


With that in mind should parents enroll their children in these classes? It really depends on the teacher, the student's interest and if they prepared well with backup plan in mind. Some kids could be shoved into an AP class with little prep and no safety net and that could result in a poor grade and behavior issues. Some issues that may arise are the parents hounding the child and/or the school about the kids grade. Also, on the other hand if the kids have a good teacher, with good help they can do quite well in the class, so whether it's beneficial depends on the preparation, backup plan, students interest, and cooperation.

In my personal experience, I can say that some AP classes are worth it. I am currently enrolled in Ap History, Spanish and English. Only one of those classes I enjoy and am doing well in. One of which I am just doing it and the last I am struggling. So basically I only like one of three AP classes in am in. The other two classes are hard for me.

In History, I have a high grade and I really like that class, see I am not overly interested in history but with the teacher I have I understand it. The teaching style he uses is good for me to learn the material, also I had a normal class with the same teacher so when signing up I knew I had a good chance of doing well based on past experience. Lots of people in my class always complain about his teaching and their low grade but never do anything to correct it, they never do anything to help themselves.

However, in my English class, I am in need of divine intervention and assistance. See, as of now I have a barely passing grade and I am so done with the class. I have tried to stay after for help but I can't because of my parents. So essentially I am on my own. It's difficult for me, which is odd because in all my school life English has always been a strong suit of mine.

In my Spanish that's a similar story. I can do the class work as well as the homework relatively well. Staying after isn't an option for the same reason as I stated above. It's the tests/quizzes the teacher does. See we have vocabulary to learn within a week and test over it. Whenever I get the test i just blank and forget every word I learned. Although my shortcomings can be a lack of effort on my part and I know that. I have tried to work for those classes but I know I could be doing more but I just can't seem to get traction in those classes.

A plus side to these classes is that they count as a high school credit and a college credit. They are dual credit class so this saves money for you when you got to college. The ones I am taking do require me to buy extra textbooks that the school doesn't loan out. Well, my Spanish book came from the school but I got it for 10 dollars, which the school said they would buy it back for 5 dollars. Overall in the aspect of saving money, they are good in the long run of college expenses.

This is just my personal experience so I am not saying that all AP classes are like this. Not all AP classes are hard and not all of them are as easy as my history class. Do not take my word on this, don't take these experiences as law. Look into AP classes on your own time and decide if AP classes are worth your time and effort.



Stanford University. "Are AP Courses Worth the Effort? An Interview with Stanford Education Expert Denise Pope." Stanford News, BROOKE DONALD, 22 Sept. 2016, news.stanford.edu/2013/04/22/advanced-placement-courses-032213/.


Joe Carter - Political Blog
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