WOODBURY — Advanced Placement classes: Is the good they do for students really worth it? Many believe that the bar sits too high when thinking of registering for these classes, yet some have no trouble when making this big decision.
A positive view of AP classes can be that students’ want to see and test what their academic limit is. AP classes also give students’ the opportunity to earn a college credit that won’t cost them a college tuition, along with getting a taste of what college classes are going to be like in the future.
Student Micah Maberry is a junior, and is taking AP Language. Maberry believes that the biggest con to AP classes is the schedule.
“Staying on task and making sure you actually do your homework [is tough],” explained Maberry. “How the schedule is now, you have a day in between where you don’t have that class, so you sometimes tend to push back assignments.”
Mason Norris is a senior who is taking AP Literature, AP Physics, AP Calculus, and AP Government and Politics this year; last year he completed AP Chemistry. A big reason why Norris took all these AP classes is because he thinks that regular and college-prep classes are not challenging enough for him.
“I don’t really like having classes that are super easy because then I feel bored. I’d rather have work to do,” said Norris. “I think they challenge me and they’re interesting, and I think I learned more in them than any other class.”
Paul Laedke, a counselor at Nonnewaug High School, believes that there is a big difference between regular and AP classes.
“It also goes at a faster pace. The speed of the curriculum is moving faster than a regular class,” says Laedke. “An honors class might have a week for a topic, but in AP, they might cover it in five days. So the pace is faster, [and] sometimes the materials are more difficult and advanced.”
Melissa Hodges teaches the AP Chemistry class. Hodges finds so many students in her class even though she believes that chemistry is the hardest AP class.
“I make it upfront for what you’re in for, and it’s going to benefit you when you leave me and go to college,” explained Hodges.
Hodges believes that there should be more students enrolled in AP classes because it gives an opportunity for students to get a feel for college life. To get more students enrolled in these classes, Hodges believes that schools should increase the level of classwork before and earlier in high school. This will prepare students for high school so they don’t have a big shock to the system.
“When we get kids sitting down in AP Chemistry that already have that kind of high expectation built in,” Hodges said, “we have more kids ready to take on that challenge.”
