Some people are panicked about all this, others quite frankly, don't care. However, I would like to think that people who payed the $86 for a test want to do well and get the most value. Some people stress trying to memorize the names, dates, concepts, and problems required to take the AP exam. Late nights that should be spent sleeping are instead spent pouring over textbooks and review packets. Passing time that should be spent talking with friends is spent frantically paging through flashcards. Friday nights that should be spent...actually I would say most people don't study on Friday nights. That's what Sunday nights are for.
A classic example of the stressed AP student.
All this scramble for AP makes me question the reasoning of the exams themselves. Here's the concept according to a website that teaches people how to speak English:
By earning college credit, you don't have to take the classes in college and can therefore save some money on tuition and even possibly cut out a semester or two of college itself. And there is the fact that the class prepares you to do college work."The Advanced Placement program is fifty years old. As we reported last week, it was created to let high school students do college-level work. They can earn college credits if they do well on an exam."
But...there are some other issues that need help. One of the biggest problems I see with the exams is that the entire year is focused around them. Teachers have a curriculum that needs to maximize the available time and prepare you for the test. For many this means a very static curriculum that is often lack of discussion or new ideas. What is on the test is taught in the class, not much more.
Occasionally there is creativity, but for the most part the classes are by the book. You read a chapter, listen to a lecture, take a test, and move on. At the end of the year you review for the final exam. You take the exam, and then you're done. Teachers generally don't continue the education of the topic after the AP test, they shift to a more relaxed and free flowing curriculum. Often times teachers will have students do an easy project, watch movies, or grade papers.
This whole mindset somewhat defeats the purpose of AP. There is a huge build-up for the test, and then the entire subject is forgotten. No reflection, discussion, or skepticism. Instead there is simply a massive "we're done!" effect. (Hmmm...isn't this actually what college is like? If you have a "useless" class that you have to pass out of to get your major? You will easily forget this subject matter, especially if it doesn't apply to your current job/life).
So, I think we should reform the program. The College Board is becoming too much of a powerhouse, it needs to be put in check. The biggest controversy is over the question, how should we decide who gets college credit? The College Board has the ultimate say over this. To ensure that not everyone gets credit, they use a bell curve. A certain amount of people get 1s, a certain amount of people get 2s, etc, etc. In other words, you are competing against the other students taking the test for a limited amount of college credit (in the form of getting 4s and 5s on the exams).
This means that if everyone knows the material perfectly, can answer any question in a heart beat, and provide in depth analysis of the topic, there will still be a bunch of people who "fail" the test and get no credit. This situation would obviously be unfair for the many people who fall under the 1 and 2 category. The College Board simply counts on a certain amount of people each year not knowing the material and doing poorly on the test.
This situation can be reversed. Lets say that everyone who takes the test is a complete idiot. Nobody knows anything about the subject, and they all guess on the questions and write random haiku's for the essay portions. Around 15% of the people taking the test will get 5s, and will appear to be well versed in the material, when in fact they are simply blabbering idiots.
In response, I propose a new system. I think we should do away with AP exams all together. No more end of year massive final. No more cramming the night before. No more stress and worry.
I think that instead of the College Board being responsible for giving out credit, the individual AP teachers should be in charge. I propose a system in which the teacher grades his/her own individual students based on fluency with the subject material, and then award college credit accordingly.
Of course, there would have to be limitations on this approach. Teachers would have to be "registered" or trained by the college board. It would be a similar process to accrediting a college; you are accrediting an AP teacher to give out college credit. As an incentive for teachers to get accredited, schools could provide a pay raise or other benefits.
The teacher, once "accredited", would be allowed to give out a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 based on how well the student did that year. The teacher can use any form of evaluation deemed necessary: discussion, exams, essays, physical activity, etc. The teachers could simply file a report with the College Board and then the "exam score" would be given to the student. There will bound to be a problem of teachers passing everyone in the class, to make themselves look good (or simply favoritism to students). To counter this, the College Board would review one or two of these "reports." If the teacher fails one of these audits, his/her accreditation could be reviewed and possibly revoked.
If the student has a terrible relationship with the AP teacher and believes that the teacher would file an unfair report, the student could request a special review with a College Board member.
This solution would eliminate the end of year exams, reduce cost, increase efficiency, and place more emphasis on free thinking and new ideas (which our society needs).
How likely is this to happen? Not even a chance.
Pic from http://collegejolt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/ap-class.jpg
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