Is it possible to take AP classes, but not take the test?

[SallyMac]

Many online schools that offer AP classes issue a statement that all students have to take the test. My problem is that ds can only take 1 more college course or he will have gone over the 21 college credit limit making him a transfer student. The admissions officer at our local university urged us NOT to let him go over that 21 college credit limit as he will be competing for admissions with applicants who have associates degrees from other colleges and who may have more life/work experience in the field in which they will major. He will also be ineligible for the universities big scholarship...and we know many homeschoolers and nonhomeschoolers who are recipients of that full scholarship. So we do NOT want to jeopardize that by going over 21 credits.

 

So if my son homeschools his senior year he can only take one college course, but I want him to take highly rigorous classes and AP classes seem to fit that description. Is it possible to take online AP classes and not take the test? He took one AP class a couple of years ago but because of his dysgraphia did not feel ready to tackle the 2 essays required in the 25 mins required. I don't want to be dishonest going into a course knowing full well we won't be taking the test. Can he take the test and not have the credit forwarded? Any other rigorous courses out there online that aren't AP?

[newbie]

Interested too, just starting the AP trail. Would also like to know about rigorous classes.

 

We have done Apex Learning for two yrs. extremely rigorous(to us), they are accredited but dont give diplomas. Would like rigorous and diploma. Is Cc only way to go.

 

All ears too,

Jeannette

[Ms. Riding Hood]

Keep in mind that you do NOT have to accept credit that you are offered. For example, if you score a "5" on AP chemistry and are offered 8 credit hours, you can decline and opt to take freshman chemistry instead. It's not just a given that you must accept it.

 

Plus, I guess I've not heard of AP credits being considered in calculating transfer credits. Maybe they are, maybe it varies from place to place. I've just not heard of it.

[Caroline]

There is a place on the answer document to tell College Board where to send your scores. You could just not have your scores sent.

[Patricia]

I think there is a misunderstanding about the 21 credit limit. I know of many homeschooled students who have accrued 30, 40 college credits and more and who have gone to college as freshmen.

 

In my county, there are also many public school students who take 8 or 10 APs, some even more. That must push many of them over the 21 credit limit. Presumably, the ones who take all these AP exams are the very good students -- and they typically get the 4's and the 5's that give credit.

 

As a 9th grader, my son has already taken 3 AP exams (one last year, with a score of 5, and 2 this year, where he expects a 5 on each as well). Next school year, as a 10th grader, he'll take a music theory class at our local 4-year university (worth 3 credits) and chemistry at our community college in addition to 3 AP classes (2 online and 1 at home with me.) In all likelihood, he'll have way over 21 credits by the end of 10th grade -- and I am not worried in the least.

 

What needs to be kept in mind is the difference between non-matriculated and matriculated students. The former are students who are enrolled on a semester-by-semester or course-by-course basis. The latter have been admitted to the university through a formal admissions process and are pursuing a degree. Not all credits earned by a non-matriculated student will transfer when the student applies to college as a freshman. But the student won't be disqualified from being considered a freshman if he or she has more than "x" number of credits. Credits earned as a matriculated student are a different matter -- they can certainly push applicants into the "transfer student" category (and loss of scholarships available to freshmen). However, students earning college credit under dual enrollment status (like high school students, whether they are homeschooled or not) do not fit into the matriculated students category.

 

Maybe the counselor at your college meant to say that your son would have to declare a major if he earned more than 21 credits from that college?

 

If your son is interested in taking an AP class next year, I'd say go ahead and let him do it without any worry! Oh, to answer your original question: if he self-studies, it is up to him whether or not he takes the test. You can still include the AP class on his transcript, marking it as AP, as long as your syllabus has been approved by the College Board. If he signs up with a provider, you have to ask the provider. Taking the test may be optional, or there may be a penalty for not taking it (for instance, the student would not receive a transcript for the course from the provider or not be allowed to write the class on his transcript as having been taken through that provider.) It's up to the provider/school -- not to the College Board.

 

Patricia

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

Actually when I was in HS, I took two courses and didn't take the exam- I did it for the transcript.

[Caroline]

Actually when I was in HS, I took two courses and didn't take the exam- I did it for the transcript.

 

A lot of schools are not encouraging this route now. Jay Matthews at The Washington Post devised a rating system based on challenging students. The higher percentage of students taking an AP exam, the better your school is rated. It does not matter how well these students to, it just matters that they take the exam.

 

I am not agreeing or disagreeing with the rating system, just putting it out there.

[Patricia]

Your point is very well taken, Caroline, and I agree with everything you said.

 

I live in the Washington, D.C. area, where Jay Mathews is well-known because of his weekly column in the Washington Post:-)

 

My comment was in reference to kids who take 8-10 AP *exams*, if not more. Those are the students who take the classes AND the exams because they want to build up their portfolio and they know they can get good scores. They want to increase their chances of being admitted to prestigious schools and hope to earn scholarship money. I'm sure they accrue over 21 college credits by the time they graduate, and they don't lose their freshman status.

 

I hope I am not making it sound as if AP is the only way to go! It's a great fit for some students, and not for others -- who can find different ways of demonstrating their academic and personal strengths. "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted," as Einstein said!

 

Patricia

[Caroline]

Your point is very well taken, Caroline, and I agree with everything you said.

 

I live in the Washington, D.C. area, where Jay Mathews is well-known because of his weekly column in the Washington Post:-)

 

My comment was in reference to kids who take 8-10 AP *exams*, if not more. Those are the students who take the classes AND the exams because they want to build up their portfolio and they know they can get good scores. They want to increase their chances of being admitted to prestigious schools and hope to earn scholarship money. I'm sure they accrue over 21 college credits by the time they graduate, and they don't lose their freshman status.

 

I hope I am not making it sound as if AP is the only way to go! It's a great fit for some students, and not for others -- who can find different ways of demonstrating their academic and personal strengths. "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted," as Einstein said!

 

Patricia

 

I totally agree with what you are saying. I hope my kids will have the opportunity to take some AP tests and classes.

 

On a side note, I grew up in Columbia, MD and still miss The Washington Post. The Atlanta paper doesn't even come close...

[SallyMac]

Patricia...I called the university and spoke to one of the associate deans of the university regarding credits earned by matriculated college students vs. nonmatriculated dual enrolled high school students. She was very unsure as to whether an unmatriculated, dual enrolled high school student's CC credits would put him over the eligibility limit. She said I would have to ask the Dean of Admissions next week. So the jury is still out.

 

Ms. Riding Hood and Caroline....you are correct. PA Homeschoolers responded that I shouldn't worry about the credits earned through AP classes because colleges do not automatically give college credits. As Caroline stated, just don't send the scores.

 

Thanks to all, this was very helpful...just need to call the Dean on Monday.