How many APs...if any?

[Halcyon]

My son does not like timed exams. In fact, he may have some sort of disability in that department. This only came to light because he attended public school for a semester and got 100% on all his homeworks, but routinely got 70% on his exams; he often spends a lot of time checking and rechecking his homework, always has, but I never thought it was a huge issue. So there may be a problem there, or it may just be something he needs to work on. Anyway, that was a little off topic.

 

He does not relish the idea of a course centered around an exam, TBH. He is a good student: focused, prompt, responsible, and does his work well. And I do think AP classes would benefit him. He wants to go to a good, selective college (not neccesarily an Ivy League, but a good school) but is leaning towards more experiential, close-knit and student-oriented schools like Antioch, Goddard, marlboro, and Rice as a stretch. He does not like a competitive atmosphere, but a more collegial and team-oriented one. He's actually mentioned numerous times to me his interest in attending college abroad, but not sure how that works.
 

SO. Would he benefit from taking AP classes? If so, how many? He could take Calc next year, is interested in Poli Sci and Psychology...but i am afraid for him to take the class and get a 2 on the test, simply because he's not a good test-taker. 

 

Thoughts?

Edited January 5, 2017 by Halcyon

[regentrude]

My DD gets nervous on high stakes tests and opted not to take any AP classes; she far preferred to take some DE college classes instead. She got into top colleges.

 

For a student who does not do well on high stakes exams, I would not do APs but find a different way to challenge him and have outside validation.

With a DE course, credit is earned by steady work throughout the semester and not by one single shot at one single day. Suited my kids much better.

Edited January 6, 2017 by regentrude

[rdj2027]

My #2 has taken one AP and that did no work out well for various reasons.  We both thought long and hard and decided that neither one of us  really like AP exams.  He has taken a broad range of high school classes and will probably do some DE after our move next summer (we currently live abroad so DE would be difficult).  He is a slow and steady type of person, he prefers depth and following his own questions and ideas.  We will see how it works out.

 

Besides, I currently have major issues with the CB and the idea of giving them any money is nauseating :cursing:

[teachermom2834]

We did some AP with my ds and it was not worth it. I don't think anyone else in my family will do AP. I think most students are well served by de if there is access to a quality cc or a university.

 

I think admissions offices are quite used to homeschoolers having de instead of AP. My ds applied for a competitive scholarship through my husband's employer (very large company). We thought it was a long shot, especially because the application seemed to emphasize AP courses. But he won the scholarship so the committee must have thought well enough of his de cousework.

[Lilaclady]

I just replied on your other thread before seeing this. With what you have written, I do not think an AP exam will be a good fit for your son. You can do DE depending on your state to show rigor but be aware that not all DE courses are the same and selective universities do not generally like DE from community colleges. Since your DS is not looking at highly selective, I think it should be ok.

One other thing I have seen on this board is the students that have gotten admission into tippy top selective schools especially their first or second choice school have been the ones that have taken AP and not just only DE.

[Luckymama]

Halcyon, in your ds's case, I would say no.

 

AP works/ed well for my youngest for a few reasons:

 

--She does not have test anxiety.

--She writes quickly and clearly (important for the free response questions)

--The local cc does not have appropriate classes for her.

--We have to pay full price for DE at the state flagship, approx $500 a credit. We saved DE for the classes she could not get elsewhere, Arabic and Chinese.

--I am/was comfortable teaching/facilitating all of her AP classes (that includes having syllabi approved) except for English, which we outsourced to Blue Tent Online.

--All but one of her AP credits will be accepted by the universities to which she had applied (the one varies). She will attend a large state flagship university to pursue in international relations plus receive a second major in Arabic while achieving the Superior rating in Arabic enabling her to work professionally abroad in that language (see Critical Language Flagship schools for more info). In fact, she has been asked to consider doing the Language Flagship programs for both Arabic and Chinese at one university. That would only be possible by entering with a very high number of credits that fulfill university, college, and program requirements.

[swimmermom3]

To do AP or not to do AP for homeschoolers is dependent on many factors: access to affordable, quality DE classes, access to affordable, quality online or live AP classes, the student's motivation and ability to self-manage, goals for higher education and entrance requirements, preferred learning styles, and approach to test taking.

 

I have a love/hate relationship with AP classes which I have frequently written about on this board.  You have already seen several reasons to not do AP.  My ds has taken numerous AP classes and most of them have been worth the time and effort for the education part alone.  He's had very good teachers and has been challenged.  What was his experience worth?  We paid $3200 for his courses and he will graduate from university one year early and that is a $36,000 savings.  It also means he has enough time to pick up a third language and that he doesn't have to take very many GenEd requirements that don't pertain to his degree.

 

He is a slow reader and had to work hard to speed up his test taking skills, but he isn't particularly anxious about taking the exams.

Edited January 6, 2017 by swimmermom3

[Halcyon]

My son doesn't have real test anxiety either--i sometimes wish he DID because perhaps that would up his sense of urgency. I think he reads slowly and is just too careful, if that's possible. His gut instincts are often not right, so having to guess on occasion does not serve him well. 

 

Anyway, he's young. We are considering AP for Sophomore year as he will be taking Calc. We are also considering AP Psych and maybe AP US history. I just don't know. He did extremely well on the required entrance exam for dual enrollment, so much so that the guidance counselor expressed quite a bit of surprise. But then he did mediocre on his PSATs. Part of that might be attributable to his general misery overall while in bricks and mortar for the first time. (he took the PERT entrance exam within 2 weeks of starting school, well before full-blown misery set in...)

 

I am considering administering another PSAT at home, under the same time conditions, just to see how he does. I am sure he'll LOVE that idea. <rolling eyes emoticon here>

 

Edited January 6, 2017 by Halcyon

[Halcyon]

This is our local DE college, FWIW: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/indian-river-state-college-1493

[Arcadia]

He's actually mentioned numerous times to me his interest in attending college abroad, but not sure how that works.

Maybe let him research the entrance requirements for overseas universities? We are planning on 4 APs for my oldest as we are looking at overseas universities engineering faculty. We have toured a few while on vacation in Ontario, we have family friends in UK (UK citizens) and family in Australia (AU citizens) so we would have people that my kids can call on for help in-country for UK and AU. A good friend's son is in the French speaking part of Switzerland and his university fees is about the same as what his parents would have to pay for UCDavis as an in-state student so we are considering there too.

[Julie of KY]

First, I'd look at your son and the resources you have for classes and then pick what gives HIM the best education. He needs a life, education, pursue passions, etc. and how that looks for him will be very different from others. Definitely keep in mind basic requirements for future college goals so that you are not shutting any doors and then plan around your student.

 

It's also possible to take an AP class just because it's a great class and then not take the stressful exam. In that case, I'd probably not list it as an AP class because it looks odd if you don't take the exam (unless it's your senior year and they won't know you don't plan on the exam). There is no rule that you have to take the exam.

[Loesje22000]

He's actually mentioned numerous times to me his interest in attending college abroad, but not sure how that works.

 

SO. Would he benefit from taking AP classes? If so, how many? He could take Calc next year, is interested in Poli Sci and Psychology...but i am afraid for him to take the class and get a 2 on the test, simply because he's not a good test-taker.

 

Thoughts?

 

For the Netherlands he would need 4 AP's.

In several European countries the gen.ed. requirements are done during highschool, not at university. The required AP's are determined by what he will study.

[Laura Corin]

 He's actually mentioned numerous times to me his interest in attending college abroad, but not sure how that works.

 

 

If he is is interested in the UK, then he needs APs or (for some universities) SAT subject tests.  There is no tradition of transcripts here and universities expect to be able to compare like with like - so public exams are expected (because otherwise, they don't know what the level of the classes were at the DE institution).  As the PP mentioned, general ed is finished before university, so the APs prove readiness for specialised work.  Here's a page for a not terribly prestigious university:

 

https://le.ac.uk/student-life/international-students/countries-list/north-america/usa

Edited January 6, 2017 by Laura Corin

[Joules]

It's ds's first semester in college, and he is wishing that he took more APs, particularly sciences.  I'm not sure how he compares to your son, but he is a very deep independent learner.  He loathed the idea of learning for the test and he found the tests very stressful, particularly the length (with all the reading of directions the Chem one took over 5 hours).  He opted to not take any his senior year, after one a year 9th, 10th, and 11th.  

 

Now? He knows most of the material in all of the freshman classes and is having a tough time scheduling all of the lab classes that he needs.  He's ready to move on to higher level material, but he has to take the intro series in each subject to get there.  He wishes that he had at least attempted the tests in some of the subjects that he was studying anyway.  I actually used sample AP and SAT subject tests to assess his knowledge for hs grades.

 

He doesn't test very well, particularly written portions, but he is at a non-competitive college so 3s would have been fine.  He's looking at a few CLEPs for this summer, but that doesn't work for the sciences.

 

So my thoughts, if I had had another.  If a non-competitive college is in the future and 3s won't hurt, take the tests for every subject you cover at a college level.  Learn the material well for 8-9 months and then spend a few weeks learning the details and format of the test.  If a competitive college is in the future, remember that AP scores can be canceled (which I don't think is weird if you aren't taking official AP classes) except that it takes time.  I'd have to double check, but I think junior year scores wouldn't cancel fast enough to not be on college applications.  So take tests freshman and sophomore years, cancel what you can't use, and then take as many as possible senior year.  Unless you have some sort of conditional acceptance, I don't think bad AP scores senior will affect admission.

 

Probably too much detail, but I thought our 20/20 hindsight might be useful.

[SanDiegoMom]

No advice on whether to or not, but for practice PSAT my husband and I printed off exams and sat down with our daughter to take it together - it made it much more fun. Over the course of three years she saw her scores rise and surpass ours, which she greatly enjoyed. And definitely helps to practice pacing.

[MarkT]

This is our local DE college, FWIW: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/indian-river-state-college-1493

Unusual numbering sequence for Math but it does have the STEM major courses:

MAC 2311 Calculus I with Analytic Geometry

MAC 2312 Calculus II

MAC 2313 Calculus III

MAP 2302 Differential Equations

MAS 3105 Applied Linear Algebra

PHY 2048 Physics with Calculus I

How is the quality of the instruction?

Would something like Derek Owens be a better fit for Calculus?

 

AP is very high stakes and you get one shot at the exam but you do not have to report it.

http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-send-ap-scores-to-colleges

Edited January 6, 2017 by MarkT

[Halcyon]

Unusual numbering sequence for Math but it does have the STEM major courses:

MAC 2311 Calculus I with Analytic Geometry

MAC 2312 Calculus II

MAC 2313 Calculus III

MAP 2302 Differential Equations

MAS 3105 Applied Linear Algebra

PHY 2048 Physics with Calculus I

How is the quality of the instruction?

Would something like Derek Owens be a better fit for Calculus?

 

AP is very high stakes and you get one shot at the exam but you do not have to report it.

http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-send-ap-scores-to-colleges

 

 

I think he would PROBABLY take Calc at WIlson Hill--they offer an AP Calc AB and he loves the teachers. That's just a guess though. I didn't realize that AP scores don't need to be reported--that helps. He could take the AP class, study, and see what happens. 

 

Thanks for finding those courses for me--i found their course catalog bizarre and hard to navigate.

 

I have no idea about the quality of instruction at ALL. And at those high level courses, I doubt I could find someone local who has taken them to ask. One could always start and drop within the drop period, but then of course we're stuck finding a good substitute.

[Guest]

We had to pick by availabity of a decent instructor rather than Grading system. In.the end, my sons will never do another course with subjective grading....they would rather have the single exit exam. Its disheartening to earn a 4 Or 5 and a course grade of 92 because the grading is 100 percent participation.if they had a do over, They would self study and skip the subjectively graded courses.

Calc.you need to be careful with, know the college policy.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Heigh Ho

[madteaparty]

Iif he has an interest in being admitted to the European schools as a first year student, then you need the APs for admission purposes. 

 

I love DE, have access to a couple of very decent choices (even though for one, like luckymama, we pay out of pocket per credit, unless he goes to a brick and mortar high school that has a negotiated agreement with this particular uni), and so if it were up to me, we would DE all the way and call it high school. But I get the impression foreign universities may not have the ability to discern what sort of rigor a DE class represents (and now being familiar with DE, I don't blame them). But they know other things, such as IB, or AP, and they insist on those. We will do the AP song and dance. 

This is based on my very limited research of very few British schools (bc DS would be an English major,probably) so take this with a grain of salt.

Edited January 6, 2017 by madteaparty

[swimmermom3]

My son doesn't have real test anxiety either--i sometimes wish he DID because perhaps that would up his sense of urgency. I think he reads slowly and is just too careful, if that's possible. His gut instincts are often not right, so having to guess on occasion does not serve him well. 

 

Anyway, he's young. We are considering AP for Sophomore year as he will be taking Calc. We are also considering AP Psych and maybe AP US history. I just don't know. He did extremely well on the required entrance exam for dual enrollment, so much so that the guidance counselor expressed quite a bit of surprise. But then he did mediocre on his PSATs. Part of that might be attributable to his general misery overall while in bricks and mortar for the first time. (he took the PERT entrance exam within 2 weeks of starting school, well before full-blown misery set in...)

 

I am considering administering another PSAT at home, under the same time conditions, just to see how he does. I am sure he'll LOVE that idea. <rolling eyes emoticon here>

 

Some of this sounds quite a bit like my son.  The only time I have seen him have a real "sense of urgency" was when he swam competitively. :tongue_smilie:

 

We did AP English Language sophomore year with PAH and AP European History at home with me. The Lang class was with a superb teacher and it was really a turning point for my son academically. He spent the first semester of 9th grade at our local high school and was an average student. He was just not engaged, which was why we started homeschooling in 4th grade in the first place.  We chose AP Lang not because he was brilliant at English, but a friend of my older son who we call "The AP Queen," recommended the Lang class so ds would know how to write quickly for other AP tests.  Since ds is slow at writing, this turned about to be excellent advice.  He was in a class with an engaging and challenging teacher and really bright students who set the bar much higher.  The AP Euro class was the most demanding class I ever taught him, and he chose not to test because he felt overwhelmed.  His last year, after taking the AP US History exam, he was kicking himself for not taking the Euro exam because he was more than prepared. Oh well.

 

I hate to say it, but barring a learning challenge, drilling over and over is the only thing that has helped with speed.  Ds's first ACT scores would have gotten him into many schools, but not the one where he is, which he loves.  We drilled and drilled on the speed part and he was able to increase his score enough to put him into another level competitively.  I loathe the amount of educational time lost to drilling for speed, but for some students, it is necessary. On the other hand, several of the schools ds applied to were test optional.  We submitted all tests anyway, because I felt it strengthened ds's case as a homeschooler.

 

For APs, I do personally think it's kind of important to take classes that the student is actually interested in, and not just because it may be one of the easier tests.

 

[swimmermom3]

First, I'd look at your son and the resources you have for classes and then pick what gives HIM the best education. He needs a life, education, pursue passions, etc. and how that looks for him will be very different from others. Definitely keep in mind basic requirements for future college goals so that you are not shutting any doors and then plan around your student.

 

It's also possible to take an AP class just because it's a great class and then not take the stressful exam. In that case, I'd probably not list it as an AP class because it looks odd if you don't take the exam (unless it's your senior year and they won't know you don't plan on the exam). There is no rule that you have to take the exam.

 

I am a firm believer in the bold. Both of my older kids took AP Euro and loved it. Neither planned on taking the exam.

 

My youngest took AP Spanish without the exam and was glad for the challenge.  It placed him where he needed to be for foreign language at his university without the stress of an additional exam that year.

 

The AP Spanish class was through an outside provider so I listed it as such and assigned an extra point for the weighted grade.  His placement exam results validated that choice.  As I taught the AP Euro class and he didn't take the test, I did not list it as AP, nor did I weight it as such. If anyone had bothered to read the course description, the materials were indicative of the level of challenge and I noted that the syllabus had been approved through the CB audit process.

[SparklyUnicorn]

No plan to do any.

 

 

[zaichiki]

My son does not like timed exams. In fact, he may have some sort of disability in that department. This only came to light because he attended public school for a semester and got 100% on all his homeworks, but routinely got 70% on his exams; he often spends a lot of time checking and rechecking his homework, always has, but I never thought it was a huge issue. So there may be a problem there, or it may just be something he needs to work on. Anyway, that was a little off topic.

 

He does not relish the idea of a course centered around an exam, TBH. He is a good student: focused, prompt, responsible, and does his work well. And I do think AP classes would benefit him. He wants to go to a good, selective college (not neccesarily an Ivy League, but a good school) but is leaning towards more experiential, close-knit and student-oriented schools like Antioch, Goddard, marlboro, and Rice as a stretch. He does not like a competitive atmosphere, but a more collegial and team-oriented one. He's actually mentioned numerous times to me his interest in attending college abroad, but not sure how that works.

 

SO. Would he benefit from taking AP classes? If so, how many? He could take Calc next year, is interested in Poli Sci and Psychology...but i am afraid for him to take the class and get a 2 on the test, simply because he's not a good test-taker. 

 

Thoughts?

I think my oldest is similar. He took one AP class and did not like the format.  His other advanced classes have been concurrent enrollment and dual-enrollment. MUCH better!  He much prefers a class that is NOT centered around preparing for a test.

 

ETA: My ds took those concurrent/dual-enrollment classes NOT at CCs, but at well-regarded 4-yr universities that have an agreement with his high school. His opinion is that these classes offered a better educational experience than the AP class, which was all memorize/regurgitate. That is his experience, but your college class options may be different and so YMMV.

 

AP classes/tests are becoming less and less popular where I am -- in favor of college classes.  A friend has been a college prof for years and was recently appointed as a dean.  She encourages her own kids to take as FEW AP classes as possible.  (Her kids have terrific grades, good test scores, and get into/attend top drawer universities.) She has said she is not impressed with the result of those AP classes and sees little benefit for the kids (her perspective from what she has seen in her classrooms/students at her university). 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2017 by zaichiki

[Guest]

Agree ymmv. AP Physics has been revamped for no regurgitation. The course my son took, AP Physics 1, was solid conceptually. The equivalent DE course his sib took was still regurg. In taking with the instructors, the goals are different. AP is college level, while DE at our CC is a check the box for their nursing students, most of whom aren't solid with trig and didn't take Regents Physics.

 

AP at our high school has a goal of preparing for a 3. Anyone wanting more needs to Diy.

[Halcyon]

Agree ymmv. AP Physics has been revamped for no regurgitation. The course my son took, AP Physics 1, was solid conceptually. The equivalent DE course his sib took was still regurg. In taking with the instructors, the goals are different. AP is college level, while DE at our CC is a check the box for their nursing students, most of whom aren't solid with trig and didn't take Regents Physics.

 

AP at our high school has a goal of preparing for a 3. Anyone wanting more needs to Diy.

 

 

curious as to where your son took ap physics 1? was it an online provider?

[Mrs.W]

My vote would be for a combination of AP and DE, even if it's just a couple of AP classes. A lot can change before a kid finally decides on a major/college and colleges can vary in terms of what they will accept. My DD went to a classical school that didn't offer AP classes and her college doesn't accept any of her dual credits because they counted toward high school graduation requirements. They do award AP credit. She's going to be stuck taking an average of 17 hours each semester (even if she takes a class at the CC each summer), and I'm not sure she's going to be able to work out her schedule to fit in the minor she was hoping to add. Even one or two AP classes would have made a huge difference. Out of the five schools she was accepted to, this was the only one with that strict a policy -- so of course that's the one she fell in love with.  :tongue_smilie:

[3andme]

I think it's worth trying at least one AP. While in some ways it seems like high stakes testing, remember the student can retake the exam, can have their score deleted, or simply not report it to the college. 

[snowbeltmom]

I don't think there is one right way to do anything.  My kids go the AP route mainly because our other choices are very limited.  I don't have any experience with the history or social science AP courses, but my kids never felt like the AP classes were simply preparing them to regurgitate information for a test. (However, they also didn't take the courses that would require a lot of memorization, such as AP Bio, AP History, etc. where maybe there is more of a feeling of teaching to the test?)

 

The AP classes my kids have taken have been solid classes that have prepared them extremely well for college.  When my oldest was registering for his first semester of college, his advisor recommended that he use some of his AP credits to place into the next level in the sequence.  He had absolutely no trouble beginning at the higher level in the sequence.

 

It stresses me out more than my kids that the AP exam is only offered once a year and the exam carries so much weight.  However, my oldest has had classes in college where the final exam is worth more than 50% of the grade, so in that respect, the high stakes AP exam can help prepare them for the stress of finals once they get to college.

 

 

[maize]

How does he do on multiple choice tests? Most AP's have a significant multiple choice section. Some kids are naturally really good at multiple choice and others are not.

[Halcyon]

How does he do on multiple choice tests? Most AP's have a significant multiple choice section. Some kids are naturally really good at multiple choice and others are not.

 

 

He needs more practice. He actually does VERY well on multiple choice when it's not a test situation, timed, stressful. For example, when he does practice tests at home where they are timed but more relaxed overall, he does great. i think practice is key.

[Roadrunner]

I don't think there is one right way to do anything. My kids go the AP route mainly because our other choices are very limited. I don't have any experience with the history or social science AP courses, but my kids never felt like the AP classes were simply preparing them to regurgitate information for a test. (However, they also didn't take the courses that would require a lot of memorization, such as AP Bio, AP History, etc. where maybe there is more of a feeling of teaching to the test?)

 

The AP classes my kids have taken have been solid classes that have prepared them extremely well for college. When my oldest was registering for his first semester of college, his advisor recommended that he use some of his AP credits to place into the next level in the sequence. He had absolutely no trouble beginning at the higher level in the sequence.

 

It stresses me out more than my kids that the AP exam is only offered once a year and the exam carries so much weight. However, my oldest has had classes in college where the final exam is worth more than 50% of the grade, so in that respect, the high stakes AP exam can help prepare them for the stress of finals once they get to college.

Is it OK to ask you which APs your children took?

We have also decided that AP route is the easiest since it provides some validation for our grades.

[snowbeltmom]

Is it OK to ask you which APs your children took?

We have also decided that AP route is the easiest since it provides some validation for our grades.

AP English Lit or AP English Language (both with Lili Serbicki).  My oldest chose AP Lang.  My middle chose AP Lit.  I may have my D take Lit  because my two youngest are taking the Rhetoric series with WTM Academy and English Lang may be redundant.

( Plus, my oldest hasn't found the 5 paragraph essay format useful in his college classes.)

 

AP Chemistry (ChemAdvantage)

 

AP Calc BC (Gilleran sp? PA Homeschoolers)

 

AP Computer Science (CTY)

 

AP Physics C Mechanics

 

AP Physics C E&M

 

AP Stats. (The last three are home-brewed, although I may have my D take the Physics C classes with PAHS because I really like having someone else dictate the schedule.)

[swimmermom3]

AP English Lit or AP English Language (both with Lili Serbicki).  My oldest chose AP Lang.  My middle chose AP Lit.  I may have my D take Lit  because my two youngest are taking the Rhetoric series with WTM Academy and English Lang may be redundant.

( Plus, my oldest hasn't found the 5 paragraph essay format useful in his college classes.)

 

AP Chemistry (ChemAdvantage)

 

AP Calc BC (Gilleran sp? PA Homeschoolers)

 

AP Computer Science (CTY)

 

AP Physics C Mechanics

 

AP Physics C E&M

 

AP Stats. (The last three are home-brewed, although I may have my D take the Physics C classes with PAHS because I really like having someone else dictate the schedule.)

 

I am curious about the part in bold even though this is a bit off topic.  My ds took AP Lang and AP Lit both from Maya Inspector at PAHS.  He thought the Lang class was incredibly helpful with preparing him to write six 5-page or more papers for his first semester and to score well on them.  There was no emphasis on the 5 paragraph essay format in his PAHS classes.  However, he is taking Writing 106 this semester, so we'll see how he does in a straight writing class.  The university requires two writing classes; AP Lang fulfills one and those students are then funneled into a more challenging writing class than non-AP students are required to take. 

 

Was there a lot of emphasis on the 5 paragraph essay on Serbicki's class?  I read rave reviews about her as well as Maya.

 

My son feels like a needs to drop Maya a note and let her know how helpful her classes were in preparing him for college writing.

 

[snowbeltmom]

I am curious about the part in bold even though this is a bit off topic.  My ds took AP Lang and AP Lit both from Maya Inspector at PAHS.  He thought the Lang class was incredibly helpful with preparing him to write six 5-page or more papers for his first semester and to score well on them.  There was no emphasis on the 5 paragraph essay format in his PAHS classes.  However, he is taking Writing 106 this semester, so we'll see how he does in a straight writing class.  The university requires two writing classes; AP Lang fulfills one and those students are then funneled into a more challenging writing class than non-AP students are required to take. 

 

Was there a lot of emphasis on the 5 paragraph essay on Serbicki's class?  I read rave reviews about her as well as Maya.

 

My son feels like a needs to drop Maya a note and let her know how helpful her classes were in preparing him for college writing.

 

I have been extremely happy with Serbicki's classes.  I wouldn't say that the class overall stressed the 5 paragraph essay, but they did work through a test prep book toward the end of the course to prepare for the AP exam, which in my opinion, does focus on a rigid type of format that emphasizes an introductory paragraph, usually three or four supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

 

My son has not had to write an essay under timed conditions yet in college.  Most of the papers he does write are more than 8 pages long.  My son felt that the midterm paper that he had to complete in the AP class was much more applicable to the type of writing he is required to do in college. 

[Luckymama]

D's AP Lang class through Blue Tent Online did not use a 5 paragraph structure for the essays, even during the test prep portions.

 

I guess if students aren't quick writers then relying on an into, a paragraph for each of 2 or 3 points, and a concluding paragraph makes some structural sense.

[...................]

Assuming we stay the course, and don't jump ship to do the CC-transnfer route,

 

My son will have 5 or 6 AP's upon graduation.  our PSP director really strongly encouraged my son to only take AP's in the areas he loves, and also AP Calc since he's going for a comp sci major. :)  He is a very hard working, careful and thoughtful about his studies.  Not extremely motivated but plugs away every day on time with an internal drive.  He is happy to call it "a day" however when he is done, he is done and he doesn't go super above and beyond.  

 

Anyway as it stands now he will take

AP Comp Sci (9th)

AP comp Sci principles (if we can find a course!) (10th)

AP Eng Lang (11th)

AP Eng Lit (he loves writing and literature to an extreme degree) 

AP Physics (after a year of regular physics) (12th)

AP Calc AB (12th)

 

In our area, this is definitely fairly normal and for his personality and workload it's do-able.  But I have definitely taken out all non-necessities from his transcript, and I've made as easy as possible some of the non-AP courses, he will take the super super easy Silicon Valley Online high school courses which require less than 25 minutes per day to get an A+.  So, where I am able, I am making things easy so that he can focus on and excel in his AP courses.  You will also note that other than Physics he will not take any AP Science because frankly it would just be too much for him.  He is taking the SAT Subject test for Biology but only because I couldn't find an online provider that was UC approved for him earlier in the year.  Now I know of at least two.  

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2017 by Calming Tea

[...................]

Also, as chance has it, he won't take any AP courses for 10th grade, so I am front loading 10th grade with an extra history and also Finite Math/Linear Algebra for his elective.  This way, he will have less to worry about in 11th and 12th!  

[Lilaclady]

Also, as chance has it, he won't take any AP courses for 10th grade, so I am front loading 10th grade with an extra history and also Finite Math/Linear Algebra for his elective. This way, he will have less to worry about in 11th and 12th!

So he will be taking linear algebra before taking calculus AB. Isn't linear algebra taken after calculus?

[Lori D.]

It really depends on where the student plans to go for college. Some colleges prefer to see APs over dual enrollment credits to show "rigor" as dual enrollment at some community colleges can be very lacking. But some colleges prefer the dual enrollment over the AP (esp. if the dual enrollment was done at a university), as there has been a lot of debate in recent years about the widely-varying rigor of AP CLASSES (not the AP test scores, as that is standardized).

 

In addition to AP or dual enrollment, yet another way to confirm homeschool grades and to show ability to work/study at an advanced level while still in high school (and possibly knock out college credit in advance) are CLEP tests. While not accepted by all universities, over 2900 schools DO accept CLEPS. You would want to check with the specific colleges on whether or not they accept CLEPs and if so, which ones they will accept for transfer credit.

 

That said, no APs here, and we were absolutely fine without them. BUT... neither DS was applying to top tier, competitive, or selective schools.

 

That seems to be the tipping point to me as to whether or not to take them -- how does the college look at them:

- Does the competitive / selective / top tier school expect to see APs to grant admission?

- Does the school look at dual enrollment or CLEP as equally valid for admission?

- What is the school's policy for granting credit for AP, transfer dual enrollment, or CLEP?

 

AND, what would your goal for APs be:

- competitive for admission?

- confirm homeschool grades on the transcript?

- knock out credits in advance of college to have more time during college for a tough degree program, double major, special opportunities, etc.?

- knock out credits in advance of college to and save money by going fewer semesters?

 

For some of these goals, there are probably easier or more effective routes than APs. The main thing APs seem to do is make the student competitive for admission to schools that expect to see APs -- and as a way of adding to the ACT/SAT score to show the student is deserving of high merit aid & scholarships.

[SunshineMom]

I am on the fence.  My dd wants to try a few a APs for 9th & 10th however her plan is to DE at our local CC for 11th and 12th grades.  She wants the challenge earlier than 11th grade but I am not sure how she is going to balance all her studies with her extra curricular activities and do well.  

 

I am glad to hear she doesn't have to report her score and will still get credit for the class without the score.

[...................]

So he will be taking linear algebra before taking calculus AB. Isn't linear algebra taken after calculus?

It's not exactly LInear Algebra, the course I found.  It's finite math which includes some aspects of linear algebra.  IDK...the prerequisite just says ALgebra 2.  My son also learned how to computer program in 4th grade (not scratch but the real deal) and all the programming courses say ALg 1 is pre-requisite.  I don't know why..

 

I will look closer into it to be sure.  Thank you!

[Woodland Mist Academy]

APs are a good fit here because they provide the level of challenge needed in some courses without the risk of a bad grade in a DE course that will be on the record forever.

 

Getting college credit isn't our main goal. For us the AP classes, in and of themselves, have been invaluable. College credit is just icing. 

[Tess in the Burbs]

I asked this recently here as well.  The answers I received were good.  Basically if it fits, do it.  If not, don't worry about it.  Obviously if my son wanted to do some Ivy league we would need it.  But for right now, his path doesn't need it.  So we won't do it.  My dd however is asking to do them....  

[Arcadia]

I didn't realize that AP scores don't need to be reported--that helps. He could take the AP class, study, and see what happens.

My husband and I was just discussing about this as he wants our kids to take the exams as just normal annual exams so that they are not stressed when they need to take the high stakes ones. My husband does not mind paying exam fees as we are used to paying Cambridge exam fees as high school students. We are going for score cancellation rather than withholding if scores are below 3 (ETA: if we can cancel after seeing scores, else we will just pay for score withhold).

 

From CollegeBoard https://apscore.collegeboard.org/scores/score-reporting//

"Score Withholding

 

You can withhold one or more scores from the college specified on your registration answer sheet (the first answer sheet you filled out) or from any other college to which you want to send a score report. The score will be withheld from any future score reports sent to that particular college. A request to withhold a score does not permanently delete your score. You may later release the score to that college by sending AP Services a signed written request. There is no charge to release scores.

 

$10 per score per college to withhold, plus $15 per report for standard delivery or $25 per report for rush delivery to send the score report to the college."

 

"Score Cancellation

Canceling your AP Exam score permanently deletes it — it cannot be reinstated at a later time. Scores may be canceled at any time. Once you request a cancellation, the exam will not be scored, and a score for that exam will never be available. (Archived scores cannot be canceled.) While there is no fee for this service, your exam fee is not refunded."

Edited January 9, 2017 by Arcadia

[rbk mama]

We've relied on AP tests for validation of academic work for DS1 (DE isn't an option for us).  He has zero text anxiety (just the opposite - he does better on the real thing than on the practice because of the pressure), can write quickly, and is just naturally a good test taker.  He will have a ton of APs by graduation.  (Which, BTW, I don't see as meaningless at all.  He has retained what he learned for these exams, and the classes themselves were great classes.)   

 

DS2, though, is dyslexic and has significantly low processing speed (and text anxiety).  Even with accommodations I'm not sure how he will do on standardized tests.  He is taking AP Computer Science now, and we will do some practice tests at home to see if we should sign up for the real thing.  Like your DS, he is a good student - bright, hardworking, responsible.  He is absolutely able to handle AP level work in several subjects (none of the ones requiring essays), so we are planning on that.  I am not sure if he will end up taking any AP test, though -- we'll just have to see.  If we had a good DE option for us, we'd probably go that route for him.

[katilac]

APs are a good fit here because they provide the level of challenge needed in some courses without the risk of a bad grade in a DE course that will be on the record forever.

  

 

But, if the level of challenge is the same, don't you risk the same bad grade in the AP class? Either will be on the transcript for admissions.

 

dd's DE courses do remain on her college transcript, but they do not factor into her college GPA, I guess that might vary by school. 

[wapiti]

But, if the level of challenge is the same, don't you risk the same bad grade in the AP class? Either will be on the transcript for admissions.

 

dd's DE courses do remain on her college transcript, but they do not factor into her college GPA, I guess that might vary by school. 

 

I don't know the answer, but wouldn't the relevant question be not whether the college includes DE in the GPA but whether a grad school admissions office would include DE in calculating college GPA? 

[Lilaclady]

But, if the level of challenge is the same, don't you risk the same bad grade in the AP class? Either will be on the transcript for admissions.

 

dd's DE courses do remain on her college transcript, but they do not factor into her college GPA, I guess that might vary by school.

They are different. You can choose not to submit an AP score or cancel it but you have to submit all grade from all post secondary institutions. So a bad DE grade can follow you around for longer.

[SunshineMom]

I want to make sure I understand.  

 

AP scores are not converted into a grade which would affect a student's college GPA however a student could be issued a grade for the class by the high school teacher which would affect their HS GPA.  

 

AP scores usually from 3-5 are given college credit (depending on the receiving institution) and scores less than 3 can be canceled or not submitted.  

 

High scores are often reported however reporting any score is optional.  However schools which are competitive, would like to see those high scores.

 

Is the discrepancy between the AP class grade and the college credit given problematic?  Say a kid gets a 3 on the AP test, and a class grade of an A,  wouldn't that AP 3 be like a college C grade?  Wouldn't that be shaky ground to build upon for the next leveled college class?

 

 

Edited January 12, 2017 by Jewels

[Lilaclady]

Every institution have its own rules about AP credit. Most will award credit but some don't.

The super selective ones usually don't give credit by they want to see it to show rigor.

 

Most selective or mid selective schools that award credit will only award for scores of 4 or 5 but few will award for 3.

 

Eg. UGA will award no credit for a 3 in art history but 3 credits for a4 or 5

It will award 4 credits for 3 or 4 in chemistry but 8 credits for a 5.

Each institution is different but with DE the grades stay on the students record.