Are Advanced Placement (AP) Classes Worth Your Kid’s Time?
A look at what my family did differently. (Note, this article does not discuss international baccalaureate (IB) classes and is about education in the United States.)
AP classes are offered all over the United States. Touted by high school counselors everywhere as the be all and end all of classes that a student can take to get college attention, they deserve a closer examination by students and parents alike.
These classes are often offered as “better than” regular high school courses or even as higher education options. In order to qualify as a potential college credit (minimum .5 credits per semester), one must get at least a 3 at minimum on a test that requires payment to take in the first place. There are AP classes from higher math and science to literature and history. All courses are extremely involved, requiring extra study hours than a “normal” high school class and a lot more effort of studying and writing than basic classes.
But — and here’s a big but — getting the required scores on advanced placement tests is no guarantor that your son or daughter will get any credit at all for the classes they’ve taken. It is merely potential to receive credit. Also, in college, these classes are often worth less credits. So, even if your student has taken a class that is equivalent to say…
