Students, are you dealing with a tough AP courses in high school? I am sure many high school students are having trouble in AP classes, including myself, so don’t feel like you are alone facing this problem.
New Mexico high school students rank below the national average on Advanced Placement tests, according to recent published reports. Overall, 12 percent of New Mexico students passed, compared to a national average of 20 percent.
Too many students are taking AP courses with a lack of preparation and a lack of teacher support in the classroom.
Many students are just not receiving enough help from their teachers. Students are not being given enough opportunities to prepare with AP materials.
So if most students are struggling to pass their AP classes, and most students do not pass the AP exams, how does this help them?
Advocates often argue that students benefit from being exposed to the high expectations of an AP class, even if they don’t pass the test. How does this benefit them?
The main purpose of the AP classes is to give students college credit for these classes when they pass the AP exam.
According to the Politico website, many states now give schools bonus points for “high AP participation in the formulas that determine a school’s state rating.”
Often in schools that want to be “the best ranked high school” students don’t have a choice to take or not take AP classes. The schools provide the AP classes for the sake of the high rankings – to get an “A” for the schools.
So, are AP classes worth it? Are they being offered for wrong reasons? And should students be taking them?
Dual-credit classes in high school also offer college credit without the extra pressure on the students.
Dual-credit classes for high school students make more sense than AP classes, which are too difficult and too stressful for most high school students.
Ludella Awad is enrolled in AP high school classes and in dual-credit classes at Central New Mexico Community College.
