Recently the guidance department of Boston Latin School has instituted a new policy that limits the number of Advanced Placement classes students can enroll in during junior year. Previously students after being granted a waiver could take a maximum of four AP classes. However under the new guidelines all juniors are restricted to three. This is unfair to students who seek to reach their full academic potential.
Counselors have cited that, “many students taking 4 APs felt it was too much to handle and would transfer from the AP class in the middle of a term” (Ms. Cousens) as reason for the adoption of this rule. Ms. Cousens also noted that a prime motivation for the change is not jeopardizing sleep and reducing the stress of students.
Counselors may want to reduce students’ stress, but a blanket ban is not the solution. Students are often well aware of
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Students should communicate with their counselors to select a manageable course load based on their own aptitude and interests. Certain combinations of the most difficult AP classes may be difficult to handle for all but the most brilliant students. However by making smart informed decisions, students can challenge themselves by taking appropriate AP classes. Additionally, some students are Boston Latin School are simply not challenged by non AP classes. Regardless of the perception that students only take AP classes for the GPA advantage it brings, students may simply be interested in the material and are seeking to challenge themselves. AP classes facilitate the endeavors of students who want to learn as much as they can. Moreover, students view AP classes as an opportunity to prepare themselves for college level work. BLS students typically do very well on AP exams which allows them to gain college credit and potentially save on tuition
I was taking AP World History, my first AP class. Keeping up my grades in the class was one of my biggest concerns, but surprisingly, it turned out to be a relatively laid-back class without much homework. Throughout the year, the class was mainly notes and document analysis. The only difficult part of the class was the tests. They were long and arduous with several vague questions based on specific parts of the curriculum that we had only gone over lightly. The course became more vigorous as the exam date drew closer; we began writing more essays, the tests we took grew longer, there were after school study sessions, and even a mock
In 2010, Alyssa faced one of the horrors students face: bringing home a bad report card. Afraid of her parents’ reaction, the girl hid her report card to avoid showing the grim 76, for she, like other kids, does not want to be grounded for it. However, should students feel pressured to get a high grade? Should kids fear getting a bad grade? In reality, no parent should punish their children because of a “bad” grade; such action is detrimental to the students’ health and relationships. There is a more healthful, efficient way to improve grades, although, in reality grades are insignificant in today’s society.
High school students everywhere in the United States make very selective class choices based on careers they may want to pursue in the future. One decision that the students may make is to take an AP class. Among students, when they hear the name AP they automatically think stress, and homework, and tests; however it also means college credit, and advanced placement and promises a future. What if the College Board changed the benefits and decided that if the school board had a problem with the crew framework and felt the need to change it, then this AP class wouldn't be worth anything in college? The promises of college credit and advanced classes would be ripped from the students' hands, and the choices they made in order to take this
Dual enrollment “increases students’ confidence in their ability to perform in college” (An 58). The influence of how many credit hours someone can get while taking dual enrollment courses is also another reason many are motivated to go to college. They have a sense that they can finish college earlier than other people. Students can take as many dual classes that are offered at their school, which will make them want more since they have already started their journey through the college life in high school. Taking Dual enrollment classes help some people find that they are confident in their ability to complete college work. Some people believe that it is detrimental because it will exhaust the students and it will affect their extracurricular activities outside of school. This is a valid point, but some people are more worried about their education than they are of playing or doing something outside of school. Most people want to have good jobs and support their family from the work they put in to get where they want to be. The more Dual classes people took showed that their “Likelihood of experiencing positive post-secondary outcomes increases for every dual-credit course they complete. This means that the more classes people take, the more likely it is for them to keep on going and completing college with the most positive outcomes. These factors influence most
John Steinbeck and Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK Jr.) have both gone down in American literature as some of the most influential authors, but why? Steinbeck was an influential author throughout the 20th century with pieces in many genres. On the flip side is Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights leader in the fight against racial discrimination. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the style of these two authors, it is necessary to compare them on the bases of repetition, tone, and purpose.
Imagine if East Jordan high school offered several elective and AP classes to students. Imagine how it could benefit the students of East Jordan Public schools. It would offer much more to students. East Jordan high school use to have many elective classes like: Forensics, Environmental sciences, Creative writing, honors biology, and advance writing, but now the high school does not offer enough elective and AP classes. East Jordan high school must add more classes because they help with schedules, college, and preparedness.
Alexander had a rigorous Health Science Magnet program that admitted around 120 students each year, and I was one of them. Students in this program were admitted based on an achievement test given the summer prior to their freshman year in school. If admitted, all students in the program were required to take only Pre-AP and AP classes throughout their 4 years in school. Outside of the program there were AP, Pre-AP, GT, regular, and remedial classes that were readily available to any other students. There were always those students who spoke in the hallways about the kids in “regular” classes who were “too dumb” to be put in Pre-AP or GT. Or those stuck in remedial classes because they didn’t pass their TAKS test requirements. But there were other students too, including some of my best friends. They were the ones who had the capability of succeeding in an AP course, yet they were put in regular classes. I never had any problems with this process since my status in the magnet program automatically ...
According to the Dispatch “The Columbus Municipal School District is getting more than $2.8 million over three years to improve and expand its Advanced Placement programs” (The Dispatch 1). These programs are similar to the proposed college prep course as they help prepare students for more challenging education experiences. The improvements to the program do not stop at just the courses, but also affect the teachers by “providing teachers with a $1,000 incentive for completing pre-AP or AP certification” (The Dispatch 1). The improved Advanced Placement programs will provide students with more chances to improve their quality of education but still have one major flaw and that is the fact that these courses are still optional.
I believe that challenging myself to take AP classes that influence my decision in choosing a career path will be beneficial and aide me in achieving my lifetime goal of helping others. It helps me because I’m preparing myself for college by taking rigorous college level courses. Because they are difficult classes, my GPA will be weighted and thus increases my chances of being accepted into schools that can help me achieve my
College level courses such as AP, IB, and AICE have not only become crucial for high school students, but increasingly controversial. In modern-day America, these courses have become the primary method used to prepare high school students for higher education. In order for all high school students to be college-ready, it is essential they all be allowed to take challenging college-level courses, even if these students are deemed ‘unready’. “Behold the Power of Challenging all High School Students-not Just the A Team” by Jay Mathews argues that all high school students benefit from the opportunity of taking college level courses in high school as preparation for college.
College readiness is the main focus point for high school students. Becoming that person that is able to achieve the highest potential in a certain area and obtain a degree is what each student aims for. However, for all that to occur one should be able to have the opportunities to help him or her reach the goals that have been set. The lack of AP classes that our school does not offer interferes with that. Our school offers eleven out of the forty AP classes that are available. In addition, some of the AP classes do not end up running because of the school policy of having a certain amount of students placed in it. The importance of AP classes is increasing when one fills out an application for his or her desired university. Having AP classes listed down on an application for a university enhances a student 's application. Colleges want to see that you have challenged yourself to the best of your ability, and that you were able to handle the college level coursework (hubpages).
School counseling has evolved over the years into a significant component of the educational system. School counselors are taking on new roles in schools as leaders, working with “school administration and staff in developing student attitudes and behavior which are necessary to maintain proper control, acceptable standards of self-discipline and a suitable learning environment within the school” (Secondary School Counselor 2012). Counselors work in “diverse community settings designed to provide a variety of counseling, rehabilitation, and support services” (Counselors, 2010). When working in a school district as a counselor, you can either be an elementary school counselor, middle school counselor or a high school counselor. This essays explores a recent interview with a high school counselor.
Stress is an important problem faced by many college students, especially first year students, and it can have some large impacts on college freshmen. For example, according to Hirsch and Keniston (1970), about half of first year students do not graduate from college due to dropping out (p. 1-20). Also, David Leonhardt (2009) agrees that the United States excels at putting “teenagers in college, but only half of students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree” (p. 1). In addition, the level of stress seems to increase each year. For instance, the National Health Ministries (2006) claim that many college students have become “more overwhelmed and stressed” than the student generation of the last fifteen years (p. 2). Also, the percentage of first year students feeling stressed is greater than thirty percent (National Health Ministries 2006). If the problem of stress is not resolved properly, th...
College students, especially freshmen, experiencing stress is normal, but it a concern that should not be taken lightly. It is easy for situations to spiral out of control, or for freshmen to feel like they cannot complete the next four years if things stay the same. It is important for students to keep in my mind that it is never too late to try one of these coping skills, and it is never too late to ask for
In a multitude of high schools across the nation, an increasing number of students are deciding to enroll in AP classes, of which a large percentage are quite unsuited for the upper level class they are about to take. These advanced placement classes are meant to stimulate the brightest children of the school population, as well as for students to prove themselves as deserving of sought-after college credit. However, perhaps due to parental and peer pressure, those who clearly do not have the intelligence or motivation necessary to take these classes end up enrolling in these courses. The original intent of making these advanced classes open access was to enable minorities, who are bogged down even today by racial stigmas