Been out of high school for 25 year now. Back in ye old days high school seniors would take AP classes. There would be an occasional junior in there and sometimes a very smart sophomore. But my son (Tomball ISD) is in an AP class in 9th grade. Has that always been the case?
High school freshmen take AP classes now?
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Last: 1 yr ago by CheeseSndwch
they used to call them Pre-AP classes because there was not an actual AP test available at the end of the year. the idea was you were in harder classes with other kids that also wanted the challenge.
i imagine they rebranded everything to AP to compete with the IB program.
i imagine they rebranded everything to AP to compete with the IB program.
They didn't even have AP classes for seniors when I was in school.
At least, not for me
At least, not for me
We had "Pre-AP" in 9th, but I'm as old as you are. "Pre-AP" in 9th and 10th were what fed into AP in 11th and 12th. But test or no, this is a good thing if your kid can reasonably handle it. No downside to taking the test either, if offered. You can bomb them without consequence.
Is it Human Geography?
My kids took that as freshmen, essentially counted as elective credit in college.
It is pretty wild how different universities treat AP credit. I was shocked at the disparity. State universities in Texas have to accept a score of 3 or above for credit, but the catch is that the individual major may restrict what it accepts... Thus throwing a lot of it into elective territory, potentially. A&M works differently than t.u. works differently than Tech works differently than Texas State, etc. even though they all technically have to accept 3s.
One of my kids went to Texas Tech (I know, I know) and they were fantastic - they fit all his credit into his degree plan with no hassle which enabled him to get out in 3 years. He was not a super star student, just a hard worker.
Another kid went to TCU (I know, I know) and it was a little less straightforward but still not too bad - she got credit for most all her AP courses.
One school in Georgia that my son was considering would only accept 5s - not a super prestigious school either - and they wouldn't budge. He got a substantial scholarship but would have lost so much of his hard work from HS AP classes that he just couldn't stomach it.
My kids took that as freshmen, essentially counted as elective credit in college.
It is pretty wild how different universities treat AP credit. I was shocked at the disparity. State universities in Texas have to accept a score of 3 or above for credit, but the catch is that the individual major may restrict what it accepts... Thus throwing a lot of it into elective territory, potentially. A&M works differently than t.u. works differently than Tech works differently than Texas State, etc. even though they all technically have to accept 3s.
One of my kids went to Texas Tech (I know, I know) and they were fantastic - they fit all his credit into his degree plan with no hassle which enabled him to get out in 3 years. He was not a super star student, just a hard worker.
Another kid went to TCU (I know, I know) and it was a little less straightforward but still not too bad - she got credit for most all her AP courses.
One school in Georgia that my son was considering would only accept 5s - not a super prestigious school either - and they wouldn't budge. He got a substantial scholarship but would have lost so much of his hard work from HS AP classes that he just couldn't stomach it.
We did in 1998-1999.
Took them through a partnership university remotely.
Took them through a partnership university remotely.
At my high school, only juniors or seniors took AP classes. Freshmen were relegated to a separate (old) campus, which didn't offer AP exams.
One unusual thing my high school did was teach US History 1876-present in 9th grade (to be a continuation of 8th grade US History), and thus it was classified as a "Pre-AP" class even though an AP test existed. So I had to retake US History at A&M instead of AP testing out of it like I did for Calculus, Chemistry, or US Government.
One unusual thing my high school did was teach US History 1876-present in 9th grade (to be a continuation of 8th grade US History), and thus it was classified as a "Pre-AP" class even though an AP test existed. So I had to retake US History at A&M instead of AP testing out of it like I did for Calculus, Chemistry, or US Government.
Crazy how kids in the 9th grade have to start prepping for college already.
My son graduated from Tomball in May. I know he took pre-AP in 9th grade. I don't think he took any AP until 10th grade, but I know they changed up the curriculum options for kids one year behind him (the current senior class), so I wouldn't be surprised if there are now AP options in 9th grade.
Charlie Murphy said:
Crazy how kids in the 9th grade have to start prepping for college already.
I wouldn't just look at it as college prep. My son took AP English and history classes in part to simply be in class with the better students were were a bit more serious about their studies.
It's also important if you want to be competitive for top 10%. It's almost impossible to make this cut off if you're not maxing out AP credits (the very top students know how to "game" this system).
My son also took AP calculus and science classes. I only paid for him to take the tests for the English, history, and economics classes he completed, though. He made a 3 or above on every test he took. But he's doing engineering in college. He and I agreed that it was not a good idea to "AP out" of calculus and chemistry, and I didn't want to pay the money for tests results he wasn't going to use. He just made a 92 on his first college calculus test, so it looks like we made a good decision.
What's the consensus on AP versus dual credit nowadays?
OnlyForNow said:
What's the consensus on AP versus dual credit nowadays?
That's a tough one. I think it depends on the university they likely will attend, their major, and their goals. See my post above - AP credit can be treated pretty inconsistently between universities. I think dual credit is treated much more consistently.
Also, there is a lot of stress at the end of the year caused by AP tests with so much riding on them. Dual credit spreads the stress out throughout the semester.
Lastly, in Cy Fair, dual credit and AP are often the same classes. The dual credit students have some extra assignments, and don't take the AP tests. Not sure if other districts work this way.
The vast majority of kids will benefit from Dual Credit over AP. It is usually the same class but they get to earn credit during the semester instead of having to perform on a single test in May. I teach both AP and DC classes and at this point the only kids I have left taking AP are the ones competing to get into America's best colleges.OnlyForNow said:
What's the consensus on AP versus dual credit nowadays?
We are also going to have a decent number of kids who will graduate high school with an Associates Degree which is about as cheap as you can make it.
Kids start worrying about college in junior high now. Actually, it's the parents. It can get very unhealthy as well.
My kid takes Pre-AP/AP in everything but her math and she's still ahead of most kids. We don't push her to do that and we tell her not to play the GPA game. Go to school, work hard, take the classes you are interested in and the rest will take care of itself. We're not dropping her sport so that she can fit in another 5.0 class.
My kid takes Pre-AP/AP in everything but her math and she's still ahead of most kids. We don't push her to do that and we tell her not to play the GPA game. Go to school, work hard, take the classes you are interested in and the rest will take care of itself. We're not dropping her sport so that she can fit in another 5.0 class.
If you say you hate the state of politics in this nation and you don't get involved in it, you obviously don't hate the state of politics in this nation.
UT offers "On Ramps" in a few subjects, I "teach" the chemistry. Essentially it's a virtual class taught by a professor, and I'm there to help/tutor & facilitate the labs. It's much better than trying to pass the AP test for the credit. You can also choose to not accept the credit - I had two top students choose not to because they were going in to chemistry-heavy majors & just felt they would now be that much better prepared for freshman level chem on an actual college campus. It's free at my campus because we're title 1, but I think in others it's a couple hundred bucks. Some schools have their sophomores take it, which I think is crazy. My students are upperclassmen and do well, especially the ones who had me for honors their sophomore year. But I can't imagine going from 8th grade physical science to college level chem. Much less a "real" college class & not a San Jac.
Not to mention, if they take it as sophomores, they're unlikely to retain it once they get to college.
I've never heard it recommended for a student planning to go to a competitive college to take dual credit. AP is always the answer there.
What are you nerds going on about in here?
Gap said:
I've never heard it recommended for a student planning to go to a competitive college to take dual credit. AP is always the answer there.
I agree with you but it's a weird hold The College Board has on universities.
If you say you hate the state of politics in this nation and you don't get involved in it, you obviously don't hate the state of politics in this nation.
Is it still standard that DC carries a 1.05% GPA multiplier, and AP is 1.10%?
This was the underlying question.P.H. Dexippus said:
Is it still standard that DC carries a 1.05% GPA multiplier, and AP is 1.10%?
Do DC students earn the same GPA as AP students, test notwithstanding.
They are equivalent GPA points in my district.OnlyForNow said:This was the underlying question.P.H. Dexippus said:
Is it still standard that DC carries a 1.05% GPA multiplier, and AP is 1.10%?
Do DC students earn the same GPA as AP students, test notwithstanding.
Dual credit was a way for kids to take the AP class, completely screw off in class and disrespect the teacher, skip the AP test, and take the easy A from the community college.
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
94chem said:
Dual credit was a way for kids to take the AP class, completely screw off in class and disrespect the teacher, skip the AP test, and take the easy A from the community college.
Your ability to project horrible takes is unmatched.
AgLA06 said:94chem said:
Dual credit was a way for kids to take the AP class, completely screw off in class and disrespect the teacher, skip the AP test, and take the easy A from the community college.
Your ability to project horrible takes is unmatched.
You think his posts on The Tine board are bad. Go read his posts gargling DFW balls on the rangers thread. "I live in Houston but please ****** me"
All of high school is one giant college prep. They days of buckling down junior and senior year and still being able to get in to a decent college are gone. A student's grades in their freshman year are just as important as their grades senior year. I recall many former classmates of mine not realizing the importance of classes and grades until the first class ranks came out junior year and then they suddenly realize they have almost no shot of getting into A&M, UT, or whatever school they had thought they wanted to go to because they were blowing off quizzes and electives freshman year. Of course that isnt to say parents should be pushing their kids into AP/Dual-credit. if they don't want to do it or can't handle it. But essentially the college application process started the moment the first period bell rings that first day of high school.TXTransplant said:Charlie Murphy said:
Crazy how kids in the 9th grade have to start prepping for college already.
I wouldn't just look at it as college prep. My son took AP English and history classes in part to simply be in class with the better students were were a bit more serious about their studies.
It's also important if you want to be competitive for top 10%. It's almost impossible to make this cut off if you're not maxing out AP credits (the very top students know how to "game" this system).
My son also took AP calculus and science classes. I only paid for him to take the tests for the English, history, and economics classes he completed, though. He made a 3 or above on every test he took. But he's doing engineering in college. He and I agreed that it was not a good idea to "AP out" of calculus and chemistry, and I didn't want to pay the money for tests results he wasn't going to use. He just made a 92 on his first college calculus test, so it looks like we made a good decision.
Furlock Bones said:AgLA06 said:94chem said:
Dual credit was a way for kids to take the AP class, completely screw off in class and disrespect the teacher, skip the AP test, and take the easy A from the community college.
Your ability to project horrible takes is unmatched.
You think his posts on The Tine board are bad. Go read his posts gargling DFW balls on the rangers thread. "I live in Houston but please ****** me"
Crikey.
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
My AP teacher family member preferred the Level kids to the dual credit ones.
3 of my kids took AP human in 9th grade. It's a full year course, but only 3 credit hours. Kind of an AP starter kit.
Sadly, sometimes even at good schools you have to take AP just to be in classes with other people who actually want to be there. Including the teachers...
3 of my kids took AP human in 9th grade. It's a full year course, but only 3 credit hours. Kind of an AP starter kit.
Sadly, sometimes even at good schools you have to take AP just to be in classes with other people who actually want to be there. Including the teachers...
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
Jack Cheese said:
Not to mention, if they take it as sophomores, they're unlikely to retain it once they get to college.
From what the other teachers tell me, they do okay grade-wise but they aren't sure how much "bigger picture" stuff they're learning.
GPA adjustment for AP and DC will vary by district.
Many districts offer AP Human Geography for freshman in the place of the regular geography course but others make it a social studies elective for upperclassmen.
AP is fine for what it is, but having your college credit hinge on passing a summative exam at the end of the year is pretty tough for a lot of HS students, which is why DC might be preferable to some.
My advice for students and parents is to not go overboard when pursuing college credit for coursework that is essential to your intended major as your level of understanding might not be where it needs to be to easily transition into the next course in the subject area.
Many districts offer AP Human Geography for freshman in the place of the regular geography course but others make it a social studies elective for upperclassmen.
AP is fine for what it is, but having your college credit hinge on passing a summative exam at the end of the year is pretty tough for a lot of HS students, which is why DC might be preferable to some.
My advice for students and parents is to not go overboard when pursuing college credit for coursework that is essential to your intended major as your level of understanding might not be where it needs to be to easily transition into the next course in the subject area.
jeffk said:
GPA adjustment for AP and DC will vary by district.
Many districts offer AP Human Geography for freshman in the place of the regular geography course but others make it a social studies elective for upperclassmen.
AP is fine for what it is, but having your college credit hinge on passing a summative exam at the end of the year is pretty tough for a lot of HS students, which is why DC might be preferable to some.
My advice for students and parents is to not go overboard when pursuing college credit for coursework that is essential to your intended major as your level of understanding might not be where it needs to be to easily transition into the next course in the subject area.
Not only might you get "too far ahead" in your major. You might be going too fast to ever find your major.
I didn't take my first chemistry class until I was a junior in HS. I was the first student to ace her final in 12 years. So, I decided to major in it, and got a doctorate. I wonder if I might have ended up hating it like 90% of people if I had taken it before being old enough to see the beauty in it.
Like, I know you can teach a 15 year old to solve integrals, but does a 15 year old really appreciate the genius of Newton?
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
My kid went to an early college HS (partnered with Lone Star College) and graduated with more than 70 hours of college credit. He entered Sam Houston St this fall as a first year junior....IMO, that's the way to do it if your district has it. Some of his college courses were taught at the HS campus, some were on the Lone Star campus and some were online.
And the best part was all of it was free. Tuition, books, everything.
The worst part was the only sports at his HS was cross country.
And the best part was all of it was free. Tuition, books, everything.
The worst part was the only sports at his HS was cross country.
Yeah, that can be a good deal. A lot of kids are just doing the community college route and then transferring to flagship schools and saving a ton on money. There's the "college experience" to consider. Also, trying to figure out whether your kids are academically oriented, or whether the degree is just a necessary business transaction, also matters. It's increasingly difficult to pursue options these days that don't minimize debt.
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
CLEP test was way easier than the AP test and the result of passing is the same - credit for a class with no GPA impact. Are those still offered? I remember taking a bunch just to see what would happen and past quite a few.
LostInLA07 said:
CLEP test was way easier than the AP test and the result of passing is the same - credit for a class with no GPA impact. Are those still offered? I remember taking a bunch just to see what would happen and past quite a few.
Must have been math and history
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