AP courses in high school (Dallas, Plano: magnet schools, college, safe)

[UnfairPark]

Elite private schools are very strict about letting students take AP courses unless they are prepared because they don't want low scores to reflect bad on school. Its a marketing game, they have to maintain their reputation.

[Soccernerd]

If your child is motivated even slightly, she should be able to take something like AP Human Geography.

I would caution that if she’s interested in something like engineering I’d make sure the AP Calc and AP science courses are rigorous. It would not serve her well to eek out some calculus credit with a 3 on the exam and then try to a math course her freshman year of college that she’s totally unprepared for.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by cordata

I would love to hear more about the private school experience and expecations with AP classes if anyone can share.

My take:
1). Most classes at these schools are the rough equivalent of AP classes in terms of degree of difficulty and time demands.

2). I just read somewhere that of the top 150 universities 86% place restrictions on AP credits. Many won't accept AP credits under any circumstances. Many other schools have some departments that will accept AP credits and other departments that will not. A third common dynamic has been an issue for both of my children. My son was told by Baylor that his AP and dual credit classes could be used, however, as he was planning on medical school his advisor made the case, and very convincingly as I might add, that AP and dual credits hours are sub-optimal both in the eyes of medical school admissions types and as preparation for subsequent undergraduate classes. The logic being that bio for majors 1, 2 and 3 and other classes at Baylor are much more demanding than AP bio. and dual credits from Brookhaven/DCCCD. My daughter faced the same push back from A&M as she planned to either go to medical school or get an MSEE or MSCS.

3). As nearly all local private school kids will attend excellent programs at various colleges and universities and a disproportionate number will hit college with an eye on STEM degrees, professional schooling and graduate studies the value of AP classes is minimized.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

Elite private schools are very strict about letting students take AP courses unless they are prepared because they don't want low scores to reflect bad on school. Its a marketing game, they have to maintain their reputation.

Not a chance.

For the record Hockaday for one offers numerous AP courses and the girls hammer them. IIRC something around 95% of girls score 3 or better.

If you think AP courses scare the boys at Saint Marks or the school, keep in mind the average ACT score at SM over time is not quite 33, you're losing touch with reality.

I could go on for a while.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

Elite private schools are very strict about letting students take AP courses unless they are prepared because they don't want low scores to reflect bad on school. Its a marketing game, they have to maintain their reputation.

It's a marketing game, but not in the way you are implying. They are marketing that their schools are far superior to public offerings in that they have the flexibility and expertise to craft courses of study that can be superior to the public school method of "accumulate as many AP classes as possible". No one at St Marks or Greenhill is actually worried that a student who decides to enroll in an AP class will score poorly on the test (that is, in aggregate, the schools don't worry - obviously there will always be weaker students at these schools who might not perform well).

[UnfairPark]

@EDS_is absolutely right but you can't do that at public schools, peers and rigor are very diffrent in regular classes compared to AP classes, not so much in art and humanities but for science and maths you better take AP course. Not only you'll have better friends, better education but this is the only way you can be competitive for college admissions.

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by numbersguy100

It's a marketing game, but not in the way you are implying. They are marketing that their schools are far superior to public offerings in that they have the flexibility and expertise to craft courses of study that can be superior to the public school method of "accumulate as many AP classes as possible". No one at St Marks or Greenhill is actually worried that a student who decides to enroll in an AP class will score poorly on the test (that is, in aggregate, the schools don't worry - obviously there will always be weaker students at these schools who might not perform well).

Not contesting that they can offer more rigor without AP label and majority of their students can handle AP exams but reputation is a factor as well, not all of their students are competitive enough to make 5's on AP exams.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

Not contesting that they can offer more rigor without AP label and majority of their students can handle AP exams but reputation is a factor as well, not all of their students are competitive enough to make 5's on AP exams.

Yes and no. Schools where 20% or more of students regularly earn NMSF status do not worry about the ability of their students to study for and score well on an AP test. The tests really aren't so hard for kids who are very smart, hard working, and good test takers.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

@EDS_is absolutely right but you can't do that at public schools, peers and rigor are very diffrent in regular classes compared to AP classes, not so much in art and humanities but for science and maths you better take AP course. Not only you'll have better friends, better education but this is the only way you can be competitive for college admissions.

Agreed on those points. My son's life long best friend, who just matched into an outstanding ER residency in Michigan BTW, is a Plano West grad. With full knowledge that it would hurt his chances to finish right at the top of his class he took a full suite of AP classes at PW. He too didn't use his AP credits in college but they sure as heck did help him gain college admission.

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by numbersguy100

Yes and no. Schools where 20% or more of students regularly earn NMSF status do not worry about the ability of their students to study for and score well on an AP test. The tests really aren't so hard for kids who are very smart, hard working, and good test takers.

AP tests arent too hard for good public students either but scoring all 5s on 10+ courses is equally difficult for most private and public students. By the way which school has 20% NMS rate? SM?