The information gained in an advanced placement (AP) class can be boiled down to two separate factors: the class and the exam. Should the value of information, however, be separated?

   Thousands of students in the United States are enrolled in an AP class with even more students internationally. As a college-level class, its purpose is to give the students an experience similar to that actually taken in college. 

   Although standards may differ by university, a sizable amount offers credit from an AP class taken in high school to exempt a student from a similarly structured class. For instance, a high school student might take AP Literature and Composition in order to not take English Composition 101 in college. 

   These standards required by colleges are solely based on the score a student received on an exam at the end of the year. They are able to receive a 1 to 5. Based on the university, a 3 or higher will give the student credit on the exam. Certain colleges, with harder acceptance rates may not take any credit. In fact, several Ivy Leagues will not take any credit at all. If that is true, what’s the point of taking one in the first place?

    Although a student might have to retake the course in college, their grade is still factored into their GPA and the exam score is considered when applying. The student does have the option of disclosure of their score, but unless it’s unfavorable, the application includes it. 

   In an effort to find the school’s opinions, I interviewed a variety of AP teachers with different experiences to learn their perspectives on the exam and experience.

   Brett Colburn (AP Chemistry):

   The replacement of Chemistry 101, AP Chemistry is aimed to teach the same material and possibly count for Chemistry 101 credit in college. As a former student who took the class in college and current teacher, Brett Colburn’s experience in Chemistry college classes gives him insight into the comparison of the high school class.

   “I think taking an AP class gives you a leg up,” Colburn said. “Even if you don’t get the credit to test out of the class, you should be very prepared and should coast through that first semester.” 

   The flow of the class is deemed more important as in his opinion, the grade reveals how students actually understood the content versus the performance on a particular day. 

   Standardization becomes the biggest burden in this context. The ACT, SAT, and other nationwide tests were recently realized as a problem for the inflexibility of student assessments.

   On the other hand, the class holds fault for its lack of standardization in how a teacher assesses a student’s knowledge and ability. As such, he believes that since the distinction between the exam and class is so evident, they should stay separate with no influence on each other’s ultimate number.

   Ricardo Simmons (AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles)

       In both classes, AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles, Ricardo Simmons utilizes the exact same grading scale to assess the students. However, the College Board doesn’t just test the students for different material. They also use different methods to test.

   Similar to many other AP classes, the Computer Science A exam contains forty multiple-choice questions and four free responses. The test is timed for ninety minutes and fully handwritten. However, Computer Science Principles differ. Ninety multiple-choice questions are included, but the students are also expected to submit a performance task. The task can come in two different forms: An essay or video analyzing a self-made program created during the class. The teacher is forbidden to assist in any way, but the student is not as closely timed and therefore has an opportunity to more flexibly portray their own understanding of the material and creativity like a class might allow.

   The similitude between the exam and year grade is even more apparent as Simmons also grades the student’s program after it is submitted to the college board. This current process, although they both grade the relatively same material on the same rubric, has no influence on each other. Technically the score should be practically the same. This process, however, mandates separated grades as one determines a high score GPA while the other influences the college credit. 

   Simmons believes this distinction should be necessary and continue to be separate.

   Shawn Gray (AP Calculus BC)

   On the other hand, Shawn Gray would prefer the exam score to influence the grade within the class. 

   “The attempt of the test is to figure out what you know content-wise and in my opinion, the grade in the class should be reflected in what you know,” Gray said. “Therefore, the objective is the same for both. It only makes sense that the grade should be the same.” 

   The primary reason that Gray finds fault within the grading system is the lack of objectivity of accuracy. The final number often is significantly impacted by the effort put into the material rather than if they actually understood the content. It could also be notably changed by the opinions of the instructors who grade differently.  

   Exam scores have their own benefits and drawbacks too. Gray appreciates the high expectations set on teachers to teach students the content accurately and fully in order to take the exam to the best ability, but as certain units cannot be skipped because of their value in the exam, others may be trimmed down or cut out despite their own value outside the exam. 

   Nevertheless, he holds true that if possible, the exam should hold an influence over the student’s grade.

Natalie Taylor (AP Literature and Composition)

   Unlike the many other teachers on this list, Natalie Taylor took AP Literature in high school. As a former participant, she experienced the difference herself between the class and the exam. Still, although she expresses her growth as a reader and writer, her setting at a rural high school before AP classes became mainstream restricted her understanding of the class. Currently, she believes, the students understand the expectation much better.

   The expectation, Taylor portrays, is much more important than the exam. A crucial part of an AP course is the completion of the assignments and work in the manner of a college student. Rather than to just understand the content learned in college, she pushes her students to develop the skills of college students.

   Another important aspect of the exam is the impact on the scholar’s GPA if they do score badly. Bad days do happen. As grade should be correlated to effort in her opinion, the two numerals should be kept disparate. 

   Taylor also addresses the benefit of taking the AP class, especially junior year. An AP class will reward the student with discipline, if not knowledge, and the student will have the opportunity to retake the class next year. Although rarely taken up by students, those who take AP Literature in junior year, which most students choose to, have the ability.

Tyson Porter (AP Government, AP Euro, AP World History, AP Geography)

   History AP classes are set up differently from the other subjects on the exam. While other classes focus on primary content or skill, two of the assessment formats, the Document-Based Question (DQB) and Long Essay Question (LEQ), require more than just historical content. Instead, with the exception of AP Geography, the class is necessary to learn more English-based requirements such as a thesis and evidence. The purpose of history is to learn more than dates, but the particular format that is mandatory separates itself from history classes taken in college.

   Porter was a history major and took over 20 classes within his career where he stated that he never wrote analytical essays in a format like that before.

   In fact, he believes the AP World History course offered at Berlin challenges students more compared to the Columbus State World History 1000 class offered. Furthermore, traditional college courses are able to get a C to pass and receive credit. As long as the scholar completes papers to a certain degree and passes the exam, they are able to get credit. There is little incentive to learn the content to the fullest ability. Meanwhile, AP classes are geared towards the exam and therefore primarily focus on the content and skills of the format in order to get the credit. Students often take AP classes in order to get college credit. 

    If they reach the goal of AP class or any class without the faults that college courses may allow, to learn the content, Porter believes that they should be rewarded. Specifically, through an increase in their grade based on the exam. In effect, also an increase in their GPA. Failed pop quizzes or late assignments are meaningless when the student scores well. They learned the content. If anything, high performance on pop quizzes and poor execution of the exam is worse.

  “To me, it’s more problematic if you have an A in an AP class and get a 1 on the exam. I think that’s extremely problematic. If I were a college and I saw you took an AP course and I asked you if you wanted to use your exam score and you said no because you got a one. That would bring into question the rigor and expectation of the course itself. How the teacher taught it,” Porter said.

Israel Martin (AP Art History)

   AP Art History assesses the students’ on artwork throughout history with the inclusion of 250 required artworks and some unknown pieces which they will have to guess based on their knowledge of the time period and cultures where art was created.

   Israel Martin was also a former student of art history in college and correlates the grade to his experience rather than the exam. 

   “I think the grade in the class is more similar to the college experience. We have a little bit more freedom to hone in on things that might not be empathized on the exam,” Martin said.

   On the other hand, he understands why the exam, the “measuring stick”, is taken into account more than the grade: unfair instructors. Still, he wishes the college board would still consider the effort students invest.

   Time crunches also can cause a type of luck or gamble on the test, he states. Certain materials or units could be skipped over or shortened for an essential skill or certain crucial components, but then might happen to be included on the test as a significant factor towards their score. This creates a luck factor that is extremely difficult to avoid.