Test crash

How AP classes undermine real learning

April 13, 2010

NU Magazine – April 2010

Advanced Placement classes are the bane of my existence, and I imagine for many other high school students.

It used to be that AP classes were for students who were extremely advanced in particular subjects, students who were not challenged enough in standard classes or even accelerated classes. Students had the opportunity to receive college credit for passing the tests.

Now, with so many demands on us to succeed and to get into the most esteemed colleges, a wide range of students now feel that it is an obligation to take a growing number of AP classes in subjects for which they don’t have an interest or passion.

As a result, as a California high school teacher told The New York Times, students “learn tons of material, but very little of it is deep or interpretive, mostly regurgitating mass amounts of knowledge.”

I speak from experience; sadly, much of what I learn in school is purely to get good grades. Somewhere along my educational path, I have lost interest in actually learning, and instead, have learned how to do well in school.

I am not an anomaly. Many students do this; they memorize information for the next day’s test, then dismiss that information right afterward. We sacrifice the quality of the content we learn, ultimately doing ourselves a great disservice.

I would like to say I regret placing more value on grades than education, but I don’t.

AP classes are stepping stones to get into many, if not most, colleges. It isn’t a requirement, but it distinguishes students. If a high school offers five AP classes, a college wants to see a student in three or four of them. Colleges want to see a student in a rigorous curriculum.

Since AP classes are so intensive, students forgo other interests that might make them into more well-rounded individuals. My generation is at a huge disadvantage; we are not as culturally exposed, and our educational experience is predominantly academic.

I would love to be in a classroom where love of knowledge is the focus, but it doesn’t seem too realistic. There is simply too much focus on getting work done by deadlines and meeting the high standards that teachers expect.

Maybe one day there will be a radical shift from a completely grade-oriented system to one that is more interactive and flexible. But now I have to hunker down and study for my AP Government and Politics test.

Carly Skinder, 17, attends Millburn High School and is a member of Nu’s teen board.