By Cory Sparks, Sports Editor
Each year at registration, students at Indian Trail High School & Academy choose their schedule for the upcoming year. Among their options in terms of rigor are regular, honors, and advanced placement (AP) level classes.
AP classes are considered to be at the top of the rigor scale and are taught in a college preparatory manner. If an AP student is confident enough in the material being taught to them regarding the subject, they may opt to take the AP exam at the end of the year in May.
The exam gives students the opportunity to earn college credit for a class they would’ve had to take once they decide where they’re committing to. That is, if they score a three or higher on a scale of five.
In the past, students had up until February or March to decide whether or not they are prepared enough to take this exam and have a legitimate shot at passing it. But starting in the 2019-2020 school year, AP students across the nation will have to make that decision in the fall.
“The biggest change that will impact students next year will be the change from AP exam registration in the spring to AP exam registration in the fall,” said Elizabeth Ekstrom, Indian Trail school counselor. “College Board is moving the AP exam registration and ordering deadlines to October and November.”
Ekstrom also went on to say that through the College Board’s pilot schools, positive results have come back after using this early registration approach. The claim by AP Central is that they’ll get a greater percentage of students who are “all in” when they require an early registration deadline.
“I don’t like the change because it doesn’t give us students enough time to decide if we want to take the exam or not,” said Aman Saiyed, General Studies junior. “The registration deadline is just a few weeks after school starts and that’s not enough time.”
When piloting 40,000 students during the 2017-2018 school year with this fall registration deadline, the College Board saw an increase in AP exam scores throughout their participants (particularly ones in the minority race, low income, and STEM enrollment demographics).
However, there was no disclosed information on whether or not this fall registration caused a decline in the participation rate of AP students taking the exam.
“If a student is feeling confident at the start of the year and signs up for the exam then feels overwhelmed by the end of the year, they are stuck taking a test they don’t feel comfortable taking,” said Anamay Del Real, General Studies senior. “This year I decided to opt out of an exam as I am already taking three. If I had to choose at the beginning of the year which exams to take, I don’t know how I’d make that decision.”
In addition to the earlier registration sign-up deadline, the College Board has implemented an additional change that will take effect at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.
“Another change will be an online system of instructional resources that AP teachers will be able to use and push out to their students,” said Ekstrom. “All students enrolled in AP courses will have access to the online resources, regardless of whether or not they commit to the AP exam.”
This change will provide all students with a greater amount of credible information at their fingertips if they are having trouble understanding the material in their AP course.
“I think it’s great. It provides a credible source that allows you a glimpse of the information you need to know,” said Del Real.
Indian Trail’s AP students and teachers should anticipate an adjustment period as the first year of this amendment takes place this upcoming fall.
With these implementations, the College Board’s goal is to see a noticeable increase in the average AP scores across the nation.