@LOUKYDAD What is the criteria for a National AP scholar?
@ak2018 - there are several different levels of AP Scholar, but to be a National AP Scholar, you need to get a 4 or better on 8+ AP exams, have a 4 average on all your exams together (includes exams where you might have scored less than 4), and be a US citizen.
The lowest award is AP Scholar, which requires a 3 or better on 3 exams.
Do a Google search for AP Scholar and you will find lots of information.
Majority of kids that get there do so at the end of senior year, which is a great pat on the back for their hard work, but unfortunately too late to put on a college app.
I really don’t think colleges care at all about these AP designations. The students can self-report their AP scores. Here’s an article about how one college looks at it: http://endeavors.unc.edu/more_ap_classes_may_not_be_better
For DS it isn’t really driving any schedule decisions, but rather a way of framing what he is doing and was going to do anyway, if that makes sense. He is taking exactly what he wants to take. If getting the designation was driving the boat, he could have taken AP Stats and AP Environmental Sci this year rather than anatomy and the dual enrollment classes. They are both known as being some of the easier AP classes. But in the end he thought anatomy and the dual enrollment classes sounded more interesting and enjoyable. I say don’t back up the bus for this kind of thing, but something nice to put as a honor/award to highlight what student is doing.
And to further demonstrate we don’t care at our house about meaningless designations, is 300 post count when you get promoted from junior member to member on college confidential? 
Looks like it, @LOUKYDAD - I’d better step up my game. Member since April 2008 and only 269 posts.
@suzy100 @LOUKYDAD Yeah, you’re right. I can’t really put this award on my college apps as I’d only have two AP’s by junior year.
Most colleges don’t weigh the AP Scholar Awards. They account for AP and honors courses when examining the strength of schedule. It is a cool thing to put in the class graduation program. Some schools do that. (Grandparents love it too!)
I think what is being said here is that most colleges don’t care if you are a National AP Scholar or not, as long as you take 8+ APs when they are available to you and score 4 or higher. And at UNC 5+ is fine.
The value if there is any would providing a quick and easy confirmation of something they do want to confirm, not leaving any doubt about it.
Instead of taking AP classes in High school and AP exams, if we have opportunities to take classes in local community college, is that better than taking APs? Our district is offering a pilot program for our local high schools, working with local community college and designed a STEM pathway program. 2 year commitment taking 4 classes in HS in the morning and 3 hrs in college in the afternoon, earning college credits. Highly selective program with only 2 spots available for each high school but my DD is very excited and wants to apply… I don’t know if she will get it…
If you are planning on attending in-state it may be a good fit to do dual enrollment. However you will want to look at the transfer credit policies for a few of the schools that your D might be considering. I know that the university my D16 has selected does not accept any credits from community colleges that are directly needed for her intended major. Ie. She is not permitted to transfer credit from a cc for Biology or Chemistry courses. All courses that are necessary for major must be completed at an accredited four year institution. She would be able to transfer cc credit for core curriculum/general ed courses like history, philosophy. So it depends on what classes you are talking about, what school you want to transfer the credit too. Often in-state universities and cc have transfer credit agreements so it works, but private colleges and crossing state lines generally complicates matters.(also if your D knows her major check out the major requirements at some school she is interested in… my D16 just discovered that she does not need her AP Calc class for her major, they want a statistics class instead, but another school she was accepted at for same major wants Calc not Stats it gets complicated!)
Thank you @labegg! My DD is not sure which college she wants to attend yet, but our choices are UC, in-state CSU, or any out of states college that provides good merit aides and scholarships…she doesn’t know what major she wants to do yet. She ruled out the major in engineering that I think she will do great! She will still go into STEM, just not sure what yet.
Great article about how college admissions officers are approaching admissions with their own children.
Our DD’s school requires students to attend summer school to qualify for many of the APs. She has to work during the summers. She will get into AP Calc, English and APUSH, though. That is plenty of work for her. She has to balance her time with her varsity sport…
@glido - that sounds awful. My kids might not take any advanced classes if they had to go to summer school to qualify! How can they mandate that?
@glido While my kids have to do some work on their own over the summer, there are no required courses. That is stinky. I prefer to preserve summers for other life-building activities (work, sport, outdoors, family being our primary goals).
@glido, our school use previous year grade to determine the AP eligibility. For example, in order to be qualified for AP English Lit next year, students have to receive B or higher in English 10 Honor on both semesters, or A in English 10 CP on both semesters with teacher’s recommendation. And for any AP or honor class registered, students will be assigned summer homework, which is a lot! My DD last summer had to complete 9 chapters homework for her AP WH, it’s like one chapter per week, with charts, vocabulary, online quizzes, essays, etc. and also more than100 math questions for her Pre-cal class. This summer, she will be repeating similar life again, homework for APUSH, AP Cal AB, AP English Lit. She was to try AP Chem, but I suggest that she takes Physics instead… She also has Golf varsity practice daily, volunteering work and will be taking a class from local community college. Busy busy summer is coming soon!
But now the most urgent action is to get ready for her first AP exam (AP World History), I do know how to get her attention and make sure that she tries her best… It’s just a month away and I don’t see she worries about it!
AP classes in our school district are open enrollment, so anybody can take them. There is some summer work, but nothing like what @jjkmom describes! Some summer reading, maybe an essay for the first day of class.
The kids still do well in the exams despite having less class time to prepare for the exams than many other school districts (we don’t start until after Labor Day whereas some school districts have already been in school for nearly a month). In 2015 over 37,000 AP exams were administered, with a mean score of 3.26. Over 70% of exams received scores of 3 or above so they are doing something right in the classroom (at least with regard to the AP exams).
Similar statistics for IB exams (although fewer test takers). 77% of IB exams taken in 2015 scored 4 or above.
We just registered D18 for the Math 2 and Chemistry SAT 2 tests on May 7th. I’m afraid it might end being a waste of money, as this far in advance we have no idea where she’ll even be applying, but don’t want to wait too long after the applicable classes.
Is anyone else taking them this spring? Since we live in the south, most people here take the ACT and never bother with SAT 2s.