@Aguadecoco AP and honors classes have about an hour of homework each night.
@homerdog S is in all AP or DC with UT. Are you guys on a block schedule also?
@Aguadecoco S has about 6 or 7 hrs of hw per nightâŠgranted heâs taking 5 APs and 2IBs
Hi @Aguadecoco No. D has all of her classes every day and then all of that homework! I donât think itâs atypical of a competitive public school in the Chicago suburbs.
On a lighter note, Iâve been trying to get my D to walk the dog with me everyday for more exercise (we live on a very long, very steep hill, so even 30 minutes goes a long way toward getting your heart pumping) and sometimes she does it happily and other times resists.
Today she had the idea to get her old baby carrier out of the attic ( a soft, front/side facing one) so she could take along her favorite cat (who is an exclusively indoor pet). Well, I had my doubts but it went exceedingly well! He wore a halter/leash as a safety backup but he didnât jump out. Did looked a little bug-eyed at times at the big world but seemed happy enough to cling to the security of the carrier. Was very cute, he had his front paws pressed around my Dâs shoulders. whatever it takes to get her moving and put a smile on her face! ?
@homerdog Our district does little HW. I have a child in elementary school and they get no HW. Hopefully, whatever sources the district used to make their policies are correct.
Weâre also in Illinois, and remote learning is scheduled to start April 13, a full 4 weeks after schools shut down. After a teacher strike in the fall, weâre way behind. I doubt theyâll even try to adhere to the usual, state-mandated minimum number of days this year. Right now theyâre too busy trying to figure out how they salvage anything out of the second semester, as they were only a few weeks into the 3rd quarter. Our kids have had some work assigned, none of it required, with no grades (still no idea about what will happen on that front moving forward), but honestly, many, many schools havenât done a thing for weeks.
I donât know how AOs compare course loads, grades, etc., in the best of times, but this year? Forget it!
It is nice to see my D21 more relaxed and enjoying her evenings. We are three weeks in to online learning some classes are better then other but it seems to be working out. Between not being able to visit schools this spring and the economy, she may have to rethink her college list. It may mean having to apply to more schools than she had planned on before Covid-19. I know so much is unknown at this time, and it makes it so difficult to plan what to do next. She has taken the ACT and is happy with her score. She was planning on taking 2 SAT subject test in June but now I am not sure it will happen or even if it is needed. I guess the best thing to do is the virtual school visits. It is just not the same as being there in person.
Anyway, I have enjoyed reading everyoneâs post and grateful for the information you all have shared.
This is all making me wonder if each high school will be writing something up for kids to send with their apps - something about how school after âstay at homeâ was handled, what the schedule looked like, how grades were decided, etc. We really havenât had much of a break down at all. Kids missed only two days of school and then we were full speed ahead with remote learning and now being graded too. On the flip side, some schools sound like theyâve had a much harder time delivering education their students with these long breaks and then a big dip in quality. Colleges really should know what each student faced during this time so that they can see the whole picture.
^Maybe theyâll just add something to the School Profile? (Chuckling because youâre thinking about five steps ahead of them.)
@homerdog I wonder if high schools will add it to their college profiles. It seems like a good place for the information. So many school have different challenges during this time.
I highly doubt it would be added to the profile - all schools are different on a daily basis (homework, grading, etc). This is just another difference.
@3kids2dogs Hm, really? Thatâs why there is a profile, to show all of the differences. Ours is pretty detailed. Why wouldnât a high school add an addendum to their school profile to say how they handled this weird time? Especially if some kids are going to have grades and some are not for this semester. I would think the schools that give grades would want to at least explain their policy on that.
Does anyone know how a student gets the AP test makeup date (in June) rather than the initial test date (in May)?
My S21 is in 4 AP classes and would like to take 1 of the 4 in the June date (3 of the 4 on the May dates). Does he just not show up online for that one test on the May date?
I was thinking the same regarding adding to the school profile- it seems the most logical way to explain how the quarantine was handled on a local basis. Iâd like to think that the counselors have already considered this, but in reality they probably have more immediate concerns.
The one benefit for my D that I see in this is that it is forcing her to be more independent in her learning and to prioritize assignments while managing her time- all necessary skills for success in college. We were supposed to visit Auburn this week coming week- disappointed that isnât happening. Although she has been on campus, I was excited about the departmental visit we had scheduled- I see them as the most well rounded for her potential major.
@diegodavis I have heard they need to talk with their AP coordinator to move their test.
D21s English teacher gave them more information about grading, apparently an announcement is coming next week. They have 6 week grading periods, the last one will only count towards the semester grade if it will help. The second to last ended last week and counts - D is not happy with that because tests are 60% of the grade and so e were cancelled - so AP chem only had one and she eked out a low B. She had planned on using the second test to bring up the grade.
Homework varies by the class. They are only supposed to have two hours per class per week, but she listed out the AP chem stuff she had to do and itâs far more. She has minimal HW for others.
Weekend lunches are accompanied by a âcollege visitâ for the two of us. Last week was American Universityâs online info session. Yesterday was University of Colorado Boulder. I wish more would have taped/asynchronous sessions available. Many are during the week and during the school day so she canât view them.
Iâm wondering whether it might be wise to hold off on the AP exams until next year. Iâm hearing that some colleges are not planning to treat this yearâs exams their usual way since the exams cover less material and are taken at homeâŠ
I have not heard any colleges say they wonât accept the same AP credit yetâŠdo you have some examples?
I expect not many faculty committees have met to address this issue yet (and it is a faculty decision, not an admissions one), so students might not know a specific schoolâs policy until after they have to take the AP tests.
^One I came across yesterday: "Georgetown has not yet made a decision concerning credit and advanced standing for AP tests completed in the spring of 2020. More information regarding our AP policy will be available in the coming months. " https://uadmissions.georgetown.edu/covid-19-updates-for-counselors/
It seems to me that, aside from the attraction of a refund, juniors might as well take the tests and see what happens. They could always retake senior year for credit if they really wanted. (Hmm, College Board, maybe you should let them retake senior year for free.)