<p>Our 10th grader is biology and science-oriented. We assumed she’d take AP Bio, AP Chem, AP US history, maybe AP European History and AP Calculus AB. No AP courses were available to her as a 10th grader. Foreign languages are a weak area for her. Her Independent School offers no AP English courses.</p>
<p>Now her school informs us they are thinking of doing away with AP Bio to offer some course they think is better - a course designed by a faculty member. We’re terribly disappointed, as this is her main area of interest. We think she would have done better in AP Bio than any other AP, and also that colleges will expect her to have taken it if she is applying with expressed interest in Bio. </p>
<p>Should we protest? Isn’t this likely to put her at a disadvantage relative to students from other schools that offer that AP course? I know kids are supposedly judged relative to the course offerings at their school, but isn’t there some comparison to students from other schools too? This is a private school with average SAT’s of 1370. </p>
<p>Of course protest, as a private school, you pay tuition, and thus have some power. You at least deserve a full explanation and a full description of the new program. What is the advantage of the new course, couldn’t it be integrated with the AP Bio? Tell them the school will not be as attractive to incoming students with fewer AP classes. If the school doesn’t offer it she won’t be judged if she doesn’t take it. Can she the test on her own? </p>
<p>If the school staff doesn’t change their minds, do some bio/science contests, find something in your city for interning, find something over the summer, that will show true interest.</p>
<p>A lot of private schools with high achieving kids do not emphesize APs because they feel they can offer more by not having to teach to the exam. A student can take the exam anyway, and schools will generally help them prepare if their course did not cover exam material.</p>
<p>Personally I’m in favor of this. The AP classes can get pretty narrow at competitive schools that teach to yield 5s. Colleges don’t expect you to have taken APs your school doesn’t offer. SATIIs are another good way of showing achievement in a subject.</p>
<p>The change in policy regarding AP would be (or should be reflected in the new college profile. She is going tobe evaluated in context of what her school offers, so if the school offeres no Ap’s it will not be held against her. If the school offers honors, then she whould take those courses. I know last year Fieldston was looking to do away with their AP Curriculum</p>
<p>I with zagat. She could always take the Bio SAT II, or buy the AP Bio prep book and try to take the AP test with self coaching to augment what the teacher doesn’t cover that the AP does.</p>
<p>I think it is popular to drop AP courses right now as teachers/administrators find them tacky. They hate that every year they get a report card on how their student did on a national test and think parents/society will hold them accountable. Politically incorrect.</p>
<p>It is very possible that the new course will be superior to the AP-Biology course. You could ask if the new course will prepare the student for SATII Biology and AP-Biology; what textbook is going to be used; a very common one for both AP-Biology and college introductory biology is Campbell & Neece (sp?).
As other posters have noted, a change in curriculum should be noted on the school profile. Finally, your D might be able to take a college course in summer if all else fails.</p>
<p>The school that usually does best in college placement in my area (Philly), Germantown Friends, offers no APs. I hear that’s true of some top preps elsewhere, too.</p>
<p>We are in the public school system, and we just got AP Physics a few years ago. Additionally, we always have to worry about higher level classes with fewer than 15 students being eliminated. It seems that the parents do have some voice, however, and it pays to let it be heard. If parents and students want AP Bio, say so both in writing and at school board/curriculum meetings (or the private school equivalent of them). If you let the class go, it will be even harder to get it back later.</p>
<p>My children’s private school is changing their science curriculum so that it will be harder to take all the AP sciences, but students will be better prepared for the exam.
I agree with the others that you definitely have a right to be heard, but before protesting too loudly, try to meet with someone and learn what the other course will be like, whether your child can take the AP exam. AP exams can be helpful at some colleges, but most of the selective schools are offering less and less credit for the exam. Admissions wise, they won’t penalize a child for not taking a course that doesn’t exist at the school, and she may be better prepared for the SATII and even the AP exam after taking the in house course, anyway.</p>
<p>When I said protest, I should have said question. They should send out a FULL explanation of what they are doing, why, and what the benefits are. I personally do not like the idea of teaching to a test. Your main concern is the title of the class, and if student can take Sat II or AP tests. If they will be able to, great. If not, find out what they will be learning.</p>
<p>I still recommend finding programs out of school. Helping at science fair contests, teaching science to kids, contests, that kind of thing.</p>
<p>At my kid’s private school, the only AP science class offered is AP Bio. There are honors sections in Chemistry, Physics and Human Anatomy. Honors Chem and Honors Physics students can opt to take the AP test. We send kids to top schools so I don’t think the lack of more AP science classes has hurt anyone. The AP Bio class is actually a two year program and next year will become a three year program - Pre-AP bio in 9th, Honors Chem in 10th and then AP Bio in 11th. I would also ask for details about what the teacher developed class is going to be and whether it will be marked as an “honors” class on her transcript. It may actually be a better class depending on what it is.</p>
<p>The problem with AP science classes is that they are often taught to the test (because the teachers are judged by the test scores) and a lot of students end up hating the subject, because they are expected to memorize volums of seemingly useless information. Most selective colleges do not give credit for AP Bio any more, and many of those that do, recommend retaking the intro class instead of taking the credit.</p>