As we head into the final weeks of May, many of our seniors, juniors, and sophomores have spent the month preparing extensively for their AP exams. AP classes are fast-paced courses with high rigor that are meant to challenge students and make them think critically. They also allow students to potentially gain college credit, depending on their exam scores, while also learning necessary skills that will benefit students in college. AP classes tend to give students an advantage in college applications, which is one of the rising reasons for their popularity with students trying to strengthen their transcript. However, recently, AP classes have come to the forefront of debate between educators and students trying to understand their true value to students, and faculty as schools consider changing their AP policy. AP courses may help students gain key skills needed for college while also providing rigor, but they also put students under a lot of stress and pressure, and limit curriculum and assessment opportunities for teachers.
Kingswood Oxford currently offers 19 AP courses in a variety of subjects, including mathematics, science, art, languages, history, and music, with the requirement that if a student takes an AP course, they must also take the correlating AP exam. A student can take a maximum of four AP classes each semester if they are recommended for them. “We believe that four AP courses is a good balance for students,” Head of Upper School Lisa Loeb said. If a student wishes to take more than four APs, they must request to do so. These limits are put in place to benefit students and make sure that they can get the best AP experience. “It is very challenging to spend much time in an AP classroom environment,” Mrs.Loeb said.
The most popular AP courses at KO are AP English Language and Composition (English 5 AP), AP U.S. History, and AP Economics, which will each have three or more classes in the 2024-2025 academic year. Other popular AP courses are AP Statistics, lab science APs (including biology, chemistry, and physics), AP Comparative Government, and AP Calculus AB, which will all have two sections each. Other APs such as Calculus BC, AP Spanish, and AP Environmental Science will have one section. Some courses are offered based on the number of sign-ups, such as AP Music Theory or AP Art History.
One issue with AP classes is their curricula, which are pre-designed by the College Board. Having a common curriculum allows students to explore a variety of issues, but it sometimes poses an issue when certain topics cannot be explored deeper due to time constraints. “When the test is prioritized over a student’s experience, it can sometimes not be responsive to the students in the class,” Mrs. Loeb said. She had some experience with this issue, as she previously taught AP French. Director of Academic Planning Carolyn McKee also considered teaching AP Psychology at KO, as she currently teaches two psychology elective courses, but agreed that the AP curriculum deters her. “I have considered it,” she said, “but the preset curriculum of the AP and the pace make it difficult.”
AP testing is another important issue. While most students take AP classes at KO, self-studying has become increasingly popular. Many students self-study languages that KO doesn’t offer. Usually, students who do this already have a background in that language and speak it at home. However, some people self-study classes that they have an interest in. Sophomore Jordan Cipriano self-studied AP European History, which focuses on history from 1450 to the present day.
“I did it because I wanted to challenge and push myself,” Jordan said. Jordan used what he learned in History Department Chair David Baker’s Modern World Studies class to prepare himself for the exam. “I felt fairly prepared just based on the work I did in Mr. Baker’s class,” Jordan said. “I also used the resources on the College Board and YouTube such as Heimler’s [History].”
Another important question with AP testing is whether or not AP tests will become digital. The SAT, also run by the College Board, has now become fully digital after running its first digital test in March. According to the AP Central, the College Board is experimenting with other digital testing mechanisms; they want to use BlueBook, the same site used for the SAT, to administer these AP exams. Other things, such as the number of questions, the proctors, and the content of the course, will not change. Currently, there are plans to implement digital AP Exams for nine subjects next year. While most of those APs are not offered at KO, two of them are some of KO’s most popular: AP English Language and Composition and AP U.S. History. In 2026, the College Board plans to administer more AP classes digitally. The APs at KO that will be affected by this are AP Computer Science A, AP Comparative Government, and AP United States Government and Politics. These exams will not be offered on paper unless a student has an accommodation.
AP courses can provide many students with more rigorous classes and other life skills. At KO, AP courses have been the most rigorous classes offered. Several students commented on how AP classes have helped them grow as learners. “One important skill I learned was prioritizing assignments,” junior Sasha Dausey said. Sasha currently takes AP Chemistry, AP English, and AP Calculus BC. Last year, she took AP Biology and AP Calculus AB. Other students have also benefited from AP classes. Sophomore Gordon Beck is currently taking AP Biology. “The class has given me better study habits and has improved my lab skills,” he said. Junior Claire Palmer also talked about what she took from APs. “AP classes have helped with my time management,” she said.
AP courses can also provide students with high school and college credit if the student scores well on the exam. However, recently, more schools have tended to turn down the number of college credits students can receive from AP classes or will not accept the credit at all.
There are many other issues with AP courses as well, which tend to get overlooked. One is the amount of pressure put on students during AP courses. The intense rigor and pace of these courses typically force many students to stay up late studying and losing sleep. Also, sometimes students take AP courses solely for their benefit on a college application and do not focus on learning.
“Sometimes, we see students overextend themselves and are in courses they wouldn’t take if it weren’t AP,” Mrs. Loeb said. This year, KO implemented the Student Action Plan process for students interested in taking an AP course for which they were not recommended. “It is the responsibility of teachers to have a system where students can demonstrate growth by meeting the productive challenge,” Mrs. Loeb said.
Recently, many private and public schools have stopped offering AP courses. Schools have opted more towards dual enrollment courses or courses that will ensure college credit. Many schools in Connecticut offer ECE (early college experience) courses, which resemble AP courses but do not have an AP exam. Loomis Chaffee has gotten rid of all of their AP courses and offers other courses that are similar in difficulty but do not have any pre-set curriculum, allowing students to explore what they would like. The students at Loomis Chaffee are also not at any disadvantage during the college process despite this change.
In this new climate, KO looks to offer more unique courses such as the new Impact Lab courses: We the People, Gamemakers, and Eco-DesignConstruction. With these recent additions, KO’s AP policy could change. Ms. McKee talked about the possibility of removing some AP courses from the Course of Study. The AP courses removed would be content-heavy, such as AP U.S. History. She explained how the school would probably keep the more skill-based AP courses such as math and science APs. The removal of AP courses would decrease the number of rigorous courses available to take, so KO would have to find another way for students to be challenged in difficult courses and demonstrate rigor on their transcripts. As of right now, the school will continue to make the AP tests mandatory for all students who take an AP course.
Many students have different opinions on possible changes to AP classes. “I understand why getting rid of APS could help teachers they could design their curriculum,” Max said. “However, I believe that APs are beneficial to help us prepare for college as they are similar to college courses.” Junior Nidhi Bhat had a similar opinion. “I think they should leave it the way it is because they are meant to be more challenging than an honors course,” Nidhi said. “AP courses give students the opportunity to delve deeper into something they are interested in and it allows students to be in a faster-paced class while preparing you for college.”
Despite the difficulty of AP courses, KO faculty prepare students very well. They usually create tests that are similar to AP exams to help prepare students. One teacher who was given a shout-out was math teacher Denise Garcia, who teaches AP Calculus BC. “The intensity of Mrs. Garcia’s class helped me feel confident on test day,” Sasha said. Another praised teacher was math teacher Tracy Deeter, who teaches AP Statistics. “Ms. Deeter did a great job preparing us throughout the entire year,” Claire said. “Our homework assignments and tests were similar to the AP exam.” Junior Max Huang also applauded Ms.Deeter for her great preparation for the AP Economics exams. “She had a lot of material for us to study and has organized notes for us to go over,” Max said. “Also, in my opinion, her tests were harder than typical AP exam questions while she also spent a lot of time reviewing for the exam.”
As AP exam weeks have ended, we congratulate all students who took an AP course and/or exam! The KO community is ready to see what the Upper School administration does concerning AP classes in the future.
