Last week, exams for Advanced Placement (AP) classes started to be conducted. Testing locations for MTHS students include the Edmonds School District Office in Lynnwood and the MTHS Library.
The College Board, which administers AP alongside the SAT, states that, “The AP Program is a global academic program, currently offered in more than 100 countries around the world. Taking AP courses and exams provides you with a recognized academic credential, wherever your college plans lead you. More than 600 universities in more than 60 countries outside of the United States recognize AP Exam scores for admission, credit and placement.”
“It’s a very challenging test, but it is worthwhile in your high school career to take that for future educational plans. They should come rested and prepared the day of. I think that it requires a really good attitude, and a goal that you’ll do well in it,” School to Work Coordinator Barb Brister said.
Exams measure high school students’ mastery of university-level course content. More than 90 percent of colleges and universities across the country offer college credit, advanced placement, or both, for qualifying AP Exam scores.
The scoring scale ranges from 1 to 5, with the latter as the highest. These credits can potentially save students and their families thousands of dollars worth of textbooks and tuition.
Also, through high scores, AP students can stand out in the college admission process by taking the most rigorous courses, challenging themselves with college-level coursework and expectations, and earning college credits.
Senior Lina Rickels shared her thoughts about the exam, “It was hard. It felt like the longest test in my life. I just couldn’t understand most of the problems on the AP Calculus test. I could understand what our teacher taught us, and I got a good grade on the practice test, but when it came to the exam, I feel like I maybe got a zero.”
There are currently more than 34 AP courses available, and MTHS offers 11 this year with plans to add a new course next year.
Next year MTHS is offering several AP courses including: Language and Composition, Literature and Composition, European History, U.S. History, American Government, Psychology, Calculus, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and a new one – Computer Science.
Recently, AP teachers at MTHS had a meeting and discussed a number of things including: offering extra credit to students who take the test and if classes include more preparation for the test.
“I think AP testing was hard. If I could take the class again, I would try harder and practice,” senior Thanh Huynh said.
According to its website, starting in July, “AP will provide a new online score reporting system where you’ll be able to view, download and print your AP score reports and order and pay for score sends.” Students will need a College Board account and an AP or student ID number to access their scores.
