Time and time again students ask themselves, “Are the increased pressure and workloads of Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors classes worth it?” In Michigan, the class of 2010 took 59,411 AP exams at some point in high school, according to mlive.com. 65.7% of them received a 3 or higher making them eligible for college credit.
Teachers believe the classes are beneficial to students. And have many positive aspects.
“I think it is extremely important for us to offer Honors and AP courses in all subject areas,” said English teacher Shawn Durso. “Students that excel in certain curriculum areas, or are willing to push themselves to achieve in these areas deserve to work at a higher level [and] a quicker pace.” said Durso.
Durso teaches ELA 10 and Honors ELA 10, as well as Senior English.
Showing whit, Durso said jokingly, “Well, they’re filled with teenagers!” when referring to the similarities between AP and Honors classes.
She says AP classes cover similar subject areas, but move at a quicker pace and she expects her students to have more responsibilities. She also says they go more in depth with materials in her Honors ELA 10 class than her ELA 10 class
Durso said she expects the students in her Honors ELA 10 class to come in with more knowledge and thinks the students come to class with higher expectations for their learning. This is one of the differences that will come from the class. Durso feels very highly of AP and Honors classes and their importance at MHS.
“It will take work and dedication, but everything worthwhile takes work and dedication,” said Durso.
Senior Will Robinson has taken 12 AP classes throughout his high school career, and said that it was not enough, “If I could do it over again I would have taken more.”
Robinson says he feels far more prepared for college than students who did not challenge themselves with the AP classes offered at MHS. “The atmosphere feels a lot more focused in my opinion,” he said. This increased preparation could come from the one to two hours of homework Robinson has daily, but to him the increased workload is well worth it.
Robinson is currently in six AP classes; AP Physics B, AP Physics C, AP Government and Politics, AP Psychology, AP Calculus, and AP Literature and Composition.
AP classes give students an advantage when looking into college. At the end of the school year students can take a test to avoid taking an entry level college course. This lessens the financial load of college by getting credit for taking the $87 test instead of paying to take the course in college.
According to collegenavigator.com, these AP classes prepare students for college by increasing their workloads in high school and help them create better study habits.
In addition, Honors classes give advantages when entering college. These classes run along at a faster pace, a pace more similar to college. The more prepared a student is when entering college the more likely they are to succeed. Honors classes go into more depth with the materials learned than the average class, which can be an advantage when writing essays in college, said collegedata.com.
It is well worth it to take AP and honors classes throughout high school.
These classes are an advantage towards college admittance and preparation. Durso said it best when she asked, “How will you ever know how far you can go if you never challenge your abilities?”