In 2012, MCPS students took 32,974 AP exams, the most exams taken during any year in county history, and 75 percent of those exams were scored a three or higher. Superintendent Joshua Starr celebrated the county’s success, stating, “AP is a strong indicator of readiness for college-level work, and it is clear that MCPS is a leader across the state and the nation in AP participation and success. We must continue to provide all of our students with access to meaningful, relevant classes that prepare them for success in college and beyond.”

School systems, like MCPS, aim to have as many students as possible in the offered AP courses, but it has become less about taking “meaningful, relevant classes” and more about the AP designation. Overall, students have developed a mindset that makes them feel obliged to take AP classes. They are rewarded with a higher weighted GPA, as well as a sense of security that they are ensuring a college acceptance because of their course load. While AP classes are available for those who truly want to learn the skills and materials of a given subject, students have conflicted motivations with outward influences.

High schools push students to take AP classes, which, in conjunction with pressure from  peers, has students signing up for these classes for the wrong reasons. In many cases, it seems as though students are taking AP classes only for appearance’ sake because AP classes “look better” than on-level or even honors classes. Students also neglect the many elective choices available; filling their schedules with AP classes, some of which they ultimately do not want to take. As this perspective developed, the real purpose of AP classes—to build knowledge and go more in-depth on a topic—was lost in translation. Having more knowledge got replaced by “taking more APs.”

Colleges and universities contribute to this state of mind, thrusting students into an arms race of who can have the most challenging academic schedule.  They pressure students to take the most rigorous courses in order to beat out everyone they compete with for acceptance. As students reach the point in their high school career where they must begin to apply to college, the pressure to take harder classes increases. They become more motivated by being accepted into college than by their own academic interests.

The point of school is to provide kids with an education. With three levels of classes offered in some courses, though not all, students should choose which one is right for them.  One way to minimize the current attitude towards AP classes is to take away the extra point on the GPA scale by getting rid of the weighted GPA in MCPS. That way, students will challenge themselves because they want to, not because it will boost their GPA and give them a supposed “leg-up” for college applications. Without the extra point on the GPA scale, the value of the course is returned to the content, rather than the letter grade.

Superintendent Starr should inspire this change. With it, we would hope that students will again be motivated to absorb and appreciate the education actually given to them, instead of worrying about how it will read off of their transcripts.