Why Are Some Schools Dumping the AP?

by Neil Chyten, President

Chyten Educational Services

March, 2017

AP courses, those college-level high school courses so long considered validators of college aptitude, are quickly disappearing from the curriculum lists of some of the most competitive private and public high schools in the nation. As a result, AP courses, once considered a staple of competitive admission success, are no longer prerequisites for elite college admission. That does not mean, however, that admissions officers frown upon them. Nor does it mean that AP tests are losing their long-standing appeal to college admissions departments. Rather, the current state of affairs with respect to AP courses and tests is that they are rudderless ships, caught up in turbulent ocean currents, on a journey whose final destination cannot yet be predicted or foreseen.

The College Board’s AP program was first introduced in 1955. For a period lasting more than 50 years an increasing number of high schools added AP classes to their course catalogs. Lately, however, the number of schools offering AP courses has decreased. This trend is especially true among top school systems, many of which see AP courses as limiting the study of specific subjects down to a series of bullet points to be memorized in order to answer multiple choice questions on an AP test given in May.

To further muddy the formerly clear waters of elite admission, the overall number of schools offering AP courses is steadily declining while the number of AP exams taken by students nationwide is actually increasing. While seemingly contradictory, the explanation for this conundrum seems two-fold. First, some students vying for seats at highly competitive colleges are taking far more AP tests—as many as 10-12 in some cases. Second, a greater percentage of lower-income students are taking AP tests, as AP curriculum finds its way into more urban and rural areas. To highlight the complexity of this trend, AP’s newfound appeal to urban and rural schools seems to be tenuous, as some schools in this demographic are dropping AP courses even as others are adding them.

It is clear that the AP landscape is in a state of flux. Many so-called elite high schools are eschewing AP in favor of other curriculums while claiming that their own advanced courses do indeed prepare students for AP exams. Some of the most elite private and public high schools in the nation are among the schools opting to drop AP courses in favor of course content derived from other sources. Milton Academy, for instance, has dropped AP Literature, Chemistry, Biology and Physics. On its website, it boasts: “Milton is not an AP-driven school and does

not offer AP courses in English or the sciences. However, the intensity of the program does qualify students to take a number of AP exams.” Similarly, Phillips Exeter Academy no longer offers AP courses, but does include AP and SAT Subject Test exam prep in its higher-level programs. Exeter boldly (and correctly) claims that many of its courses are “at or above AP level.” This trend seems to highlight a growing concern among schools that the AP curriculum is more limited or less rigorous than they would like to see.

But is it true that competitive colleges still expect students to take as many APs as possible in order to demonstrate 1) their willingness to take on a rigorous curriculum and 2) their ability to excel at college-level course material? Where do the colleges stand in the raging battle over curriculum, high-stakes testing, and admission? Do they still see AP courses and tests as shining sapphires strewn among grains of mediocrity? Or, like some elite high schools, are colleges snubbing their collective noses at students who feel they can game the system simply by stuffing their applications with an entourage of AP courses and tests?

According to one Ivy League admission official, “We frankly feel emancipated. We are thrilled to no longer be held hostage to the AP.” It’s clear that many colleges don't care whether you take AP or another challenging course. But here, “challenging” is the operative term. While this admission official said that her school couldn’t care less whether students take an AP or some other high level course, it is still crucial for students to demonstrate a willingness to accept academic challenge by taking the most rigorous courses available.

“We don't care if it’s AP, International Baccalaureate® or honors, as long as students take academically rigorous courses that fall within their interests. Taking AP tests just for the sake of doing so isn’t going to move the needle for us.” Asked about AP tests and their correlation to college success, she replied: “The only thing that seems to correlate whatsoever is 5s,” referring to the 1-5 scale on which AP tests are graded. “Even then, only literature and history seem to correlate, especially European History of all things,” she replied with more than a bit of incredulity.

While students should most definitely continue to select AP courses and take AP tests each May, they need not be concerned if their schools’ course catalogs don’t offer a whole slew of AP branded courses. A student should not fault his school or consider transferring out just because that school chooses not to submit to the AP hysteria that is the rapture of thousands of schools and millions of students across the world. The journey through high school should be one of consistent migration across a broad landscape rather than a series of dramatic leaps over tall buildings. School is for learning, not for bragging. And colleges across America would rather see you enjoy the journey than suffer from acute exhaustion on the AP mountain that you decided to climb simply because it was there.

Neil Chyten can be reached at nchyten@chyten.com