Who are some of the independent schools that have already discontinued their AP programs?
Local: Friends Central, Friends Select, Germantown Friends and The Haverford School.
National: Calhoun School (NY), Concord Academy (MA), Dalton School (NY), Doane Stuart School (NY), Fieldston School (NY), The Lawrenceville School (NJ), Oldfields School (MD), Philips Exeter Academy (NH), Providence Academy (MN), St. Andrew's Sewanee School (TN), St. Paul's School (NH), University of Illinois Laboratory School (IL), and University Preparatory Academy (WA).
Is the AP program disappearing from American secondary education?
The AP program is actually growing, but it’s important to note the sectors in which the growth has occurred. The original mission of the AP program was to make college preparatory curricula available to high school students. Since that time, myriad students have taken AP courses, excelled on AP exams, and in the process, have prepared for the rigors of college academia.
In recent years, the program’s mission has changed substantially, as the College Board has made a commitment to help the nation’s disadvantaged schools upgrade the quality of their curricula and instruction through AP classes. This change has the potential to benefit students whose schools do not prepare them adequately for college, but conversely limits the quality and rigor of classes that we can offer our students here at Baldwin.
What are the advantages of AP classes?
Originally, there were two advantages: college credit and/or placement in upper level courses for good exam grades and the recognition that high school AP courses are rigorous, giving students an advantage in the admission process when their transcript included these courses.
What are the disadvantages of AP classes?
Over the past decade, an educational reform movement of university professors and secondary school educators has called into question the purpose and value of AP coursework as well as other high school based college-level course work. College professors have studied the AP exams carefully in light of their own curriculum and teaching practices; many do not believe that AP curriculum prepares students adequately for college level study, particularly at a high level. In conclusion, many educators have come to believe that the disadvantages of the AP program far outweigh the benefits.
Another disadvantage is that by its very nature, an AP course teaches to a test; many college professors believe that this experience is far from equivalent to college course work and disadvantages students who accelerate their college studies. As a result, many competitive colleges and university no longer grant advanced placement credit, or do so only under very limited circumstances.
Another compelling reason for Baldwin’s decision is that test-driven standards limit the ability of good high school teachers to develop curricula that engage top students in critical thinking and research. While AP courses are valuable in that they define a standard of quality for curriculum and instruction, this is of value only in schools with limited resources, doubtful credibility, and/or unexceptional classroom instruction.
Will Baldwin students still be able to take AP exams?
Baldwin students will continue to be able to sign up for and take AP exams. Students who want to sit for the AP exam at the end of an appropriate course will continue to receive guidance and support from their teachers and college counselors. The Baldwin Course Selection Catalog designates which courses serve as preparation for an AP exam and which courses will require supplemental work prior to testing.
Will the absence of the AP designation on Baldwin transcripts negatively affect my child’s college admission process?
No. This change comes as no surprise to selective colleges. Since the movement away from APs began more than a decade ago, colleges and universities are aware that many schools have decided that APs are not the best courses they can offer their students. Colleges will continue to look carefully to see what high level course work is being offered at Baldwin. Selective colleges will continue to expect an applicant to take advanced course work in his/her areas of strength and interest.
As part of Baldwin’s decision to discontinue AP courses, college admission officers at the numerous colleges to which our students often apply were surveyed. They agreed that Baldwin has a well-established reputation for offering an excellent, rigorous program of study and for graduating academically strong, creative and critically thinking young women. They reassured us that they will continue to study each applicant's transcript individually and look for rigor and depth of study in course selection.
Colleges also enthusiastically received news of the new courses that Baldwin plans to introduce. Independent schools which are five to seven years ahead of Baldwin in this process have reported no change in their admission results at selective colleges. This period of transition will be made easier not only by college’s familiarity with the non-AP movement, but also by the strong relationships between the College Counseling Office at Baldwin and colleges and universities throughout the country.
Communication began two years ago about the shift in our curriculum and will continue in print, at national and regional conferences, and as college admission officers visit Baldwin to recruit our students.
Additional Questions?