JESSICA DaSILVA

There is always a lot of debate over the AP exams.

Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education Blog reported that a Web site listing high schools that don’t have the AP or IB programs has been uncovered. It’s interesting in the context that several high schools are considering dropping the AP program.

College Board’s audit of the AP program shows that no one really benefits from the program’s use, the article stated. The program restricts teachers to a preparing for an exam, and students don’t really get anything out of it, either.

It said parents are the biggest issue because they overestimate what the AP program can do for their kids’ college careers.

I went to a private school that didn’t have a lot of AP classes, and you know what? I’m fine. Yes, despite only having about 4-5 AP classes under my belt (none of which counted for my prerequisites), I’m at UF with decent grades and a bright future, pun intended.

I started off college in easier classes that allowed me to be prepared and have better grades in more advanced classes.

From what I’ve seen personally, college professors don’t even seem to like the AP program.

Since I’m getting into more advanced classes, a lot of my polisci professors now will ask at the beginning semester if anyone has taken a government class before that wasn’t an AP class. If not, usually they recommend taking a basic government class at UF because AP doesn’t prepare students for harder classes.

From this article and my own experiences, I can’t help but wonder whether schools are listening to the teachers and students–the people most affected by this.