John Flynn ’14
Although The Episcopal Academy continues to offer Advanced Placement courses, in recent years many schools, including some in the Inter-Ac, have eliminated Advanced Placement courses from their curricula due to the belief they limit creativity in the classroom.
The Advanced Placement program began in 1955 and, according to the College Board website, strives to “provide motivated high school students with the opportunity to take college-level courses in a high school setting.” In addition to the rigorous curriculum offered by AP classes, in some cases high scores on the Advanced Placement tests may allow students to earn college credits and place out of intro level college courses.
However, some local schools, such as The Baldwin and Haverford Schools believe that the benefits of AP courses do not outweigh the negatives and have begun to remove Advanced Placement courses from their curricula. A statement on The Baldwin School’s website said, “many schools have decided that APs are not the best courses they can offer their students.” However, although Baldwin does not require students to take AP exams, their students are still offered rigorous courses and have the opportunity to take AP exams in May.
Similarly, an official statement by The Haverford School said, “In 2005, the School discontinued its Advanced Placement program. Seeking an improved curriculum that demands more creativity, critical thinking, and independence from our students, we replaced the AP courses with our own advanced-level courses.”
Angela Miklavcic, member of Episcopal’s Science Department and AP Chemistry teacher, said, “one disadvantage of an AP course is that it teaches to a test. Because of the restrictions of a single test, a teacher cannot develop their own course and add more inquiry… There is always a rush to get the huge amount of material in before the AP exam which occurs in May.”
However, Episcopal and other Inter-Ac schools such as Agnes Irwin and Germantown Academy continue to support the Advanced Placement program and offer a variety of AP courses. “The AP courses provide great curriculum and problems that promote in-depth thinking. They also provide a clear way of determining a student’s standing among other bright students in the continent”, said Miklavcic.
According to Miklavcic, Episcopal will continue to offer AP courses because the administration feels the AP program is still growing and provides a great opportunity for students to develop high level thinking and puts a clear number on a college resume. In addition, the AP Program is currently being revised “to promote rigorous, research-based curricula that reflect the most current advances in each discipline.”