The rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered at Massapequa High School have contributed greatly to the school’s academic identity. AP classes offer high school students a unique and challenging educational experience that allows them to grow intellectually while presenting them with the opportunity to earn college credit.
Over the past three years, Massapequa students have been performing exceptionally well on AP exams. As a result of their hard work, Massapequa High School has once again been named to the College Board’s prestigious AP Honor Roll. The district was selected based upon criteria that evaluated its ability to increase student enrollment and performance in AP while ensuring that students of all backgrounds can access these rigorous courses of study.
Though Massapequa students have risen to the challenge presented by college-level course loads, we must evaluate whether or not they are being appropriately rewarded for going above and beyond what is traditionally expected of high school students. Under the current weighting system, a student receives an additional five points on his average for AP classes.
Mr. Michael Quigley, AP Coordinator and Executive Assistant to the Principal, attests that the current weighting system was designed to “come close” to the system that was used prior to the implementation of numerical averages. Though he is not sure that “five is the perfect number,” he feels that it is “difficult to get people to agree” on a specific weighting system. Rather, Mr. Quigley reminds us that “college representatives prefer to see students challenge themselves with the most advanced courses available to them.”
Since he believes most students enroll in AP courses under the impression that they “can meet the challenge,” he argues that the weighting system “should not be at the forefront of the decision” regarding whether or not to take AP.
Senior Lena Pollich agrees. “AP looks better on college applications.” She feels that the current weighting system is sufficient because “the kids know what they’re getting into” and understand that they must “stay focused.”
That being said, AP weighting still maintains a place of importance within our school community. Certain awards and distinctions, such as being named to the honor roll or being invited to join the National Honor Society, are predicated on a student’s ability to maintain a specific GPA. As such, the AP weighting system must also attempt to correlate a student’s grade in an AP class to that which he would receive in a Regents-level course. However, some students argue that the current system does not do this effectively.
Mike LiBretto, a Massapequa alumnus, posits that “the current weight on [the] numeric system doesn’t accurately represent the academic prowess of each student. From what I understand, it is now more beneficial to one’s GPA to [take] Regents-level classes.” Junior Tom Sarant believes that the weight should account for not only the increased difficulty of AP examinations, but also for the workload such courses entail. “While some classes such as physics curve tests to compensate for the harder questions, AP weighting should also account for the extra hours that AP students spend working on a substantial amount of homework,” Tom said.
Perhaps one reason why it is so difficult for people to agree on an ideal, standardized protocol is the fact that each AP class differs in scope and difficulty. AP Calculus BC covers more material than AP Calculus AB, for example, yet each course currently receives the same amount of weight. Since each AP class is different, it is only logical that each one should be weighted differently.
Dr. Paul Hesleitner, who teaches both AP and Applied Regents Chemistry, suggested that the “curriculum associates from each department meet together with the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction to decide on the weighting for each course.” He feels such determinations should be made “comparatively between disciplines and should be based upon each course’s level of difficulty relative to Regents.”
Such dialogue would be likely to precipitate a more equitable weighting system that properly rewards students who strive for academic achievement and challenge themselves to the highest degree possible.