Are AP classes still the gold standard in high schools?

AP classes have long been deemed the gold standard in high school, but is the glitter starting to fade?

Some private schools are re-evaluating AP classes and tests. In DeKalb, school board member Stan Jester has questioned applauding high schools for increases in students taking AP tests without a frank discussion about how well students are performing on those tests.

“Is it worth expending taxpayer money on AP exams if over 90 percent of the students are failing them? That is the case at many DeKalb schools. I stand by my assertion that the money spent on AP exams at those schools would be better spent elsewhere,” says Jester.

Two Muscogee County educators step up today in the AJC Get Schooled blog and offer a vigorous defense of AP, including comments from several students who have benefited by the college credit they have earned and from teachers who teach the classes.

To read what they have to say, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.

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