At this moment, if not already, imagine you are a student approaching their first year of high school. Forget the first day butterflies, the lipgloss in your back pocket, the thoughts of soccer practice after classes, or finding your lunch table. Instead, focus on the advanced level credit options your high school offers.

The debate is forever ongoing. Are Advanced Placement classes more harmful than beneficial to students? Are there more options to receiving college-level credits than just taking APs? While there are other options available, many schools place a heavy emphasis on AP classes and overlook programs like Early College Experience and Dual Enrollment. For the lack of guaranteed success and inclusivity on AP exams, the amount of time and energy young students put into these classes are not worth the stress, especially with other options available.

While I know some schools do not offer all credits, Early College Experience and Dual Enrollment are usually skipped over in the decision-making process of choosing classes. Some students may not even know that there are other options available. Other early college accredited classes offer more creativity in their assignments. They also provide more opportunities to connect with teachers and classmates. Additionally, these classes look at progress in the course as a whole, rather than relying solely on a final standardized test.. Author of a textbook now used for intro-level psychology courses and journalist for Psychology Today, Peter Gray, interviewed teachers about incorporating new learning methods into their AP teachings. Most responded perplexed, even quoting “We must cover an enormous amount of ground in the course, and if we stopped to think about and discuss ideas there is no way we would make it through. Students would fail the test.” The pressure put on teachers of these classes by the College Board leaves little room for flexibility in the curriculum, which can make it difficult for teachers to accommodate students who may be stuffing or facing unexpected challenges.

Around 83% of all U.S. high school students participate in extracurricular activities after school, according to Urban Institute. The pressure to take AP classes is also higher than ever. The typical AP class adds around two hours of homework per night on top of other classwork and extracurricular activities.  If the average student takes 12 AP classes in high school, this leaves little time for activities outside of schoolwork. When do students get to eat dinner with their family, ride bicycles with their friends, or participate in their creative hobbies? It is almost as though kids are stripped from their childhood by drowning in a never-ending pool of notetaking and test preparation. There are other options to resolve this issue. 

ECE courses as well as classes directly through colleges allow for more creativity and support in their lessons. Not to mention, these courses have a much higher transfer rate of credits than AP credits. There is no guarantee that you will receive AP credit just by signing up for the class, especially if standardized exams are not for you. The stress implemented in student’s lives is not worth the title of taking an AP class. Grace Peyrate, author of “The Pressures of Taking AP Classes” concluded, "A study in 2015 showed that students in AP classes face much higher levels of stress than their classmates while having fewer support mechanisms within the school.’” Sure college accredited classes will be difficult to keep up with and be more work than regular classes , but it does not mean a student's entire life and scale of stress should be based on these classes.

So what is the solution? First and broadly, the College Board should take a look around. The amount of unique students who take AP classes could never all show their abilities the exact same. AP teachers should have more presence in how they assess their students, rather than relying solely on a final standardized test. Second and more readily available, students should research and gain more insight on other college accredited programs in their community or in their school to prepare themselves for their post-secondary plans. High school children should not feel the need to dedicate their entire lives to their work without other options. After all, they have their entire adult lives to do that already.

Works Consulted

“Children's Environment and Behavior: Participation in Extracurricular Activities.” Urban Institute, Kristen Moore and Jennifer Ehrle, urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/70131/900869-Children-s-Environment-and-Behavior-Participation-in-Extracurricular-Activities.PDF. Accessed 6 May 2023.

Gray, Peter. “The Advanced Placement Racket.” Psychology Today, 6 October 2021, psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/202110/the-advanced-placement-racket. Accessed 6 May 2023.

Peyrat, Grace. “The Pressures of taking AP Classes – The Mercury.” BFA Mercury, 17 November 2021, bfamercury.org/5049/opinion/the-pressures-of-taking-ap-classes/. Accessed 6 May 2023.