The Push to Restructure AP Courses: Advocating for a Healthy Balance
Photo from College Board.
Bridget Dwyer
The Possible Restructuring of AP Courses
Have you heard about the potential restructuring of AP courses that our administration is exploring this month? In a note to the school board last May, it was revealed that many year-long AP courses were being considered to be shortened to a one-semester format.
When I found out that these year-long classes are potentially going to be shortened, I didn’t know how this idea could be feasible. I, a junior at Hamilton High School, have chosen to take my first AP class this year. AP English Language and Composition is a year-long class focusing on growing the students’ writing skills and critical thinking. I picked this class as my first AP because I felt that a year-long class would help prepare me for college and become a more mature, well-rounded student. Along with this, I thought that a thorough college level writing class would help to improve on one of my weaker subjects.
Even though school has only been in session for five weeks, I have seen positive growth in my grammar, my word choice, and my overall writing style. The AP Lang teachers strive to help students understand real world themes, while also pulling relatable, real examples to make students’ critical thinking stronger. Year-long AP classes include so much more than test preparation, and these additional skills and practice are vital to a student’s learning. Specifically, AP Lang includes additional assignments like writing a college essay, debating, and a service project at the end of the year. These assignments support students and their abilities as they go into the world after high school because they help develop skills that the students would otherwise have to develop on their own: like leadership, service, and critical thinking. Students that do not take AP classes can receive this from other non-APs, but will not receive the same rigor and drive that AP students uphold.
Concerns About One-Semester AP Classes
While I completely believe that some AP classes are a year-long for a reason, I also am taking AP Macroeconomics (a one semester class) next semester to satisfy my interest in the economy and to further my social studies knowledge. I have heard from multiple students that AP Macro is a hard class to fit into one semester because of the amount of work students have to do outside of class. Adding to this, I have also heard similar feedback from AP Gov students, saying that the schedule (another one semester class) is too demanding, often sending them home with hours of reading assignments and homework to fit in before the AP test. These classes that have already been shortened can cause more stress for the students that take them, and ultimately aren’t helping students’ retention of information.
I am genuinely concerned about the shortening of AP classes because these classes already have a heavier workload than general level classes. While I understand it is completely the student’s choice to take one-semester AP classes, that choice is potentially being taken away by the school’s administration if most AP classes are shortened. The end result of this could force the students of Hamilton to make a choice between having no life outside of school with hours of AP homework, or not taking hard classes at all, and will severely disadvantage kids when applying to colleges.
I am a student athlete, and I’m also very involved with school and extra curricular activities. Even the idea that I, an already very busy person, would be going home with hours of homework due to the AP classes being one semester, already stresses me out. This would not only be affecting me, but also the other 76% of Hamilton students that participate in athletics and activities. The balance between school, a job, sports, and multiple clubs is already difficult to organize, but now these shortened classes will intrude upon my already busy day, so I will have to choose between putting my effort into my grades or into being a well-rounded person as a whole. These choices will undoubtedly leave a lasting negative impact on our student body.
Administration’s Perspective and Scheduling Options
Athletic and Activity Director of Hamilton, Jeffrey Newcomer, states in a study that he conducted at the beginning of the 2024 school year, “We encourage every student to take advantage of the activities that are offered. We are committed to providing a wide variety of activities as an extension of the classroom. These activities are an integral part of a student’s high school experience, memories will be made that will last a lifetime.” Even now, with the possible policy change, Newcomer fails to realize, along with the rest of administration, that the extra-curriculars they want students to be a part of are going to be blocked out by the hours of extra AP homework in students’ futures. My concerns about this possible change led me to holding an interview with Mr. Bauer, Hamilton’s principal.
During the interview, we talked about what different schedules could look like with shortened AP classes, how students would be affected by these changes, and certain aspects the administration is taking into account while making this decision. I brought up my concerns about students’ time management and mental health to Mr. Bauer, and he agreed that both of these things are large factors to consider with possible new changes. Schedules, whether it is simply shortening year-long classes to one semester, switching to A/B day with eight classes on alternating days, or a new idea, cohort classes, were all discussed as options administration is considering. Cohort classes would be a blend of required classes mixed with year-long APs, or something similar, basically fitting three semesters of classes into two. These different options are all being explored, and there is no clear front runner as of now.
Flaws in Proposed Models
Although Mr. Bauer mentioned that students ultimately decide how rigorous their schedules are, I don’t entirely agree with this statement. I believe that with each schedule, there are flaws that can prevent students from taking all of the classes they want or even make them no longer want to take the class. An A/B day format would overwhelm students if they decide to take multiple APs with an 8 class schedule, and would be adding more homework and stress to the student’s life. This would likely cause the student to drop AP classes when schedule planning, or reconsider the rigor of their classes. A cohort model would also be unadviseable; instead of the student choosing to take AP classes, they could possibly be forced to take an AP class they didn’t want to take while taking a required class. The problem with cohort classes could also be if you have already taken the required class, and now are forced to retake it if you want the AP class paired with it. The shortening of a couple AP classes without making a new schedule could severely disadvantage students because they would be tasked with hours of work outside of class, and would have trouble retaining all of the information being piled on. Also, if the shortened class is in the fall semester, having to study for the spring exam without teacher guidance, or having to organize a time to come in and study would seriously inhibit the student’s success overall. Bauer mentioned possible flaws with mental health and time management, but then continued to back his argument by saying that every schedule has pros and cons. Any schedule change that the administration could make would be detrimental to students’ mental health and ability to manage time effectively.
Another issue that these proposed schedules bring to light is how students are being consulted in the decision process. Last year, Mr. Bauer assembled a team of students to discuss possible changes and issues within the school, naming it The Student Advisory Council. Bauer said that he has discussed changing AP classes with both the valedictorian of graduating class of 2025, and his Student Advisory Council, both of which he received positive feedback from. He said that students largely agree with the idea to shorten AP classes, agreeing that year-long classes waste too much time, and are putting students at a disadvantage compared to other schools. Mr. Bauer, previously experienced in teaching AP Calculus, stated that although getting his AP students every day would’ve been a luxury, he knew that his students could still be successful on a shortened class time and the year-long schedule is not a necessity, so even without current student feedback, Bauer believes this is the best way to help students.
Among everything that we had talked about, Mr. Bauer was asked to give a final quote that would capture the main idea behind shortening AP classes.
“If I were to summarize everything we’ve talked about up to this point, I would say that we are absolutely looking at the possibility of changing some AP classes from either a full year to a semester, or some sort of a cohort model, or utilizing the A/B schedule. No doubt we are looking into it. With the purpose of the four things that I just mentioned: One, students having access to take the courses that either interest them or that are going to benefit their long term plans. Two, set up a schedule that is going to allow for them to balance as needed and make sure they don’t bite off more than they can chew. Three, make sure that our teachers can manage that workload as well, and then four, still have successful AP rates. To do all of those things is a challenge, don’t get me wrong, but again pros and cons to every system. There’s some really great things about our current set up, and then there’s some things where it leaves, you know, some more to be desired. We’re not rushing into this, it’s actually been an ongoing conversation for almost a year, but the goal is to make the best decision possible to accomplish those things.”
Even after thoroughly consulting with the principal and many others in favor of shortening AP classes, I still believe that this is not the best solution for our high school. Making any sort of changes would be detrimental to student and staff time management, students’ mental health, and the overall retention of content. The decision has yet to be finalized, but these issues are more than enough to keep Hamilton's schedule the same.
