Opportunities and Obstacles of AP Classes

College is a topic constantly on the minds of our upperclassmen here at Gallatin High School. One way many of our students have chosen to prepare for college and get recognized is by enrolling in AP classes. An AP class, or Advanced Placement course, is a college level course offered to high school students offering them the highest level of education they can access as well as possible college credits.

Due to the fact AP classes are college courses, they run at the rapid pace of a college class and tend to have a much heavier workload than a normal class. For many students this increased workload and higher expectations can cause them stress and anxiety that teenagers don’t normally have to deal with. The counselors at GHS predict an average of 30 to 40 kids every year coming to them because of stress or difficulties with an AP class. Some students seek out additional support from school counselors by requesting a study hall or asking for a tutor recommendation to help them keep pace with the class.

While some students have found ways to cope with the stress of an AP course, every year the school anticipates kids that will move out of an AP course into a lower-level class because it is either not for them or they can’t keep up with the workload.

The mental toll that an Advanced Placement course can have on students is not the only difficulty associated with the program. To take the class itself is not an extra cost to the student or their family and can be treated as a normal course, but for most students the end goal is to take an AP exam at the end of the year—hopefully earning them college credit. In order for a student to be able to take an AP exam this year, they have to pay a fee of $115 for every test they take. An extra cost is added for any applications turned in late.

The fee of $115 required by College Board to take the AP exams includes the cost for printing, shipping, and grading the test. For some, these fees could pose a major issue due to financial difficulties or other circumstances that prevent them from having the funds to pay for an exam. In order for all students to have the same opportunities, the school does have a system of financial aid in place. The qualifications for financial aid are the same as for getting free or reduced prices on school lunch. Recently the school has started to give out a limited number of scholarships to further help students with financial difficulties. The only difference between financial aid and scholarships is that financial aid may only help pay for a portion of the test while a scholarship would pay for all of it. Last year there were two students who qualified for financial aid for the AP test and so far this year Mrs. Covington—College and Career Center leader— says that we have eight students who have qualified for financial aid.

The Advanced Placement program at GHS is one that many students in our population have taken advantage of. This year we have 381 students in the school taking AP exams who together have ordered over 600 tests. Meaning most of the students enrolled in AP classes are taking more than one, thus significantly adding on to their workload and also proving the dedication and drive of our students.

Last year a total of 440 AP exams were administered with 331 of the exams having a score of three or higher. This is an extremely good percentage and puts GHS somewhere in the 70th percentile for passing rates of AP exams in the nation according to Mrs. Covington. This is thanks to a combination of our dedicated teachers and a student population ready to put in the work, who are all really passionate about the classes they are taking.

The AP exams, unlike the classes, have no associated mental health issues with most students seeing them as an end point in the class, a lot like closure for all of the work that they have been putting in all year. Counselor Mr. Miller stated “there is not as much stress around the tests as there is around the class” and goes on to describe the test as a finish line for the class that is often accompanied by a feeling of relief for students.

While the students are a big part of what makes the Advanced Placement program possible, a main factor is the work that all of our teachers put in. 17 teachers at GHS teach an AP course along with their other classes. For a teacher to be allowed to teach an AP course they first have to go through training to qualify them. Part of this process includes a teacher going to an AP exam grading and being one of many to grade the AP exams we all take at the end of the year, allowing them to get a better grasp on the class and what they might want to focus on when teaching their class.

The opportunities provided by Advanced Placement courses here at GHS and around the country have monumental impacts on students enrolled. From giving them a head start in college to letting them further explore their interests and expand their education, the staff plays their part to a “T” in making sure all students get equal opportunities and in keeping the process as easy as possible. The community built upon this program is monumental and the time and effort put into keeping it here gives us all a greater appreciation of how lucky we are to have these tools available to us today.