All AP (Advanced Placement) classes should adjust final overall grades depending on the students’ scores on the AP test at the end of the year.
In AP Physics one and two, teacher Ian Spangenberg changes grades of students that do extremely well on the AP test. In his class, a score of 5 on the AP test results in an overall grade of 95 percent for students, a score of 4 results in an 85 overall, etc.
For example, if a student has an 87 percent at the end of the course, but earns a 5 on the AP test, his or her grade will be adjusted to 95 percent for both semesters. However, Mr. Spangenberg will never decrease a student’s grade based on their AP test. If a student has an A at the end of the year but gets a 4 on the test, the student will keep their A.
This system does not always benefit students at the end of every course, however, some do reap the benefits. If anything it also creates a safety net so grades reflect students’ abilities. Dilan Nair, a senior at PVHS said, “It’s always good to know that you have an opportunity to correct one bad final or test, so your grade will always represent your actual knowledge on the subject.”
This system accurately reflects a student’s knowledge about physics in the best way possible for the student. On College Board’s website, it says that a 5 on the AP test is equivalent to an A or A+ in a similar college class.
However, every other AP class at Pleasant Valley does not take this information into account. The whole point of an AP class is to get students ready for the AP test. Yet, if a student gets a 5 on the AP test, their grade on their transcript could still be a B or below.
A high school class should be easier than the equivalent class in college, and the grades should reflect that. Brenna Morley said, “There are several classes in our high school where some students will get low grades but will still get a 5 on the AP test.”
Morley also said, “Many students will avoid some AP classes because the GPA hit will not be worth the high AP score.” Most colleges care more about course grades than AP scores, and they will, unfortunately, get a bad impression if students take the hard AP classes and get poor grades.
The type of system AP Physics uses would help level grading between some of the extremely difficult AP classes and easier ones available to students at Pleasant Valley. Classes’ grades and AP scores should similarly reflect their students’ abilities.
