On Education: Local #1

You know what really grinds my gears?

For those of you that either have experienced or are experiencing the thrills of the wonderful Hillsborough County education system, you probably have experienced my grief when I discuss the one of many faults of the education system. I am going for a local approach, but from then I will expand to state and national level.

Today, I will discuss my anger of having to take final exams for my AP classes, of which I am required to take the AP exam for the class.

I love the Advanced Placement system set by College Board. I feel that AP classes are a happy medium between college-level classes and the Springboard program. Now I hate the Springboard program, but I will save that topic for a later date.

AP classes give students the opportunity to receive college-level credit for classes based on a 1-5 grading scale for the ETS/CollegeBoard AP Examination in early May. For most colleges and universities, a score of 3 or higher on the AP exam will allow students to receive credit for classes in college. The higher the score you receive, the more classes you may be able to exempt.

Teachers of AP level curriculum teach the AP classes in order to prepare students to take the AP examination; they do prepare students for semester grades, but the teacher's priority is to ensure a student is well prepared for the AP exam in May.

For students and teachers alike, this is a grueling process. The extensive curriculum of the AP exam is then condensed into a 3-4 hour exam in early May that is draining both physically and mentally. Students study long hours to ensure that they can receive the college credit for the class.

Now here in Hillsborough County, we have semester exams, like most school districts. But what really grinds my gears is that even after taking the exhausting AP exam, the school district requires that students take the final semester exams, unless they have exam exemptions that they may use.

Once the AP exam is finished, most AP teachers stop teaching because the war is over. They have prepared for the exam and now they are done. The time after the AP exam is time to relax and celebrate the tough commitment made. However, a few unfortunate students then have to return after about two weeks of no lessons to take a final exam for the county. Does this seem fair?

In my opinion, no. Students have to dedicate many hours to practice and study to take an AP exam that means the world to us, and yet we then must go back and take a meaningless exam that may drop our grade, even though we may have earned the 4 or 5 on the AP exam. So why are we forced to take a final semester exam? I honestly do not know. It could be the usual "money" factor, but what money is made or saved by having exam papers printed and having teachers write the exams (that usually requires some stipend)?

I don't know, but I really feel that taking a semester exam after the AP exam is ridiculous. Hopefully some of you agree with me. I would like action done to remedy this problem, but appealing to the school board is about as difficult as telling Sneakers O'Toole to take his sneakers off (Family Guy reference).

And that is what really grinds my gears.

Please look for my new blogs on education, where next I will narrow my subject to my school and discuss something else that grinds my gears.

Cameron