The Case Against AP

All over the country, students — more than 2.2 million, to be exact — are taking AP classes in the hopes of raising their GPAs and improving their college applications. The Advanced Placement (AP) program are a certain set of curricula and exams available to high school students in the U.S. and Canada, developed by the College Board. They are most known for their rigorous course loads, their college-level standards, and for allowing students to earn college credit alongside their high school credit. Classes are typically a semester to a year in length, and students have the option of taking the AP exam for their class during a two-week testing period in May. College Board claims that taking their classes and exams “let colleges and universities know that you have what it takes to succeed in an undergraduate environment”, helps you “save on college expenses”, and “[gives] your mind a rigorous workout while polishing up your time management and study skills.” However, that’s not always the case.

First of all, whether or not an AP curriculum is successfully implemented in a classroom and “gives your mind a rigorous workout” is almost entirely dependant on the teacher, and experiences in any given AP course vary wildly. This is clearly reflected in cases where an entire class earns scores well above or below the national average — putting some students at a disadvantage, as most have little to no choice in determining who their teacher will be. In the worst case scenario, the burden of teaching is shifted to the student, and often students must rely on expensive “prep books” to ensure a satisfactory score in the May exams.

Although it is true that getting good scores on AP exams can earn college credit and/or let a student skip introductory courses, scores are translated to credit on a college-by-college basis, and some colleges, such as Harvard, offer no credit at all. Other colleges either restrict which courses are accepted for credit, or place a cap on the amount of credit that may be transferred from AP scores. Ambitious students take AP classes to earn the edge over their competition, spend hundreds of dollars to take the exams, and then find out many of their expensive, hard earned scores are just another number on their score report, and won’t translate to any savings at all.

Although College Board (which also owns the SAT) is registered as a “not-for-profit” organization, executives earn exorbitant salaries. In 2012, former president Gaston Caperton made $1.3 million, and while he has since been replaced by David Coleman, Coleman’s salary still clocks in at a hefty $750,000. 19 other executives made more than $300,000, yet the company still enjoys the same tax-exempt status as the American Red Cross, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Goodwill.

It needs to be said that College Board is not the only nonprofit that can be criticized for abusing its profits, but the difference between College Board and Goodwill, or any other nonprofit for that matter, is very distinct. While nobody will ever force you to donate to Goodwill, in order for a student to hope to attend a school more prestigious than a state or community college, College Board, teachers, and counselors all recommend taking as many AP classes as possible, which can cost around $94 per exam. Additionally, most colleges require either the SAT ($50) or the ACT ($29) to even apply. For those taking multiple AP classes (as many as 5-10 over the course of their high school careers), the cost can add up to several hundred dollars, which many students simply can’t afford. The deck is clearly stacked against those without the financial means to pay, even with the College Board’s meager $32 reduction for those with financial need. Schools and school boards are aware the significance of AP classes and the SAT/ACT, and states with the funds to do so are forced to subsidize AP exam fees and SAT/ACT costs in order to level the playing field. States without extra funds are left high and dry. For the College Board to leave this responsibility to the state while pocketing millions for its executives is undeniably unethical and borderline fraudulent.

The first line of the College Board’s mission statement is: “The College Board is a national nonprofit membership association dedicated to preparing, inspiring, and connecting students to college and opportunity.” However, a history of costly services, affluent executives, and off-the-mark promises have shown how College Board has been capitalizing on their monopoly of the education testing industry. As long as public schools only offer AP classes as their highest level class, with no alternative to challenge students without supporting a certain very profitable nonprofit, most of us will have no choice but to keep taking AP classes, paying for exams, and shelling out dollars for prep books when teachers fail us.