For many years, Sidwell faculty and students have been discussing whether Advanced Placement (AP) classes are beneficial to students or detrimental to their mental health. However, exactly in line with Sidwell’s official decision on the matter, Sidwell should not bring back AP classes because of their negative effects on students’ mental health, their inability to give the majority of students college credits, and their out-of-date nature compared to the current Sidwell education. Due to arguments over the benefits and drawbacks of offering AP classes, the decision to incorporate AP classes into school curriculums has been a nationwide conversation. However, since June 2018, Sidwell has withdrawn its AP class offerings from the curriculum as the majority of students, parents and faculty desire their removal because AP classes bring unnecessary stress to students and require teachers to move at a faster pace.
An additional reason for the withdrawal of AP classes was the outdated and irrelevant information included in curriculums. In the Frequently Asked Questions section of Sidwell Friends’ website, parents inquired about the difference between APs and the current curriculum, and Sidwell responded that the institution believes it “can offer more relevant, meaningful coursework that will better assist students in developing 21st-century research and analytical skills and encourage them to experiment with creative approaches to problem solving.”
Therefore, keeping the AP system would not only lower Sidwell’s academic prestige and educational value, but also would not challenge students enough, leaving them less prepared for college. Also, the AP system’s curriculum was created and is closely monitored by the College Board, making it nearly impossible for Sidwell faculty to tailor their courses to students’ needs or cover additional topics. On the Sidwell website, the school highlights the opportunities students have now that they would not have if AP classes were offered, stating, “Students will have more time for research, giving them the opportunity to study topics at greater depth.”
Furthermore, offering AP classes brings unwanted stress, tension and anxiety to both students and faculty, only serving as a burden to the student population. Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, examined the negative impacts on students’ mental health in a research paper that reviews more than 20 studies on AP courses, stating, “They need to be prepared for what an AP course involves. The extra tests, extra homework, on top of an already demanding schedule, can be brutal. And a very low grade on your transcript from an AP course may hurt you more in the long run than not taking an AP in that subject at all.”
Also, taking AP exams costs upwards of 100 dollars per exam, so these courses are not accessible to many students who may desire to take multiple exams each year. Many colleges and universities no longer accept AP credits, and when they do, most require exceptionally high exam scores for students to qualify. This increased pressure and the excessive demand on students demonstrates how their negative impact on students far outweighs their possible benefits.
