AP Week is coming up in just a few weeks, and high school students everywhere are busy preparing.
For those unfamiliar, AP stands for Advanced Placement. Run by the College Board (you know, the same people who run the PSAT/SAT tests), it’s a program of advanced classes that lets you experience college life early. Depending on what your high school offers, these classes can cover every genre of education — math, science, music, art, writing, you name it. At the end of the year, students take AP tests to showcase what they’ve learned, and depending on the score, gain college credit so they are placed in more advanced classes early on in college.
The College Board recently reported that Illinois is the leading state in AP test scores, having the largest percentage increase of students who got credit earning scores (a three or higher) between 2012 and 2022. An impressive number of 36,240 graduates in Illinois earned a three or higher last year. All were eligible to earn college credit at any Illinois public colleges.
Of course, the promise of being able to skip introductory classes in college is enticing. It saves time, energy, and money. But AP classes are also often stressful and can stack up work quickly in high school. Some classes are even being banned, like AP African American Studies in Florida, and Gov. DeSantis has talked of removing the AP program entirely.
This guest post is in partnership with True Star Media.