As many of you know, the College Board offers Advanced Placement classes in schools nationwide. There are APs for a variety of subjects, from English and History to Math and Science. By taking these courses, you sign up for a year of intense academic rigor and a 3-hour exam in May. If you score well relative to other students who took the exam, many colleges will give you credit so you won’t have to take the class in college.

        While we have the option of taking AP classes of our choosing at John Jay, many secondary schools require their students to take AP courses as part of their curriculum. The Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies demands that every sophomore take AP World History, claiming it prevents an academic achievement disparity based on income. In other words, LACES looks to dissociate AP classes from elite and wealthy students; instead, LACES wants every student to have the same opportunities.

        On the other hand, some schools want to ban certain AP courses. In Oklahoma, legislators voted to “prohibit the expenditure of funds on the Advanced Placement United States History course” in schools throughout the state. The committee argued in February 2015 that the class failed to teach “American exceptionalism”, or the theory that the U.S. is different from other nations due to the core beliefs of liberty and individualism. As a result of the crisis in Oklahoma, other state legislators, such as those in Colorado, have asked the College Board to make the AP U.S. History course “more patriotic”. South Carolinians requested that topics of “ideological bias” be banned. Similar efforts have been made in Georgia and North Carolina.

        Despite Oklahoma’s attempt, the bill did not receive a hearing by the House, and the lack of dispute caused the bill to fade away. This is much to the liking of Oklahoma student, Moin Nadeem, who actively petitioned against the bill. Nadeem stressed that APs were essential for one’s college application and that to prevent a student from taking an AP course would be to deny them a successful future.

        Since the majority of schools encourage their students to take APs, another question comes into play: who should take AP classes, and why? According to the College Board, “AP courses are for any student who is academically prepared and motivated to take on college-level courses”. Their statement busts the myth that all students with good grades should take an AP. The next step in the decision process is determining if the course is worth taking. While getting college credit and learning extensively about a given subject is great, there is a lot of pressure for students to take AP classes. Whether the stress comes from parents, counselors, or colleges, ultimately it is the student’s choice whether to take the class.

        However, without the option of AP classes, nobody would be able to take them. This is why John Jay’s system is a role model for other schools: AP classes are offered, but not required. If a student is interested in a particular subject and has the dedication to exert effort into the course, then they can absolutely take it. But if not, then there is no penalty. In other words, all high schools should offer AP courses in order to give every student the same opportunities to learn and succeed.