Go Beyond AP Classes
Why are more of the nation’s top independent schools dropping AP classes?
So they can teach to individual students and not standardized tests.
The most competitive colleges want to know applicants took the toughest classes they could. If the hardest courses offered at a school are Advanced Placement (AP) classes, taking APs makes sense. But what if a school goes beyond the one-size-fits-all AP model to offer more rigor, more depth, and more opportunities for personalized learning?
In any AP course, the goal is to pass a standardized test. But teaching students how to memorize a preset curriculum is not the best way to master (and fall in love with) world languages, literature, math, history, and the sciences. Like Waynflete, many of the nation’s premier independent schools don’t use the AP model. They provide challenging, college-level instruction for complex subjects in small seminar classes—and college admission departments understand and respect this approach. At Waynflete, where 75% of students get into their first- or second-choice college, going beyond APs also gives students more opportunity to practice the skills needed for real college work.
APs are not all-powerful.
Want your child to think independently, go deeper into complex subjects, and strengthen their college application? Complete the form below to download our “Beyond APs” article to see the research—and Waynflete’s results—for yourself.
