Advanced Placement classes, tests give students leg up on earning university graduation credits

Again this month I spent 14 days administering Advanced Placement examinations to 9th through 12^th grade students at Valencia High School in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, a rewarding task I've enjoyed for 16 years.

Successful scores on these exams can earn university credits and often allow students to bypass introductory courses at the universities they attend. The AP program certainly prepares students for higher-level academics.

AP classes and exams are offered at nearly every high school in Orange County, and more than 4,000 tests in 27 subjects were given this month at El Dorado, Esperanza, Valencia and Yorba Linda high schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda district.

The individual exams take up to three hours and 15 minutes to complete, not including time spent on directions, and are administered under strict security procedures. Each test costs $94, less for income-qualified households.

People who bemoan the state of public school education today are way off the mark. Although AP classes are winding down this year, I urge doubters to contact a high school principal and arrange to observe an AP class next year. You'll be impressed at the level of instruction.

Many students complete enough AP classes and earn qualifying scores on the exams to enter universities as sophomores, especially when combined with International Baccalaureate classes and scores on IB exams offered at some high schools, including Valencia in Placentia.

Credits awarded for AP and IB work differ at individual universities and are outlined in the catalogs issued by each institution. Copies are available at high school counseling offices.

Of course, not every high school student takes AP or IB classes, so most districts offer a variety of programs that prepare students for entry- and college-level work in several specialized disciplines.

For example, the Placentia-Yorba Linda district has academies in Business, Digital Media Arts, EdLaw, Engineering and Manufacturing, Medical Science and Technology, with most including internships. Elementary and middle schools emphasize career awareness and preparation.

Doubters of the value of today's public school education should take the time to observe some of these programs also.

And let me clear up misconceptions about “dumbed down” textbooks with just one example. A common piece of literature taught to ninth graders is Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet.”

The freshman literature book most used nationwide for decades through the early 1980s was the Scott, Foresman title “Adventures in Reading,” which contained only one-third of the lines from the play, with the remaining action described in brief narrative passages.

Books used in classrooms today carry full versions of the play or other complete works. Take a look at the newer math, science, history and other texts, and you'll see quality instructional materials superior to those from past years.