Class size – how class size affetcts the AP experience

How many of us can look back and think that we may not have attained our actual potential in life? What if we’d done better in school? What if we’d attended a better college or university?

The prevalent mentality in present day government schools has created a culture in which 16-year-olds are deciding they are not going to go to university. They think the material will probably be much too difficult. They believe they don’t possess the required abilities. They lack confidence in their personal ability to learn and develop within an academic environment. They aren’t qualified to make the right choices!

Quite a bit is often said concerning the importance of small class size and individual attention in our schools. But small class size is merely the starting point. The top high schools have not primarily smaller classes, which permit more personal attention–they have highly experienced teachers who teach more challenging material.

AP courses, created by the College Board, have been around for fifty years. They are certified college-level courses that are taught in high schools. Their level of popularity has increased over the decades, and they’ve become an indispensable component of the high school portfolio for anyone hoping to apply to a four year university or college. The majority of parents feel that such classes and their higher expectations place an excessive amount of pressure on young children, still in high school. But that isn’t the way it was intended to be.

If approached the correct way, these courses may in fact be a great opportunity. The down side is that a large percentage of high schools that offer these courses still pack 20 to 30 students into the class. So instead of being a positive opportunity, most students merely struggle with the work. However, in cases where these classes are taught by expert professionals in smaller classes — classes having only eight to ten students for each teacher, every last student receives the opportunity to achieve success in a college level class.

A taste of this success is usually all it takes to turn a student’s life around. Students at the best private high schools, such as Cambrian International Academy, have mentioned in many cases that the first class made them feel as though they could accomplish nearly anything. They take more of these classes in subsequent years, and then find themselves accepted to top notch universities in advanced standing. The AP credit transfers, and they begin college as sophomores!

At this moment, 16-year-olds have more reason to make an informed decision about college. Parents need to start by making the right choices in high school.