Is It Really Possible? 

Yes! Many schools have dropped AP and lived to tell the tale.

In order to implement a successful move away from AP, schools must win over a variety of constituencies.  The process can be challenging, but without exception, schools that have dropped AP report that they are glad they do so.  Many say, in retrospect, that they underestimated the benefits of life without AP.  The following is an overview of common issues that emerge with each school constituency:

The Colleges

Obstacles in college admissions are fewer than many schools fear. Private colleges and universities universally say that they evaluate students in the context of the opportunities available to them, and schools that have dropped AP report few difficulties. Issues with public universities vary from state to state, but none is insurmountable.  In California, non-AP courses can be certified as honors courses at the University of California.  In other states, equivalent weighting for non-AP courses can generally be obtained.   A non-AP curriculum does put greater burden on school counselors to include detailed information about advanced courses on school profiles. Counselors must also devote more effort to coaching advanced students on how to obtain appropriate placement once enrolled at college.  Most institutions offer alternative ways for qualified students to place out of basic courses, including institutional placement tests and SAT Subject Test results.

The School Admissions Office (Non-Public Schools)

Many school admissions offices panic at the thought of eliminating AP because they use it as a selling point to prospective families. But dropping AP need not be a negative for school admissions.  A home-grown curriculum can help schools define their niche in a competitive market. A school may lose some families that worry about the lack of AP, but it will gain others that see value in a curriculum not connected to standardized tests. The result will be a more cohesive school community that shares a greater commitment to the school’s mission and its approach to learning.  Today, many non-public schools cannot hope to offer as many AP courses as do local public schools.  A curriculum without AP can be a curriculum with a difference.

The Parents

Parents are the biggest challenge to dropping AP, and schools should think carefully about how to educate them. Often, a multi-year process is necessary.  Parents tend to overestimate how often students actually use AP credit to accelerate their college careers. Many schools who investigate the issue find that their graduates rarely do so.  Parents also worry about college admissions, and these fears can be allayed by citing the experience of other schools that have moved away from AP, and by hosting college admissions officers to discuss how they evaluate students from schools with non-AP curriculum.

The Faculty

Dropping AP is impossible without support of a majority of the faculty.  Most schools will find enthusiastic faculty backing.  Faculty are often grateful to administrators for taking a potentially controversial stand on their behalf and understand that dropping AP is a vote of confidence in the school’s teaching staff.   Nevertheless, most schools have at least a few died-in-the-wool AP advocates, generally in math, science, or foreign language.  Such faculty should understand that dropping the AP designation does not prevent them from following the AP curriculum if they choose. Nor does it prevent their students from taking AP exams.

Can Our School Be A Hybrid?

A few schools have de-emphasized AP but chosen to keep AP courses in some subjects. This approach generally creates more problems than it solves.  The job of the guidance or college counseling office is made more challenging by the need to communicate that the school has AP courses in some subjects, but not in others. Misunderstandings are more likely.  Internally, hybrid schools risk a simmering debate over AP that is never completely put to rest.

The Long Run

After the debate has calmed, schools without AP discover a new world of learning possibilities.  Students initially continue to take AP exams in large numbers, but within a year or two, fewer students take them as they realize that the exams are not necessary for admission.  A portion of students taking AP exams will ultimately be limited to those who do so for placement purposes, in line with the original intent of the program.  For most schools, a period of managing the AP debate is well worth a permanent improvement in the school’s learning environment.