AP/IB students were not informed of the reasoning behind this change. Several AP/IB students are puzzled by this change, not only because the switch was not widely discussed or explained, but also because students did not have a say in this matter, even though it affects the course of their school year. We believe that being exempt from quarterly examinations will benefit AP/IB students and teachers, the academic environment, and AP/IB examination scores.
The AP/IB exams are administered in May by the College Board and International Baccalaureate. They last several hours and require ample class time for both students and teachers to efficiently prepare for them. The exams rigorously test all of the material that was taught throughout the school year; each class period of preparation and learning counts.
Many of the students taking AP/IB classes are taking more than one. If a student has two rigorous AP/IB quarterly exams on the same day (e.g. Calculus and Literature), in addition to having all of their other classes that day, the student will not have enough time to study for the exams and complete their homework for all of their other classes. The AP/IB quarterly exams are bound to be incredibly challenging and to require more than a few days worth of study.
Though the preparation for these examinations is supposed to help AP/IB students learn the material for the given course and examination, it might have the opposite effect; early in the year students might be focusing on the preliminary topics that are not as important for the AP/IB exam, when time would be better spent moving on to new topics.
This policy could disadvantage students at Fort Lee High School who are juggling AP/IB programs and college applications, and adversely affect their competitiveness relative to other districts, specifically the Top 10 Districts in New Jersey that also offer AP/IB programs.
We believe that the Administration and Board of Education should reconsider their policy on quarterly examinations for AP/IB students; being exempt from quarterly examinations will benefit AP/IB students and teachers, the academic environment, students' competitiveness in college admissions relative to students in other districts, and AP/IB examination scores.
Updates
October 7, 2014
The administration remains silent despite the feedback flooding in from our classrooms. Send an email to the principal today demanding they explain why this policy changed without student input. Post this link on your social media accounts so they cannot ignore how many of us are impacted by this disruption.
October 7, 2014
The momentum behind this petition is proving that the administration cannot ignore our collective frustration. Email your department head right now to demand a written explanation for this sudden policy reversal.
17 Comments
I'm taking 4 APs this year. Taking quarterly exams for all of them will prove to be quite the struggle..
If this were a case where both AP/ IB teachers comply with such decision, this wouldn't be an issue. However, the fact that both students and teacher do not agree with this "quarterly exam" leads me to believe that the Board of Education clearly does not have the interest of the students and teachers in mind. And this is not the first time the BoE has neglected to mention key information about AP and IB programs. First it was the "pay for your own exam even though AP/IB tests cost about $90-$120 each" at the beginning of the school year and now it's "take a test every marking period even though you're an AP/IB student who's already taking an important test in May."
The fact that this change wasn't discussed makes me question those making the decisions. When were they going to tell us? We are already a month into school; a big change like this could completely alter our work load and impede our learning process.
Honors and Regular classes don't have AP or IB tests at the end of the year. We do. It's that simple.
This is really an unnecessary exam we are being forced to take. With IB exams in May we are already falling behind syllabus and it's unlikely that we will finish in time. We can't afford to lose class time.
If it was not mentioned in the beginning, in no way is it fair that the administration can simply change this policy. How does this benefit students at all?
If we have an advanced level test that covers all the subject matter, why do we need quarterlies. Don't we have enough tomm study for as it is.
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AP/IB students were not informed of the reasoning behind this change. Several AP/IB students are puzzled by this change, not only because the switch was not widely discussed or explained, but also because students did not have a say in this matter, even though it affects the course of their school year. We believe that being exempt from quarterly examinations will benefit AP/IB students and teachers, the academic environment, and AP/IB examination scores.
The AP/IB exams are administered in May by the College Board and International Baccalaureate. They last several hours and require ample class time for both students and teachers to efficiently prepare for them. The exams rigorously test all of the material that was taught throughout the school year; each class period of preparation and learning counts.
Many of the students taking AP/IB classes are taking more than one. If a student has two rigorous AP/IB quarterly exams on the same day (e.g. Calculus and Literature), in addition to having all of their other classes that day, the student will not have enough time to study for the exams and complete their homework for all of their other classes. The AP/IB quarterly exams are bound to be incredibly challenging and to require more than a few days worth of study.
Though the preparation for these examinations is supposed to help AP/IB students learn the material for the given course and examination, it might have the opposite effect; early in the year students might be focusing on the preliminary topics that are not as important for the AP/IB exam, when time would be better spent moving on to new topics.
This policy could disadvantage students at Fort Lee High School who are juggling AP/IB programs and college applications, and adversely affect their competitiveness relative to other districts, specifically the Top 10 Districts in New Jersey that also offer AP/IB programs.
We believe that the Administration and Board of Education should reconsider their policy on quarterly examinations for AP/IB students; being exempt from quarterly examinations will benefit AP/IB students and teachers, the academic environment, students' competitiveness in college admissions relative to students in other districts, and AP/IB examination scores.
Updates
October 7, 2014
The administration remains silent despite the feedback flooding in from our classrooms. Send an email to the principal today demanding they explain why this policy changed without student input. Post this link on your social media accounts so they cannot ignore how many of us are impacted by this disruption.
October 7, 2014
The momentum behind this petition is proving that the administration cannot ignore our collective frustration. Email your department head right now to demand a written explanation for this sudden policy reversal.
17 Comments
I am offended and furious that I had to find out about this policy change second-hand. It's one thing to impose completely unjustifiable policy changes, but it is another to do so without even making an effort to inform the student body. AP/IB teachers and students clearly DO NOT agree with the quarterly exams, so why do they insist on making this change? The administration knows no reason and fails to consider the effect that their policy changes will have on the students. Take away the quarterly examinations for AP/IB; it's as simple as that.
I'm taking 4 APs this year. Taking quarterly exams for all of them will prove to be quite the struggle..
If this were a case where both AP/ IB teachers comply with such decision, this wouldn't be an issue. However, the fact that both students and teacher do not agree with this "quarterly exam" leads me to believe that the Board of Education clearly does not have the interest of the students and teachers in mind. And this is not the first time the BoE has neglected to mention key information about AP and IB programs. First it was the "pay for your own exam even though AP/IB tests cost about $90-$120 each" at the beginning of the school year and now it's "take a test every marking period even though you're an AP/IB student who's already taking an important test in May."
The fact that this change wasn't discussed makes me question those making the decisions. When were they going to tell us? We are already a month into school; a big change like this could completely alter our work load and impede our learning process.
Honors and Regular classes don't have AP or IB tests at the end of the year. We do. It's that simple.
This is really an unnecessary exam we are being forced to take. With IB exams in May we are already falling behind syllabus and it's unlikely that we will finish in time. We can't afford to lose class time.
If it was not mentioned in the beginning, in no way is it fair that the administration can simply change this policy. How does this benefit students at all?
If we have an advanced level test that covers all the subject matter, why do we need quarterlies. Don't we have enough tomm study for as it is.
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I am offended and furious that I had to find out about this policy change second-hand. It's one thing to impose completely unjustifiable policy changes, but it is another to do so without even making an effort to inform the student body. AP/IB teachers and students clearly DO NOT agree with the quarterly exams, so why do they insist on making this change? The administration knows no reason and fails to consider the effect that their policy changes will have on the students. Take away the quarterly examinations for AP/IB; it's as simple as that.