Fourth quarter is consistently one of the most stressful periods of a high school student’s life. Not only does it count the most in final grade calculations, but also it is riddled with some of the difficult tests of the year: finals, Regents, SAT IIs, and AP exams.
Although not all students take AP classes, a large portion does. Despite having the desire and motivation to prepare for these college-level examinations, students often face the harsh reality of not having enough time to study. This issue arises mostly as a result of an existing rule that requires students to attend classes on all days of AP testing week, with the exception of days on which they take tests. If a student completes an AP exam in a specific subject area, he or she is forced to continue attending that class until the end of the AP exam weeks.
Students who would like to stay home and study for upcoming AP exams are required to sit through classes for which they have already taken AP exams. These classes either discuss specific questions from the AP exam, the answers to which students cannot change, or watch a movie or a video to relieve the students’ stress. Although some classes do “hit the ground running” in terms of Regents preparation, students still have to sit through class instead of utilizing time to study for upcoming tests.
The Schreiber Times praises the administration for releasing students from classes on the specific days of their AP examinations. However, Schreiber should permit students to not attend an AP class during AP week after completing the examination in that subject. Preparation for June Regents tests could begin after AP week.
With more time to space out their studying, students can decrease stress levels as well as prepare more meticulously for these exams, many of which may provide them with valuable college credit in the future.