Advanced Placement courses usually rank as the top tier academic experience in most high schools, even favored over for-credit college courses offered in partnerships with universities and Community Colleges. In most cases, scoring a five on an AP exam (given in May) means that students will be given college credit for that course and the AP is accepted by every college and university.
It follows that enrolling in one or more AP courses can be very beneficial. Even students that take the class but opt not to take the AP exam will have the course listed on their high school transcripts, a clear indication that those students attempted challenging classes. Too often, however, students enrolled in an AP discover too late that the class may indeed be more challenging than they anticipated.
Pre-Semester AP “Camp”
Schools with AP programs may consider facilitating a 3-4 day AP camp just prior to the start of the new semester. This period of preparation would allow prospective students to better understand the scope of the material, peruse the text and other required readings, and obtain an advanced glimpse of the rigors of AP course work.
Some AP teachers already facilitate summer reading programs as well as computer-based assignments designed to provide both a framework for the course as well as cover basic material, thus enabling students to follow a pattern already established before the first day of class.
Pre-semester camps should be mandatory for all students in a particular AP class. Depending upon how many AP courses are offered, several camp sessions may be needed since students frequently enroll in several AP classes. If this is the case, the school can facilitate two sessions, each lasting two or three days, with a morning and an afternoon session dedicated to different AP classes.
AP camp sessions should include:
- A full discussion of the AP syllabus (required by the College Board)
- A brief dissection of the required text
- Examples of the types of assessments used and their frequency
- An evaluation of AP handbooks (Like Kaplan or Princeton Review)
- On-line AP sources and practice tests
- The creation of a preliminary study schedule
- Formation of study groups
- Tips on study and reading skills
- Explanation of the Document Based Questions (DSQ)
The Role of Parents
Because parents often have a vested interest in the AP program and frequently act as the driving force in student enrollment, parental participation should be encouraged. Parents that know the expectations of students will, in most cases, be their most important support mechanism as well as link between the teacher and student.
Benefits of an AP Camp
If properly facilitated, the AP camp experience will encourage serious students and weed out those students that, for whatever reason, cannot or will not commit to the expectations. The camp also answers parental questions and deals with specific concerns before the school year begins, eliminating the prospect of future problems.
If cost is a factor (paying teachers to be there, for example), the school may opt to charge a modest fee for attendance, marketing the experience as indispensable to success in the AP program. Because most parents see the long-term benefits of AP classes – and because they will ultimately have to pay for the AP examination, there should be no inordinate objections to charging a fee.
Overall, an AP late-summer camp is an ideal way to prepare both students and parents for the rigors of an Advanced Placement program. Because competitiveness in the college application process is more pronounced than ever, schools need to broaden programs designed to make students successful. An AP camp is one way to do this.
Join the Conversation