AP classes encourage students to reach higher
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AP English Literature and Composition students discuss a poem during a study session over PSAE week.
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 More than 100 Eagles, mostly seniors, are testing this week and next in attempt to leave high school with a few hours of college credit already in their portfolios. These students have been enrolled in Advanced Placement classes all year to prepare for the AP exams, which began Monday, May 5 and end Friday, May 16 and offer them that opportunity to get a head start.
Seventeen AP tests are offered through Lakes including Psychology, European History, English Literature and Composition, Calculus and more. Click here to read more about the district's AP program. Because several students are enrolled in multiple AP classes, 36 will be taking more than one exam, said guidance counselor Nicole Repa.
AP teachers have exposed students to sample tests throughout the year and have helped them practice the skills they need to perform well on the exams. Additionally, during the week of Prairie State Achievement Exam testing, AP students voluntarily attended study sessions led by their teachers. Students generally need to score a 3 out of 5 or higher on an AP test to qualify for college credit, though colleges have varying expectations.
Next year, the number of students enrolled in the AP courses has more than doubled, Repa said, from 177 this year to 382 next year. She said she attributes the significant growth to students having a better understanding of the benefits of challenging themselves academically. |
