By George Lefkowicz
Comment

At the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, Grady to offer AP Human Geography as a class that 9th graders could take. That was the first time an AP class had been offered to freshmen.

With the growing opportunity for these Advanced Placement classes to be taken, it begs the question, should more AP classes be offered for lower classmen? There should be more opportunities for lower classmen taking Advanced Placement classes.

When you take an AP class at Grady and you are passing, your grade will increase 10 points. You also have the chance to receive college credit if you pass the AP test. Both of these are great reasons to offer more AP classes to lower classmen.

The 10 point bonus added to your grade can help with applications to college in the future. If you receive college credit in your freshmen year and then continue to take AP classes, you could potentially finish college earlier, saving money. Colleges love to see the AP class on your transcript to show whether or not you continued to push yourself throughout high school.

Another reason AP classes should be offered to freshman is that the classes prepare you for your future and the rest of high school. An AP class is challenging, no doubt, but the work will prepare you for college early on, and even for the rest of high school. The classes you are taking as you grow older in high school certainly aren’t getting easier, so taking an AP class early on can prepare you for the rest of high school, so you won’t feel behind in your classes later on. Finally, for students who would like more challenges, an AP class can satisfy that so the student would be engaged in class.

Critics of letting freshmen taking AP classes say that the workload is too much for 9th graders and that the classes are unnecessary. Yes, AP classes are challenging, but they are designed to be. If a student doesn’t feel they are ready for an AP class, they don’t have to take one. Also, if AP classes are offered to freshmen, the students who understand certain subjects and learn faster than others can take a class that engages them rather than be bored and not focused in a regular class.

Just as AP Human Geography was recently added as a class for freshman, that the trend should continue with more AP classes available for freshmen. The classes are very useful because they prepare students for college early on and assist in applications. The classes also show students the difficulty of classes they will take in the future. Even though critics say the work load would be too much, freshman are ready for the task, and if they are not, AP classes are always optional, so students don’t have to take them even if they aren’t ready to.