Every year, in the first two weeks of May, AP testing rolls around. This year, AP testing is from May 5th through May 16. All AP students in Littleton are required to continue to go to their AP classes even after taking their exam. This is different from Douglas County, where students’ AP classes turn into off periods, and they do not have these classes after the exam.
This difference may seem small and insignificant, however, all AP classes are geared towards the AP exam. Once the exam is over, many teachers don’t have a lot of work to give to students since students have already completed the entire course load, and still have to come to class even though they technically already finished the class. This means students have to do unnecessary busywork to fill the time from AP exams to the end of the semester, when students could be using this time to study for finals. It also forces teachers to plan activities when there is nothing left to teach.
Many of my friends, who are Douglas County students, are rewarded with extra off periods. AP students work diligently throughout the entire year, and especially in April as they are prepping for their AP exams, all students should receive this reward after this work. For example, a student who takes four AP classes would then have four extra off periods for the last part of the semester. Some may think this is unnecessary and too much, however, it is important to consider the effort this student put into this class throughout the entire year.
Some might argue that giving students this time off after AP exams would not give them enough required academic minutes for the school year. However, even if students are literally in class, they won’t be doing much work that is related to academics. So, can it really be counted as academic minutes if students are just watching movies and having free periods past the exam? Additionally, the amount of time AP students spend out of class working and studying for their AP classes should also count towards their academic minutes. In reality, AP students probably spend more academic minutes even without having classes after their exam than with having classes after the exam.
I think AP students would largely benefit from this change because it would allow them to rest and fuel up before it is time for finals week. Additionally, the majority of AP classes do not do spring finals in May, as they have already finished the course, so there is no need to go to class.