No credit for the College Board

    The Educational Policy Committee's proposal to cap the number of Advanced Placement (AP) courses allowed to fill distribution requirements at five has met with both praise and criticism from the Tufts community. To date, the suggestion has divided the Tufts Community Union Senate but garnered widespread support among the faculty.
    Whichever side of the issue you stand on for whatever reason, this decision illuminates a deeper issue that stems not from the school but from the AP system itself.
    AP tests and classes are some of the most memorable (although not necessarily enjoyable) parts of high school. But if you ask any two people what their AP experiences were like, you could get two entirely contrasting answers. Some AP classes come complete with a seemingly insurmountable workload and a teacher who grades harder than most "tough" college professors, while others are naptime disguised as academic courses. Some teachers spend all school year teaching to the AP tests, while others focus on developing valuable skill sets that benefit students for years to come. At the end of the year, the test for both of these classes is standardized; the courses, however, certainly are not. And that seems to be the root of the problem.
    While AP scores do manage to say something about the information learned in an AP course, they say very little about how the course was taught, what skills the students learned, or how prepared they are to understand higher-level material in college. This disparity means that woefully unprepared students could be passing into classes they are not prepared for based solely on an AP score. Conversely, however, limiting the number of AP classes allowed to fill distribution requirements could force students to take classes with subject matter similar to that which they have already completed.
    From the perspectives of universities like Tufts, limiting the number of AP classes used to fill distribution requirements ensures that all students are assured of a liberal arts education that AP tests may not be able to provide. In this way, Tufts recognizes that there is a flaw in the system and is doing what it can to alleviate the problem.
    Of course, not accepting certain AP scores or capping the number of scores students can use doesn't come close to addressing the issue — it merely puts a bandage over an ax wound. It does not change the fact that there is immense pressure in many high schools to take as many AP classes and exams as possible or that many students are taking AP tests long before they know which colleges they will be attending and which AP courses those schools accept. It cannot force high school teachers to all teach the same way and cover the same material or prevent them from solely teaching to a test.
    While the Tufts community stands divided over the issue, it is important to remember that there is much more at work in this situation and that the AP system can only say so much about a student's level of proficiency in any given subject.