There is a season between Spring and Summer: AP testing season. This season does not come with changing leaves but rather challenges to which students and teachers are forced to adapt.
The first AP tests took place on Monday, May 2, and continued through Friday, May 13. The exams had varied starting times, including 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m. These times required students to miss class to make it to their tests while instruction continued.
Sophomore Derek Zhang is one of the students whose routine was impacted by AP testing.
“AP testing required me to study a lot more. For certain classes, the school year prepared you for the AP test, but classes like history required some extra study sessions,” Zhang said. “As long as I managed my time well, I was able to keep up the whole year. Only during the few weeks of AP testing had I spent more time studying, but it still was not too bad.”
The changes inflicted by AP testing also affected Carlmont teachers. Some instructors changed their lesson plans, while others expected students to make up work on their own time.
Madeleine Fox, a Spanish teacher, took an approach to her lessons during AP testing that demanded her students to be accountable for their work.
“It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with the class when absent. If students were absent, they were expected to check the weekly module and complete the day’s PearDeck. All class assignments were assigned in advance, and there’s a one-week grace period for late assignments,” Fox said.
Carlmont senior David Su recounted how his teachers, like Fox, either posted their instruction plans on Canvas beforehand or lightened the school work in his classes.
“Many classes are already accommodated for AP testing since most teachers knew AP testing was happening, so they eased off on the workload,” Su said. “Because of the way AP is structured, where it is a nationwide thing, and all schools do it at once, there is not much you can do about it, and you just have to go with it. Just plan ahead, stay on top of your work and make sure you feel prepared for your tests and you won’t feel as stressed.”
Each teacher and student instructs and learns differently, so they will take different approaches to education. Thus, the impact of the busy weeks of AP testing varies from person to person.
“If a student is able to manage their time, they will have no issues keeping up with the class,” Fox said.
