At the beginning of every year, it is important to be reminded of the mission and philosophy of the school, but at the same time take a step back and question whether our ways are still current.

Last April a symphony of dings went off in all the upper school classrooms– an email from Upper School Coordinator Rolanda Shepard had arrived. An announcement to students about AP exams. “Sign up for advanced placement (AP) Exams!,” Shepard wrote. Most students glanced down at their computers, clicked on the email, and then their punched the delete key. A few students looked closer. “May 5th through the 7th. Multiple Subjects. Let me know if you are interested to sign up,” Shepard wrote.

AP exams had arrived and in May they were taken. Chatter around what was happening in Shepard’s office escalated. And now the place of AP at Parker should be addressed.

Currently, Parker’s official stance on AP exams is outlined in the College Counseling Manual which states: “Since all of Parker’s students are destined for four-year colleges, our curriculum relies on a deeply talented faculty who teach all of their courses at the highest level. There is nothing mysterious about AP exams… Teachers have the flexibility to responsively change their curriculum to the interests of their students or the climate of our changing world, and students find that the materials covered are always engaging and relevant.”

From the college counseling perspective, they firmly believe that students will be able to succeed in college level education without having AP credits on their transcripts. The Parker education is meant to go beyond what an AP book or exam could teach a student.

Parker relies on creative curriculum taught by stimulating teachers, not AP classes taught by a book. Parker has never offered AP classes, and the administration has continually been vocal about maintaining that stance. Regardless of the school’s stance on the matter, some students feel outside pressure to take the exams. “When thinking about college and with the constant talk of AP tests with out-of-school friends, it often feels mandatory to take them,” sophomore Avani Kalra said. “And, although some Parker courses, like Advanced Calculus class, do prepare you for the test, they aren’t specifically designed to do this.”

Despite the fact that Parker does not teach any AP classes, two Parker faculty members grade AP tests each year. History teacher Susan Elliott grades history, and Director of Studies Sven Carlsson grades calculus. For a week in June they each worked alongside college professors and high school teachers grading over 400,000 exams. Both teachers have experience teaching AP classes. Elliott taught AP classes for 20 years before coming to Parker. “I’ve also taught AB and BC Calculus courses for several years,” Carlsson said, “helped one of my prior schools pass the AP Audit the first year it was introduced, and work with an East Coast charter school network as a consultant for their AP Calculus curriculum.”

When asked if he believes Parker students should take the AP exams offered in the spring, Carlsson said, “I would encourage Parker students to take whatever AP exam or SAT Subject Test appeals to them and to be confident that the level of thinking Parker has trained them to be well equipped and to be successful.” Carlsson stresses that taking an AP exam for the love of a subject is great. Elliott agrees. She said, “No other reason is really compelling enough.” After grading  AP exams, Carlsson has come to realize, “Some students are forced to take the AP exams and are not too happy about it.” Not all students that take AP classes and exams want to, and those who do not want to and still do, often end up not scoring very high. This is what Carlsson wants Parker students to avoid.

“I think Parker should offer AP classes– or, more specifically, AP curriculum– as appropriate and when students demand it,” Carlsson said. “For example, the reason why we have the class called Advanced Calculus, which prepares students for the AP Calculus BC exam, is because two years ago a handful of students told us that they wanted it, and it really did fit their needs better than any other class we could have fashioned for them.”

The student desire exists. “Often I hear from friends outside of Parker about the AP classes and exams they are taking,” Kalra said. “I wish that I had the same opportunity to take a class designed to prepare students for the exam.”

The only opportunity Parker students have to take any kind of standardized test at Parker are those that all fourth, sixth, and eighth grade students are required to take. “Parker needs to strive to have meaningful and authentic assessments,” Elliott said. “These come in many forms, and AP exams are not the most interesting way to have that, but it is one way.”

Parker currently offers a few classes such as Advanced Calculus that are essentially AP courses if not officially. If in the future the AP system grows at Parker, the school will without a doubt maintain the attitude that students should only participate if they are truly interested in the subject.“No Parker student should feel like they have to take an AP exam,” Carlsson said, “as our school has an established reputation for providing an immensely fabulous education and preparing students for learning in college and for the rest of their lives.”

Parker students are not hindered in their educational abilities by not taking AP courses. “Parker is blessed with a lot of excellent teachers here who create challenging, meaningful curricular experiences for their students separate from the AP designation and ETS constraints,” Carlsson said, “and that is a strength of ours, not a weakness.”