<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2jVMw3_1GojyY0Z00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2jVMw3_1GojyY0Z00" width="898" height="596" ></figure>For two weeks, I had accepted my fate. I would be taking my AP Calculus BC exam in Urbana, Illinois, over 100 miles and two hours from Parker.For two weeks, I reflected on how lucky I was to even say I could take the test in Urbana. I have a parent who could take the day off work to take me to central Illinois, and my family has 200 disposable dollars to spend on a hotel room and gas. Some students aren’t so lucky, students who should have the same opportunities as me, students who should be able to enter college with the same credits and opportunities as I will.At a school that preaches inclusivity—our mission statement even saying Parker is “a diverse group of people committed to equity” and strives to make students “feel known, appreciated and supported by equitable access”—the AP policy is exclusive and closing doors for students just as they are about to step away from Parker.Last year, when the AP policy was announced to the Upper School, community members, both current students and alumni, were frustrated and confused. Wyatt Chatalas ‘23 believed that Parker was shortchanging high-achieving students, and Noah Michenaud ‘26 memorably noted during a Student Government comments period that maybe he should have gone to a school that offered AP’s. Currently, Michenaud attends the University of California-Berkley, where he was able to get out of Math 51 and 52, both prerequisites for his major, with his Calculus BC AP score. There is no placement exam to get out of these classes, and students are required to have an AP score if they want to be placed into a Calculus III equivalent.Beyond Berkley, institutions like the University of Michigan, Duke University, and Boston College accept only AP credits to place out of Calculus I and II courses. With an AP score, calculus students wouldn’t just be able to take more advanced, concentrated math courses throughout college, but also save college tuition dollars on a class they’ve already taken. Once again, Parker’s lack of APs is an equity issue and a barrier that threatens to haunt students after they graduate.Students are equally distressed by the burden they are potentially putting onto public schools by requesting to take their tests in Chicago and Illinois public high schools. In a Student Government Small Group about the AP testing policies, calculus students shared how they felt they were taking up space in a CPS classroom, taking away an opportunity from a kid that goes to a public school because Parker won’t host their test. With Parker being the well-resourced, affluent school it is, I find it shocking and borderline ignorant that the school isn’t recognizing its privilege in being able to host an AP test, and instead having students fend for themselves when it comes to the registration process. Students are fighting for a spot at a CPS school and getting no administrative support when trying to even find a contact for a test. While Parker is giving $500,000 dollars to Lincoln Park public schools as a part of its neighborhood expansion plan, it is coincidentally sucking resources like computers, proctors, and spots from other public schools in the Chicago-land area—all that from a school with a progressive pedagogy whose real-world results too often contradict Parker’s mission.In my eyes, there is a simple solution. I completely understand that AP courses give Parker students no advantage when applying to college, and there is no reason to provide AP tests for humanities courses or any students other than seniors. But Parker is failing to understand how advantageous an AP test can be when a student leaves its walls. The AP policy should be amended so that seniors—and only seniors—may take AP courses. This would strike a balance between Parker’s progressive pedagogy and setting students up for success in higher education once they graduate. Students would save potential tuition dollars and money on travel fees to their AP tests, and Parker would live up to its mission statement.Parker’s pedagogy can remain intact even if it offers standardized testing. The school can still be progressive without being aggressive towards the idea of AP testing under its roof. And students can succeed without stress if the administration would just open its eyes, accept the academic systems it’s sending its students into, and allow them to leave Parker with more opportunities in front of them because of three hours and one crucial test.</div></body>

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For two weeks, I had accepted my fate. I would be taking my AP Calculus BC exam in Urbana, Illinois, over 100 miles and two hours from Parker. For two weeks, I reflected on how lucky I was to even say I could take the test in Urbana. I have a parent who could take the day off work to take me to central Illinois, and my family has 200 disposable dollars to spend on a hotel room and gas. Some students aren’t so lucky, students who should have the same opportunities as me, students who should be able to enter college with the same credits and opportunities as I will.

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For two weeks, I had accepted my fate. I would be taking my AP Calculus BC exam in Urbana, Illinois, over 100 miles and two hours from Parker. For two week

We’ve Lost The Plot

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