AP Scores at ARHS

In 2022, 447 students took 926 total AP exams for an average of 2 AP exams per student

Peer pressure/expectations

26% students conducted through Google Forms from Dec. 12 to Dec. 15"

GRAPHIC KATIA NICHOLSON

86% earned a score of 3 or higher ter, and over 90% of AP students say they take AP classes to increase their GPA.

“It would be nice if everybody who was in AP Calculus actually liked it,” McGrath said. “Most students do, but students who end up in AP Calculus are very good at math whether they like it or not.”

Many AP teachers are aware of their students’ stress levels and try to enforce balance in their class rigor. In her AP Biology class, Dr. Christine Thompson tries to prevent students from having school-related stress on vacations by avoiding long-weekend homework and tests on Mondays.

“I feel [vacations] are a time to refresh, reset and spend time with family,” Thompson said. “The school year is when students can do the work.”

Director of Guidance Lisa Connery and the other guidance counselors also play a supportive role when it comes to individual students.

“That’s really what [the academic role of guidance is] all about, it’s helping students to strike a balance in their courses,” Connery said. “One, identify where their interests lie and their passions lie, and then look at what are our strengths, and how can we take all that information and balance it with areas we maybe have to work a little harder.”

McGrath tries to help his students feel prepared for college not only by taking his tests, but also taking the upcoming AP exam so they earn college credit.

“It’s important to not ‘trick’ students during tests,” McGrath said. “It’s important for students to know what’s going to be on the test so they can prepare for the right things…so I try to be as upfront as I can.”

With so many other stresses that may be influencing students’ lives, it is important that students enroll in AP classes primarily because they enjoy learning about that subject, according to Thompson.

“I don’t want students to be anxious and afraid of things in my class,” Thompson said. “I think that students need to take AP classes that they are passionate about and have a realistic course load.”

This article was published in Feb. 2023 on arhsharbinger.com.

32% of survey respondents will take 6 or more AP classes by the time they graduate 188 students were AP scholars (had a score of 3 or higher on 3+ AP exams), with an average scholar score of 4.11

*According to Google Forms survey data and the ARHS 2022-2023 school profile