Getting Ahead of the Game by Aiden Preston staff writer
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Highlighting the benefits of taking college classes in high school
y entire high school career started back when I was in first grade and my teacher offered a test to me that would allow me to pass into the next grade’s math level. The test was offered to three people: me, my friend, and another classmate. We all took a multiplication test before we were taught how to multiply numbers in class, and out of the three students, I was the only one who didn’t pass the test. That failure motivated me to do better, and the next week I retook the test and passed. After my success on the test I was moved to a math class with all the second graders, setting myself in a more difficult course. From that point forward, I would stay in a more rigorous educational environment to challenge and better myself. That one multiplication test from almost ten years ago leads me to where I am today: I am currently in my sophomore year of high school taking college-level history, Honors Science and English, and a senior-level math class. Having a good experience with a class can be all that is needed to maintain interest in the subject. This happened to me in my ninth grade history class, and my liking of the class was one of the most important factors in my decision to 12 // BGQ // October 2021
Graphic: A. McGraw
do Advanced Placement (AP) World History. AP classes are college-level courses that are offered to high school students. The classes are challenging throughout the year and offer a test at the end of the school year that allows students to accrue college credit based on their scores. While I’m only currently taking one, there are many AP classes available at Central, spanning from AP World History to AP Drawing. “In AP drawing, what [students] have to do each year changes a little bit. They have to do a sustained investigation, [and] they have to make a question of inquiry,” says Lisa Peoples, the AP drawing teacher here at Central. Unlike most AP classes, AP Drawing does not end with a final test to determine college credit. “Then their goal throughout the year is to create a portfolio that answers that question visually. They have to make 15 works over the course of the year that somehow portrays the skill level of college-level work.” The main purpose for joining AP classes is to take the credit test at the end of the year. Prior to enrolling in AP World, I wondered how much the credit test actually helps and if there are better alternatives for early college, like dual enroll-
