Moving Beyond the AP

Our students are best served when we give our teachers the ability to deliver academic programs that, in alignment with our mission and core values, meet students at the top of their abilities, according to their interests and passions.  We have observed that much of our students’ most purposeful, energizing, and impressive work surfaces in classroom experiences and research projects that deeply engage them. 

AP courses often necessitate prioritizing breadth over depth in order to cover a significant amount of information in a short period of time; this crowds out the kind of in-depth inquiry, thoughtful discussion, and student-centered teaching that we know leads to enduring learning.  In addition, a teacher who is locked into a predetermined curriculum is far less able to respond to students’ interests: AP courses can limit great teachers’ ability to unlock their students’ intrinsic motivation.  

Like many other excellent independent and public schools, GFA recognizes that a standardized curriculum that is not aligned with our mission and does not unlock our students’ potential is not good enough for our students or faculty.

Andover, Berkeley Carroll, Choate, Concord Academy, Dalton, Episcopal High School, Exeter, Fieldston, Frances Parker, Georgetown Day, Germantown Friends, Haverford, Lakeside, Latin School of Chicago, Lawrenceville, Maret, Milton Academy, National Cathedral School, Nightingale- Bamford, Packer Collegiate, Potomac School, Sidwell Friends, Spence, St Albans, St Paul’s, Riverdale, Scarsdale High School (public), Trevor Day

The impetus for this move came directly from the GFA faculty.  Many had been engaging with students in rich, inquiry-based courses for a decade in programs such as Global Thesis, Independent Science Research, Advanced Arts Seminar, the Human Ecology and Sustainability concentration, and the STEAM Project. Other GFA faculty were eager to replicate those models across the curriculum because they offered a blueprint for partnering with students in innovative learning spaces to unlock their interests and inspire their best efforts.   

Courses at the AP level are listed as 650 in our curriculum guide. They include classes that cover similar territory to AP courses–our advanced calculus or world languages courses, for example, are not significantly different from AP courses.  They also include a broad array of topical electives (The Modern Middle East, International Relations, War and Culture, and Comparative Religions, to name a few in our History and Global Studies Department), inquiry courses (Probability and Combinatorics,  Reading and Research Inquiries in History and Global Studies, Independent Science Research, Introduction to Investing Theory and Practice, and many more), and Advanced Inquiries (see below)  

The highest level courses at GFA–those labeled 850–are Advanced Inquiries.  Offered in each discipline, Advanced Inquiries engage students in coursework that asks them to

• Identify a problem or a question

• Chart a path of inquiry, and 

• Produce an original work and share it with a real audience.

Advanced Inquiries in the History and Global Studies department, for example, include Global Thesis and Research in History.  In science, students work in Human Ecology or engage in Independent Research.

These courses make room for students to do work that alumni consistently describe as being not just good preparation for, but also on par with the work they do throughout college. 

Each spring at the GFA Symposium, students demonstrate what is possible when we prioritize activating their interests and setting them on a path towards their highest levels of intellectual achievement in the areas of their greatest ability and engagement. 

No. GFA’s research on this topic included direct contact with peer schools and with admissions officers at forty selective colleges and universities.  A clear picture emerged.  A generation ago, taking 4, 6, or 8 AP courses distinguished a student from the vast majority of other high school seniors. By expanding and deepening opportunities for original inquiry and research, we give our students better opportunities to cultivate their intellects, interests, and passions.  We also give our college counselors better opportunities to tell our students’ stories and communicate the nature and level of their achievements.

GFA students who choose to take AP exams continue to be eligible to earn credits in many colleges; colleges offer credit not for AP courses but for scores on AP Exams. In recent years, though, many colleges have decreased the credit students are eligible to receive on the basis of their AP scores. Colleges can also limit students' ability to place into higher-level courses by requiring them to take the introductory-level classes that they offer. It has become increasingly rare for students to receive enough AP credits to place out of an entire year of college or to graduate from college in less than four years.

GFA students continue to be offered the opportunity to take AP exams. Many GFA courses provide solid preparation for AP Exams, and some students do choose to sit for the exams.