HCRAP not most important measurement of Chemistry Honors readiness

To take or not to take Chemistry Honors. That is the most pondered question during the second semester of freshman year. Students can choose to enroll in one of the few honors classes offered for sophomore year, or decide to take the regular alternative.

The Honors Chemistry Readiness Assessment Profile, or HCRAP, is a test freshmen must take before signing up in Honors Chemistry and is supposed to be useful for deciding whether or not it is the right class for students. This test scores students on a 1 to 3 scale; the higher the number, the more fit a student is for taking Honors Chemistry.

This test does nothing more than assess students on their knowledge of algebra before while implementing word problems and other prerequisite tidbits of knowledge, therefore proving that the HCRAP is unfairly based on knowledge of courses that aren’t necessarily related.

The HCRAP is fine as a factor that students take into account when choosing the course best suited for them; it’s good that the school has attempted to implement a test that may or may not, depending on the case, help students with their decision making. However, the HCRAP is just that: a test to assist for decision making, emphasis on ”assist.”

Freshmen shouldn’t completely base their decision on a test that is incapable of measuring their amount of free time outside of sports, homework and other extracurricular activities. A better measure would be of the student themselves and at what rate they are able to complete their homework in a reasonable amount of time before the sun rises.

When biology teachers warn their students extensively of the quick-paced learning and in-depth studying required for Chemistry Honors, they are not joking.

Generally, the class is a clear do or do not: If you have time management skills and are excelling in biology, take it. Any big sign of doubt, however, is a sign to stick to the regular chemistry class. A test like the HCRAP shouldn’t have to tell students what class they should be in if they have a vague idea on which class they would better fit in.

To put just one lesson in perspective, Honors Chemistry students learn how to do a concept called significant figures in two block periods. By contrast, the regular takes two weeks to teach students the concept.

With the difficulty that some students may experience in the honors course comes the difficulty of dropping the class. With Honors Chemistry being the most popular honors course, there are a lot of students who drop the class and try to switch to the alternative.

The HCRAP may be one indicator of a student’s chances of success in Chemistry Honors, but in the long term it only hints at the number of hours students will need pour over their notes, studying, worrying and trying to read between every single line scribbled during lectures.