Juniors say new A.P. US History grading policies weighing them down

Juniors are experiencing a different type of grading system in their A.P. US History classes this year than has been used in the past. Some juniors are unaware that the system was even different last year and feel that they were unprepared for the change.

Starting this year, A.P. US History teachers Matt Torrens, Kim Anzalone and Margarita Morelle have made the decision to implement the weighted-grade system that college prep classes use.

In the past, the classes had been known to be manageable only because the completion of copious amounts of high-intensity homework almost entirely ensured a good grade, no matter how poorly a student did on the tests. Of course, even with the system change, the students still receive a letter grade boost because it is an AP course.

This year, however, a “test point” is not equivalent to a “homework point.” For each APUSH class, homework, participation and assessments are worth 20, 30 and 50 percent, respectively.
Torrens said this change was a consensus from of all of the APUSH teachers.

“[The A.P. US teachers] heard different anecdotal stories implying that the class was too easy,” Torrens said. “We surveyed the students and acted based on the feedback we received.”
Torrens said the decision of making such a change shows no sign of negative drastic changes in grades.

“The grades this year are a little lower, but not that much as compared to previous years,” he said. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Morelle agrees. She said the new grading system will serve as a more accurate representation “in terms of where each student stands in the class.”

“This is definitely a worthwhile change, especially because kids [in the past] have found the class to be not as challenging,” Morelle said. “It also ensures that the kids are more prepared when the AP exams come around.”

This year there are 8 APUSH classes with approximately 31 students in each class.

Students, on the other hand, are not enjoying the change as much. Junior Derek Chao thinks it was a bad decision.

“It really changes up my expectations for the class and the amount of time I have to distribute for it,” Chao said.

Other juniors are dealing with the adjustment, but feel as though it should be weighted differently. Junior Nessa Kim is one of them.

“Even though I agree that tests should weigh more [than other categories],” Kim said, “I feel like the homework in this class takes up the most time and effort. However, it’s only 20 percent of your grade.”

Chao agrees that since the class seemed easy, it was a good option to take A.P. US History.

“I don’t believe it’s fair to have a different grading system this year,” Chao said. “Junior year is a crucial time in people’s lives, and the classes before shouldn’t have an unfair advantage by not having weighted grades.”