There is a change coming to North Providence High School. Unlike in previous years, next year’s Seniors and Juniors will be offered AP classes as part of their course offerings. Yep, you heard it right folks. Advanced Placement classes will now be offered at North Providence High School alongside preexisting Early Enrollment classes (EEP).
What exactly are Advanced Placement classes, you may ask? This reporter sat down with Superintendent Melinda Smith to find out.
As it turns out, AP classes are not a completely foreign concept to North Providence High. In fact, a few years before Principal Goho arrived, North Providence High had actually offered Advanced Placement courses to its students. However, the demand for them decreased as Early Enrollment classes were introduced, and students were more attracted to those instead of Advanced Placement classes. As more and more students signed up for Early Enrollment classes, AP class enrollment dwindled and eventually disappeared. However, now, Superintendent Melinda Smith has deemed it time to reintroduce AP classes to North Providence High.
What exactly is the difference between AP classes and EEP classes? Well, basically, the difference is that EEP classes offer course credit that will be accepted by RIC and URI. It is guaranteed. However, while some colleges do accept course credit through AP classes if you get a certain score on the AP exams, it is not guaranteed. Therefore, with many students choosing to go to in-state schools that accepted the credits, it made sense for them to take the EEP courses, which allowed them to finish college years earlier and for cheaper.
However, now that students want to go out of state for college, Ms. Melinda Smith stated that, “AP classes can help them get the universal benchmark that will give them an edge when applying to colleges.” AP classes are just as rigorous as EEP classes, however they must meet certain requirements put out by the College Board. They are also recognized by colleges nationwide and getting a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exams in May can help a competitive application even more.
When asked if she believed the students were capable and ready to take AP classes at North Providence High School, Superintendent Smith replied, “We have students who can handle rigorous curricula and we want to make students attractive when applying to college across the nation.”
Mrs. Smith proposed to reintroduce AP classes and possibly merge them with already existing EEP classes in order to give more opportunities to the students. Yet, she did not take all the spotlight, accrediting the teachers of North Providence High School for their enthusiasm and willingness to learn and adapt to the AP curricula. “Your teachers were very enthusiastic to phase in the AP program. Some, like Maria Branco and William Bowers are already trained in teaching an AP class. This is a large commitment on part of the teachers, because it takes a week out of their summer vacation for training and then requires them to create a syllabus that is approved by the College Board. Without them, this would not be possible,” stated Mrs. Melinda Smith.
When asked about his own hopes for the AP program, Mr. Goho replied: “I hope this will catch on. Having AP classes on your transcript is very attractive to colleges and the fact that we are merging AP and EEP classes is wonderful. The program will bring academic rigor and benefit to our kids.”
AP classes will be phased into the school course offering yearly, with approximately four that will be offered next year in school. The classes that will tentatively be offered in the coming years include AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP Psychology, and AP Literature. Some of these classes may be merged with already existing EEP classes, such as the AP/EEP Literature class. For AP classes that are not offered or are not popular enough to teach in school, Mrs. Melinda Smith also pointed out the Virtual High School program that the school has launched this year. “Next year, there will be fifteen spots open, five more than this year, and students will have the
Finally, Superintendent Smith pointed out that, “This all depends on student interest. If we offer AP classes and only a few students sign up, it would be uneconomical to keep offering the class.” Therefore, it is important that students who are interested in taking AP classes and diversifying their applications for college try to take the AP classes they like. An increase in student interest and attention could lead to the addition of many new classes in the future that are offered by the school.opportunity to take AP classes individually through the online school,” stated Mrs. Smith.
By: Michele Winter
