With the beginning of the school year, many students have adjusted their schedule to fit better with their routines. Due to the high volume of students dropping AP classes, ANHS has been left with no choice but to dissolve classes with only a handful of students remaining.
Aliso Niguel High School has a six week drop or level down policy for classes. This means that students can test out their classes until the end of September, and then decide if they would like to make any changes. Usually students tend to drop or level down from AP classes that are high stress or academically challenging.
Students should not take dropping a class lightly because once the decision has been made to level down, students can no longer change their mind.
Mrs. Holloway’s second period AP Literature class was dissolved due to the high volume of students who decided to drop the course. The remaining students were dispersed to her other periods, or periods of other AP Literature classes.
Asal Flodius (12) says, “A few of my periods got switched around a couple weeks ago because so many people dropped classes like AP Lit, and it was difficult adjusting to the new schedule.”
Due to the high volume of students who decided to level down to regular classes, faculty at ANHS ultimately came to the decision of dissolving a handful of periods because it would be an inconvenience to teach a low number of students. Instead, those 20 something students were dispersed to other periods.
Many students are frustrated because as a result of select people dropping courses such as AP Literature, most of the classes’ schedules are being changed to accommodate for the dissolved classes.
Mariam Taheri says, “I made the decision to level down and drop one of my classes because I work after school and wanted to reduce my stress. It’s my last year in high school, and I really want to enjoy it and love everything I’m doing.”
Advanced Placement courses are undeniably demanding. Since they are designed to mimic introductory college-level courses, AP classes tend to build on previous knowledge, are fast-paced and require several hours of homework per week.
Mariam Taheri also says, “It’s always good to challenge yourself in honors or AP classes but I never want to stress myself out to the point of exhaustion. There’s always a middle ground.”
From time to time, students may find themselves feeling overwhelmed by an AP class and therefore wanting to withdraw from it. But before making this important decision, it’s also important to consider some factors: whether there is a comparable, more suitable course, whether the root of the problem is fixable and whether dropping will affect a student’s college applications.
Students should also speak to their assigned counselor and the teacher of the class before making the decision to drop. Staff and faculty at ANHS are here to help and assist students in deciding whether or not they would like to drop a course or not. It is important to remember that dropping is an option not a solution.
