Autism and Preparing for an AP Exam
What is an AP exam?
An AP class is a college-level class taken by a high schooler.
The AP exam is the end of the school year exam for that class.
An AP class is typically taken junior or senior year of high school.
If the student passes the AP exam, the student gets college credit for that class.
What about taking the AP class?
For some students, taking an AP class in high school is intimidating.
The classes are of a higher level (college level).
There’s a lot of work. And, the exam takes a lot of prep.
Some high school seniors are either not focusing on college yet, not planning to go to college, or simply want to wait until college to take college-level classes.
How is my child doing in leading up to his two AP exams?
There is a term I heard recently, “senioritis.”
Typically, high school seniors like to “enjoy” their last year in high school.
It’s their last year, if you will, of being (more or less) a child.
Adulthood is the next step, and some high school seniors want to put that off as much as possible.
Additionally, they may also be burnt out.
High school is a long haul.
For some, it’s end of schooling forever. For others, they may be looking forward to college, which is a more independent type of school. They want high school to be over so they can move on.
Whatever the term, “senioritis,” means… it’s more or less about a student who has trouble focusing right at the end of four years of high school.
For whatever reason.
Well, my child has a bit of “senioritis.”
He did well for the first semester of senior year, but for the second semester of his senior year…he’d love for it to be over already.
What do we do?
Try to help him keep his eye on the ball.
He’s worked hard all year and we’d like him to get that college credit.
We try to explain the importance getting that college credit BEFORE college.
He does listen to us, most of the time.
Anyway, we know he wants to do well, we just have to try to keep him motivated.
Therefore, with the “senioritis,” it can be a challenge.
How can my child succeed?
One thing my child needs to understand is that the AP exam covers the entire year of material.
He’s not used to that.
In his middle school and high school experiences, he only had end-of-the-semester exams, not exams that covered the entire year worth of material.
What does that mean? It’s a lot of material to review.
He needs to study.
Study and “senioritis” don’t necessarily mix well, in my opinion.
My child takes practice exams to prepare, and (of course) the teachers are prepping their students.
Does he have accommodations for an AP exam?
Yes. My child has the same accommodations that he had for taking the SAT.
He gets more time to take an AP exam.
My child gets breaks.
And, he gets to take his exam in a quiet environment (on AP he’s taking at home, the other at school).
Additionally, he only takes his exams with a very limited number of students.
Will he be ready?
We think so.
He finds time to study and practice his tests.
And, with one of his classes, he’s had a tutor almost the whole time.
Above all, my child has a tendency to pull it all together for the big finals.
So, here’s hoping that he’s true to form.
He’s a smart young man and he knows he doesn’t want to repeat these classes in college.
He wants to pass. And, he wants to succeed.
In other words, we hope he does. We’re rooting for him.
Autism and Preparing for an AP exam
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