Precis 2

Lindsey Knight

Honors Government

Mr. Comer

10/17/14

Precis #2: AP Classes Are a Scam

John Tierney, a former professor of American History at Boston College,  in his article entitled “AP Classes Are a Scam,” posits that the College Board’s program of implementing college level courses into high schools is nothing but a waste of money, time, and inspiration.  In fact, he states that the Advanced Placement Program is “one of the great frauds perpetrated on American high-school students” (Tierney).  

In order to bolster his argument, Tierney utilizes ethos, counterexamples, and a sardonic tone.  Throughout his article, Tierney consistently employs ethos in order to provide validity and statistical facts.  The author’s appeal to authority makes the article more credible and factual to those that may disagree with his claims.  For example, he starts off his article by claiming that he has a wide base of knowledge of the AP system and its implication on the college world.  He states that the “criticisms comport… with [his] own experience of having taught an AP American Government and Politics course for ten years” as well as his teaching “for almost 25 years at the college level” (ibid.).  As Tierney asserts his expertise in this area, it is obvious that he is greatly familiar with the issue of AP’s and college.  Once this beginning ethos is established, the credibility of the article increases.  The second type of ethos that Tierney utilizes is actual statistical data.  For instance, he claims that the non-profit College Board may be biased for their programs for monetary gain as their “profits for 2009 [from AP courses]… were 8.6 percent of revenue, which would be respectable even for a for-profit corporation” (Tierney).  The use of data validates his argument and points at the corruption within the College Board.  Finally, John Tierney clearly organizes his points by stating the arguments in favor of AP Classes at the beginning of his article and addressing six pitfalls as counterexamples. He begins by reporting that “the courses allegedly provide students the kind of rigorous academic experience they will encounter in college as well as an opportunity to earn college credit for the work” (ibid).  However, he refutes these claims by insisting that AP classes are weak in comparison to college classes, that “students don’t receive college credit for high scores on AP courses,... [that] minority students are left out,” that they are costly to “low income school districts,” and that they curb “intellectual curiosity” (Tierney).  In order to successfully attack the College Board, he must highlight their faulty claims and attack them accordingly.  The use of counterexamples sets up an organized format and clearly illuminates every side of the argument for and against AP classes.  

John Tierney’s purpose is to expose the supposed evils to the public and to call a strike in order against AP courses.  Also, he adds a bit of a humorous tone throughout his essay to add a lightness to his serious exclamation of distrust with the College Board.   For example, he hyperbolises the AP scam as being on the same “scale and audacity of which would raise Bernie Madoff’s eyebrows” (Tierney).  This overextension of the truth is meant to prove the point that the scandal of the College Board is a bigger deal than many would like to acknowledge.  To further employ a bit of humor, Tierney uses some military diction when describing the teenager’s plight for college.  He asserts that in the face of college uncertainty, “one rational form of behavior is to take the shotgun approach, blasting away at the admissions committee with every weapon in the student’s armory” (ibid.).   Tierney is able to connect with the audience by comparing the AP scandal to common, tangible themes which creates amusement.

I believe that Tierney is right to accuse the college process of being inorganic and narrow, but I think that it is the best option for pre-college success.  Because the College Board’s “schemes… wear a patina of respectability,” many people buy into them (Tierney).  Having participated in AP courses myself, I confess that part of my adoration with the process was the reputation it had with colleges.  If colleges like AP classes, then I like AP classes.  However, there is so much that AP classes offer.  The quick pace and vast expanse of material teaches students to develop collegiate study habits, pacing skills, and organization.  True, the ability to slow down to take a look at a particular molecule in biology, thinker in history, or famous art piece is limited, but not to the extent that it “leads to rigid stultification” or “a kind of mindless genuflection to a prescribed plan of study that squelches creativity and free inquiry” (Tierney).  Keep in mind that once tests are over in early May, there is about a month of school left over for exploration of these things.  For example, after my AP Biology exam, I was assigned to complete a report on a controversial topic in biology.  I chose Fish Farming—something I probably wouldn’t even looked into if I were following a regular biology curriculum.  In addition, Tierney claims that “high-school AP course[s] don’t… hold a handle to any...college courses” (ibid.).   Based on my own experience visiting colleges and talking to friends, these introductory classes beyond high school are actually easier than the AP equivalent.  Often, it is a basic overview for those who haven't taken biology, European history, or art history since high school.  Therefore, if one is able to test out of an intro class, he or she won’t be missing much.  Could there be a better solution to preparing students for college?  Probably.  But for now, the College Board has established a program that people buy into, and there isn’t enough of an issue for blatant protest.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/ap-classes-are-a-scam/263456/