AP (advanced placement) and IB (international baccalaureate) classes are both higher level course options offered at McCaskey and are often equivalated. The comparison of the two curricula though, is arbitrary and inaccurate. Although both courses have the same general structure of a college-level class with a nationally or internationally administered test at the end of the year, the differences extend far beyond geography.

AP classes are entirely centered around final exams. Learning how to write essays in a specific structure to maximize points, or retaining facts and dates, is the brunt of the work in an AP class. The official AP website emphasizes time management, critical thinking, and scholarly writing. IB classes, though they conclude with a test, are structured in a more open-ended way, which is intended to inspire critical thought, creativity, and connect concepts taught in the classroom with the greater world. IB claims that students will  “direct their own learning pathway.” According to JP teacher Mr Painton, a teacher of both AP and IB classes, “IB does a far better job at getting kids to apply what it is they’re learning in class, versus just regurgitation. AP is all about memorization, it kills kids’ creativity and it kills their curiosity. Students don’t ask follow up questions because they say ‘what do I need to know for the test’”. 

For some students, like junior Trevor Morgan, the concise and direct nature of AP classes is preferable to IB; “I enjoy the focus on the year end goal of the test, rather than throwing in the IA and things like that. AP gets straight to the point.” In fact, AP is so focused on the test that students are not even required to complete an AP course to take the corresponding exam. While this is beneficial for amassing extra college credit and saving time, it highlights the devaluation of the actual learning process. AP places an emphasis on the test and the specific skills it requires, like knowing how to write a DBQ (document-based synthesis essay) with a prescribed formula, at the expense of skills that can only be learned through trial and error, like writing a longform paper, a crucial skill for college. 

IB takes this into account, acknowledging that students possess multifaceted skill sets, and assessing them through a longform internal assessment (IA) essay that is written over the course of the school year, in addition to a traditional end-of-year test. The IA score comprises a significant portion of the final IB test score that is submitted to colleges. JP teacher Mrs Browning believes that the IA’s are a major benefit of IB: “I know the IA’s are a pain, but they give students a vehicle to show what they know and help their grade […] it provides a better picture of the overall student, not just the student on test day.”

IB administers exams over the course of two days, while AP tests happen in one 3-4 hour period of time. The AP method, though more efficient, does not take into account extraneous  circumstances that may impact a student’s performance. This makes IB exams more representative of a student’s capabilities because they are not expected to do the whole 3 hour exam in one sitting, it’s unrealistic. AP exams are significantly more dependent on how a student feels on a particular day or how much sleep they got the night before. 

A major distinction between AP and IB are Higher level courses. All APs, except for AP seminar and AP research, take one academic year to complete. IB offers the vast majority of classes as a standard level one year class (SL), and a higher level 2 year class (HL) which allows students to study the subjects they are passionate about in greater depth, and choose to only take certain classes for one year. 

The style of AP classes, though stifling for some students, can be beneficial for 9th and tenth graders, says Mrs Browning; “It’s a more rigorous course and it kind of falls in line with what students are used to doing, which is memorizing and taking a test.” Still, Mrs. Browning thinks IB is preferable; “IB is wonderful because while it is intense, and you do have to memorize some things, it’s more an application of what you learn. [….] In my ideal world, AP would be for 9th and 10th grade, but when you get to 11th and 12th grade, I tend to advocate for IB because it’s much more in line with what students will see in college.”

An ostensible benefit of AP over IB classes nationally is their accessibility. APs are offered at 22,169 schools in the United States, and IB at 1,207. This is largely due to initiatives for AP classes to be taught at low income schools, funded by the Federal and state governments. Though this may appear to be an honest attempt to increase the quality of education for low income, largely Black and Latino students at underfunded schools, it is no coincidence that as public schools increase the number of AP classes offered, private schools are dropping them.

Some private schools, in search of more academic freedom for both teachers and students, have begun the process of eliminating AP classes in favor of rigorous honors classes. There is a trend of teachers across the country agreeing that AP classes, though academically demanding, are too fast paced and restrictive to provide students with a well rounded grasp on most subjects. The classes don’t encourage critical thinking skills, and many college professors say that because of this, AP classes are not comparable to a true college course. Colleges may not require the introductory course of a major for students who receive an adequate score in the subject’s AP test, but that doesn’t save college students money in most cases, because jumping a full year ahead in college with AP credit is incredibly rare. Colleges are increasingly offering less credit for AP test scores. The best way to gain college credit is not through IB or AP classes, but dual enrollment in a local college.

If eliminating AP classes in favor of honors is in the best interest of students’ education, why are public schools doing the opposite? It comes down to the College Board’s business model. Though the College Board claims to be not-for-profit, the organization made a net of over $55 million in 2019, with top executives making over $350,000 a year. Most of its profits come from schools who pay to administer tests, the same schools which are encouraged to provide AP courses to their low income youth. This is how the college board sustains a monopoly on standardized testing.

 There is no substantial evidence to suggest that students who take AP classes succeed more in college because of AP classes themselves. Statistics only show a correlation between AP classes and success later in life when extraneous factors are not taken into account, like household income and prior academic success. When those factors are removed, there is almost no evidence to suggest that AP has any academic benefits. 

AP may even put students at a disadvantage academically. This is partly because of the rushed course material and busywork, though also because when AP classes are implemented, especially in low income schools, the school’s strongest teachers are placed into the small AP classes. This means non AP classes grow in class size, and don’t have access to a schools best resource: their best teachers. 

  IB classes may be preferable to AP, but both highlight major flaws in the US schooling system. Students should not have to take an IB class to get a well rounded education or have access to a teacher that inspires them to love learning, that should be the standard. IB is a great option for students who want to be challenged, but there are still widespread opportunity gaps within the IB. The program is highly exclusionary towards people of color, and McCaskey is not exempt from this fact. A study found that despite IB diploma programs expanding to public schools which serve greater proportions of Black and Hispanic students, the students participating in IBDPs are much less diverse. IB-style education should not be a novelty or a privilege. All students should be taught critical thinking skills and held to the academic standard that they are capable of achieving, regardless of their level. 

Both AP and IB classes, like all classes, come down to their teachers. McCaskey is fortunate to have excellent AP teachers who make the most of a restrictive curriculum. All standardized tests though, including IB tests to an extent, are ultimately a tool for the overly competitive and shallow college process. They perpetuate a disregard for actually learning for the sake of learning, and focus on the achievement outcome.