The administration’s decision last year to replace regular sophomore history classes with Advanced Placement (AP) classes has been in full swing since the beginning of this term. Prior to the change, students who chose not to take AP European History their sophomore year were enrolled in Global History.
This is the first time a department has mandated an AP curriculum for an entire grade. According to Assistant Principal Social Studies Jennifer Suri, only the title of the course has really changed.
“Global three and four almost completely reflected the course load of [AP] World History,” Suri said. “Sophomores are facing higher pressure to take on AP courses, and we certainly hope that this will help them later on for college.”
The change has evoked mixed reactions from the students affected.
Some students feel the change is more significant than a name change. Sophomore Jeffrey Szu said classes will inevitably become harder to prepare students for the test. “My friend took the test last year without taking the class and got a two on it,” Szu said. “She said that she didn’t feel prepared at all.”
Sophomore Ida Zago said she is glad the administration is accelerating the history curriculum. “It forces students to get the well-rounded education that math and science schools like Stuyvesant are not usually given credit for,” she said. “Stuyvesant is a top specialized high school. It is not unreasonable to challenge students in all different subjects.”
Many sophomores and freshmen are relieved their default history class is on the AP level. “My mom was upset that I didn’t get into AP Euro, until she realized that I would still be taking an AP history class.” sophomore Singha Hon said.
“You’d be working just as hard in a regular class anyway,” sophomore Kashyap Rajagopal said. “You might as well get the credit for taking an AP class.”
Others wish the decision were still optional. Senior Paul Silverman said, “As a sophomore, I was glad to have had the choice of whether I wanted to take an AP class.”
Some sophomores do not feel the AP World History curriculum is more rigorous than the freshman Global History curriculum. “It’s just like a continuation of last year,” sophomore Winnie Tong said. “We’re still using the same textbook and everything.”
The classes “were not meant to be harder,” Suri said. “Hopefully, this will make it easier for sophomores to get an AP under their belts.” As for how long this change will be in effect, “we’ll figure it out,” she said.
Since the purpose of the change was to see if the current curriculum was compatible with AP course requirements, “it wouldn’t make any sense to make the classes any harder. It’s supposed to be experimental,” sophomore Adeline Yeo said.
“I’m happy,” sophomore Anna Deng said. “Taking an AP just makes me feel better about myself.”
