Jay Mathews is probably the first person I’ve ever heard to extol the benefits of senioritis! Mathews, the creator of the renowned Challenge Index - a ranking system of high schools based on the number of kids taking AP and IB classes (but not taking into account if they pass or fail)- calls for seniors, who have already got into college and studied into inordinate hours of the night during their 3 and half years of high school to…have fun. This might be anathema to educators, who have tried to combat senioritis like the UN Food Program fights poverty and the starving in Africa.
Mathews also advocates slowing the growth on AP enrollment in another article of his for the Washington Post. He notes that, with the continued rise in enrollment nationwide, the percentage of students passing is decreasing and all classes with the “AP” nomenclature aren’t taught at the same level. For example, he juxtaposes an AP Literature class at the storied St. Albans School in DC to one in an inner city school – St. Albans’ is most likely the more rigorous of the two, but are the kids in the city schools benefiting from the class as well, even if they don’t pass? Mathews says yes. What do you think?
Shaj Mathew
kahutzler
I do agree with this. Students with senioritis may have benefits opposed to those who don’t. They go out and have fun instead of going to school, which can be a way to get all of your partying done before you enter college. Most see college as just a big frat party, but many of those students end up dropping or failing out of school, or barely getting by with their grades. Many students who go out during high school and have fun or party still get acceptable grades in school. They are able to maintain their grades; possibly because the course work in high school can be easier than that in university. Once in college, work requires more attention, especially because you’re working toward your future career. Some may have a mentality that partying in high school is fine, but in college, it’s time to get serious.
As for AP enrollment, many take it just so that they can say they have taken it. The most often heard phrase is “To look good for college.” They think that it’ll look amazing if they just take the course, but don’t care if they pass. Some students at a less rigorous school than one such as St. Albans’ can still benefit greatly. The teaching in one school may be very stuctured and tedious with certain topics having to be learned at certain times. Others may be more relaxed, and students are able to go revisit topics that they could not understand. If you only go over something once or twice, many are more likely to not retain anything they’ve learned, while students who are able to be taught a subject more than once, will be able to remember it even if that means not covering ever topic that is on the exam.