Hal:
As you and Melanie both understand, Advanced Placement, in homeschooling or out, has its benefits and its drawbacks. True, and speaking as a totally-biased former homeschool parent of nine years, Advanced Placement is a testament to the child and to the child’s schooling. It’s not even a little surprising that children can achieve at levels much closer to their full capabilities in home school, where the entire focus is on developing competence and learning, rather than on a million other politically-driven objectives that public schools irresponsibly impose.
I for one am glad that the incredibly ignorant (was that wishful thinking?) focus on socialization, and the supposed benefits of socialization in a public school setting, of all things, is finally (perhaps) giving way to focus on something more substantive.
However, there is reason for caution. AP students who want to use their results to place out of all or most classes at the freshman level should understand that, depending upon the courses and the university, taking advanced courses starting from the first semester in college can make for a grueling first year. I have seen this up close. Unlike other freshman who are getting accustomed to college life (whatever that means), these kids wind up going full-bore from minute one. It can be very tough for student and for parent. Even kids who think they love school and learning can get discouraged by the heavy academic burden, especially when they see themselves in relation to other students who are ?comparativley?breezing through their freshman year.
Perhaps freshman courses are generally too easy. And one advanced class in the freshman year probably isn’t going to be too much of a strain. On the other hand, using advanced placement to enroll in all advanced classes probably means that you/the academic advisor/friends or others need to be prepared to lend a lot of extra support to kids who opt to take all sophomore level classes (it’s the year of greatest college attrition) in their freshman year, because they can. There may be a good reason to take at least some freshman level courses anyway. It is, as I say, a tough decision.
