How should we measure the value of Advanced Placement classes if the effects are hard to quantify? A recent study of 28,000 Texas students shows little gain in college grade-point average or in decreasing dropout rates based on AP experience. Should this discourage our children from taking challenging classes in high school? My experience with high school students is that they rise to the challenge. Students who take courses in which they read, write and think at an advanced level will almost always find those courses worthwhile — even if gains can’t be shown statistically.

Based on 23 years of teaching high school seniors, I find that students scoff at teachers who give out worksheets and require repetitive homework. Regardless of their aptitude, students would rather read unabridged novels and plays than textbook excerpts. They prefer assignments requiring creativity — the kind that can’t be shared or copied. It might sound counterintuitive, but students “cheat” more in easy classes because, according to them, those assignments “waste” their time.