AP Seminar has one of the highest nationwide pass rates of 88.3%. However, the exam scores at Jackson-Reed this year may contradict the status quo. A combination of communication errors and teacher absences led to unprepared educators and unequipped students.

Students in the three sections of AP Seminar said the problems were widespread. One class cycled through two teachers and a permanent sub. The assigned teachers were all new to the course and were not properly informed in advance of its requirements. 

In one class, students said they had to explain the curriculum to a teacher. Another section did not have a permanent classroom; students moved between the health wing, the library, the gymnasium, and a special education classroom throughout the year.

For much of the school year, some AP Seminar students “did not learn anything and just did work for other classes,” junior Colette Bernards said. 

This incident was not due to a lack of teaching ability, but rather a lack of proper communication between the administration and the assigned staff. As the AP test drew near, the class with a sub finally received a permanent teacher, but not much could be done. 

Bernards experienced this chaotic environment firsthand. She said that she feels bad for her current and previous AP Seminar teachers. “It felt as though the teachers were dropped into a class where students were used to learning nothing.” 

Most AP classes end with an exam in May, assessing a year’s worth of course content, but Seminar is different. In addition to a test, students must submit a portfolio of exemplary work–research papers and presentations–to their course instructor. This portfolio is completed throughout the year and requires one group presentation as well as three other individual projects.

English teacher Belle Belew, who taught AP Seminar from 2017-22, said the class allows educators to mold the curriculum to any focus, as long as the research skills required by College Board are taught. But she also said it is challenging for teachers, “especially considering that teachers have to grade student work as part of their AP score.”

To prepare for AP classes, teachers are encouraged—but not required—to complete an in-person training during the summer before the school year. “While in some classes teachers can get by without summer training, I feel it is necessary for Seminar,” Belew said.

After Belew left AP Seminar to teach English as a Second Language (ESL), three new teachers were assigned to the course over the summer. These teachers were first informed of their positions within weeks of the school year starting after the AP Seminar summer training was available for completion.

Teachers grade a portion of the AP exam portfolio. Teachers who do not participate in the summer training must complete an online training before grading. If the training is not completed, students will fail to receive a part of their AP grade. 

Jackson-Reed AP Coordinator Elizabeth Levenson requested an extension for the online training. “I had to call College Board, then they opened up the window for me to request an AP Seminar teacher training extension, and it was granted,” she said.

The online training outlines the requirements regarding the portfolio portion of the AP test. Teachers failed to take the training until April, just one month before the exam. Therefore, materials for the AP portfolio were not handed out until this time. This meant that students did not have time to fulfill the portfolio requirements. 

“We haven’t been taken seriously and then out of nowhere, all of a sudden, we’ve been expected to act like we’ve been working this whole year when in reality, we haven’t,” said Kalea Isaac, a senior taking AP Seminar. 

The lack of time students had to complete the portfolio caused stress on students and teachers, resulting in Levenson reaching out to the College Board again for another extension on students submitting the AP Portfolio.

Before leaving Jackson-Reed after the 2021-22 school year, then-assistant principal Steven Miller wanted to divide AP Seminar into three classes, each with a different teacher and research focus.

The idea was to allow students to choose a focus and take the proper class. However, the plan was communicated poorly to students. 

When asked if students could change to a different seminar focus class at the beginning of the year, Minsker replied, “I honestly am not sure about that, that is a good question that we didn’t really think about.” The school course selection team also does not offer teacher preferences when making schedule changes, further implicating the unrealistic attributes of Miller’s system. 

The problem with AP Seminar gets more complex when discussing the AP Capstone diploma. Instead of gaining college credit for the course by earning a three or higher on the exam, AP Seminar students gain credit towards this diploma, a certificate students earn when they pass both AP Seminar and its second-level course, AP Research. 

However, AP Research was removed from course selection for the upcoming year. Without being able to complete both courses, the value of taking AP Seminar decreases, as the AP Capstone diploma is highly valued by colleges. 

Course selections for the 2023-24 school year have already been completed without AP Research being included. The lack of preparation and motivation to make this happen is prohibiting administrators from solidifying their plans. 

Students who took AP Seminar this year are frustrated by the problems created by administration. Questions emerge about the reasoning behind offering AP Seminar in the first place, and if the class should be offered in the future if the problems cannot be resolved. 

“This course was just busy work,” Isaac said. “Classes are supposed to aid our lives and academics, and this class did neither.”