Registering for an AP Exam without taking the class will no longer be available at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
The rule has begun enforcement through the 2024-2025 school year and intends to be an indefinite regulation. Recently, Principal Danie Hemberger exactly outlined why the rule went into effect through a weekly e-blast. While many reasons were outlined for the change, one of the most important was to decrease student stress and competition on campus.
Students have shared mixed opinions about the change. Some find it a good addition, while others either disagree or do not care about the change.
Junior Maya Goodrich commented on the new policy.
“Self-study should be implemented in the school rather than limited even if the class exists. It allows students to prepare for the AP exam in their own time and thus promotes them to add AP scores to their college application. A removal of this ability is unfair”, she said.
Other students have taken a different stance on the matter, as self-studying for an AP exam may have not been in their best interest.
Junior Hrishi Patel spoke on the relevance of this policy change to him.
“While I think AP self study is a beneficial aspect of high school, I just don’t find it super important. It doesn’t really affect me and others who take AP exams, and it effectively decreases the competitive nature of high school,” he said.
There has been an effort to repeal the change. The High school student Board of Education representatives for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District created a Google form where students could anonymously share their thoughts about the change. The representatives present this information at a board of education meeting to demonstrate student reactions to the policy and potentially amend it.
Senior Isabel Lu, a senor who is a Board of Education student representative, commented on the effect and change.
“We were helpful in swaying to amend the policy to include exam exemptions for seniors. But ultimately the administration thinks this is the best decision and as the student body we must trust they have our best interests in mind. Hopefully this will help dampen some of the highly competitive nature of our school,” she said.
While the rule has seen varied reactions among students, the Bridgewater-Raritan administration makes rules in order to better student life. While the repeal effort has resulted in somewhat substantial changes, much of the policy is expected to stand, cooling down the heated academic environment of the high school. Only time will tell the true effects of this very new policy change.