Honors Students Raise the Bar in 'Regular' Courses

Vienna

Thomas Jefferson High School

for Science and Technology

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These are excellent questions and many have no set answers. Each department in each college usually decides how much credit it will give for AP or International Baccalaureate courses and tests. The system is confusing, but usually works out for the students. Here is why:

Almost all accept AP or IB credits, and those that do not will often allow the student to take a second-level course if the first-level course would be a repetitive bore. It is the same with post-AP courses. If your kid has mastered the material, and can show that, the same course will not be required.

In most cases doing well in AP or IB courses will reduce the number of courses required for a college degree.

Some students have enough AP or IB credits to start college as sophomores. But some schools, although advancing the AP or IB students to the next level, will not grant a degree with less than a four-year load at that institution. Such barriers, however, are often overcome.

This column has examined the issue of the post-Labor Day start to the Virginia school year many times.

The schedule is unlikely to change soon.

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