School is supposed to be challenging. But how challenging?
Determining the right level of difficulty is the essential question that rising sophomores should ask themselves when determining whether to take AP Seminar English 10, or the traditional Honors English 10.
Of the over 35 AP classes offered to students, AP Seminar in particular has undergone a major transition this school year. Historically, sophomores have chosen Honors English 10 as their English credit, with the option to participate in AP Seminar as a 10th or 11th grade elective, particularly for students in the Arts and Humanities department (H&A). However, starting in the fall of 2024 sophomores had the opportunity to choose AP Seminar 10, as a replacement for Honors English 10.
AP Seminar 10 is a unique opportunity that is not offered among other MCPS high schools. The course combines the framework of both Honors English 10 and AP Seminar, giving students a chance to simultaneously earn their “MCPS English graduation credit and College Board AP Seminar credit,” according to this school’s Course Bulletin.
While Honors English 10 is a traditional English class focusing on reading literature and discussion, AP Seminar is regarded as more fast-paced and collaborative. According to College Board, AP Seminar is a college-like class where students “learn to investigate a problem or issue, analyze arguments, compare different perspectives, synthesize information from multiple sources, and work alone and in a group to communicate their ideas.”
With the transition, an increased number of sophomores were able to participate in AP Seminar compared to previous years. As a result, “Three AP Seminar classes [in 2023-2024] increased to 10 [sections] this year,” AP Seminar English 10 teacher Chloe Felterman said.
AP Seminar is a challenging class that may be more manageable for students who have received a strong background in prior English classes. “While my students are doing great, in certain cases, such as putting sources in conversations, it’s clear that we should review Honors English 10 material,” Felterman said.
Throughout the year, AP Seminar English 10 students complete two in-depth projects, specifically known as “performance tasks,” in addition to an end-of-course AP exam. “I was so happy when I finished my first performance task; it was great to just be done after being stressed and working on it for so long,” sophomore AP Seminar English 10 student Benedict Santos said.
The performance tasks include a 1,200 word, problem-based individual research report (IRR), an eight to 10 minute team multimedia presentation (TMP), a 2,000 word individual written argument (IWA) and finally, an individual multimedia presentation (IMP). “There’s a lot, even the acronyms are a lot; it can definitely be really time consuming but I’m glad I took it,” sophomore AP Seminar English 10 student Meara Liebetrau said.
Class selection should be determined by not only the level of course difficulty, but the level of difficulty that students can handle or are comfortable with in terms of their broader schedule and other obligations. Through conversations with English teachers, parents and counselors, students can make the correct and informed choice for them. AP Seminar 10 is a difficult class, but if students are willing to work hard and complete projects to the best of their ability, course teachers believe that it will be beneficial long term.
