Students, teachers and parents urge board to keep year‑long AP (A/B) schedule

Hundreds of students, several parents and multiple teachers told the Madison County Board of Education on Feb. 6 they oppose a proposal to eliminate year‑long, alternating A/B AP courses and require semester‑long AP classes across the district.

Student speakers said the A/B format—where AP classes meet across the full school year on alternating days—gives them extra time to learn, complete assignments and prepare for national AP exams in May. ‘‘It will be very difficult for us to learn and succeed under the extreme conditions that a single‑semester AP class would create,’’ student Nora Patty said during public comment.

Supporters of the current schedule described local survey and petition results and warned that a switch would reduce AP enrollment and qualifying scores. Teacher Lauren Lee Baron presented results from a district survey of current AP students and classroom data: 385 AP students responded, 56% said they would take zero AP classes if AP courses were forced to semester schedule, and 81% reported participation in at least one extracurricular activity. Student organizers said they gathered more…