As the end of the year approaches, students are beginning to feel the weight of their final exams in May. However, students who are enrolled in advanced placement classes begin to feel the stress of their college level classes.

Advanced placement classes allow students at the high school level to take college level courses, and, if able to pass the final AP exam in May, students are then able to transfer the given credit to their desired college, thus allowing them to save money while skipping college freshman level classes.

However, at De Soto High School teachers are required to give every student a final exam over the criteria from the second semester. While I do understand that finals are necessary, students taking the AP exam should not have to take a final for school. Instead, I offer an alternative. 

Students taking the AP exam already have so much to worry about and having to also take another final, on top of finals for other classes and AP tests, is something that students should not have to do. 

Not only would it help students and their stress levels, but teachers as well. In more popular AP classes, teachers would have less to grade and be able to focus on other finals, thus lowering stress for both students and teachers. 

Additionally, students would be able to benefit in their AP classes by spending more time studying for the actual exam rather than focusing more time on the final for school. 

Students should be more focused on utilizing resources such as their peers, teachers and College Board study guides to help prepare for the AP test, which would be more beneficial to students. Students also pay a large sum of money to take these tests, so focusing on studying and using resources would help students substantially.

With my laundry list of reasons to convince the faculty of DHS to stop forcing AP students taking the exam and excuse them from the final, I will now provide a solution.

Instead, AP students should be given a survey for a reflection of the year. Questions should include the support the teacher provided, as well as areas for improvement. 

As students prepare for the end of the year exams, allowing students and teachers to excuse AP test takers would benefit both parties.