COLUMN: AP credit aptly proves competence

---

by Chris Ciompi

---

When I heard that my six hours of AP English credit were going to count only as elective hours, I was angry enough. Finding out that I had to take an English Competency Exam, a two-hour test consisting of one essay, made me irate.

I guess the three essays I wrote in the two- hour AP exam were not good enough for Rice, even though they satisfied the AP grading committee, a committee put together of top college and high school English professors.

Anyhow, I bottled up my anger and went in to take the test with the rest of the freshman class. There were six essay topics given, and each student had only to write on one. Four topics were persuasive essays, the first focusing on overpopulation and the last three on the dropping of the atomic bomb.

These essay topics closely resembled the persuasive essay section on the AP English Language Exam.

Another choice for the Rice freshmen was an essay analyzing a poem - a topic covered on the AP English Literature Exam.

The last possible choice for the newcomers was an essay comparing two works of art. This choice's inclusion is somewhat of a mystery, yet it does have an AP sister as well, that being found on the History of Art exam.

So, should I assume that these similarities are just coincidences.

Well, if they are, then the Rice English Faculty is thinking much along the same lines as the AP committee.

Why then do we who AP'd out not at least place out of English 103 when passing the less comprehensive Rice English Competency Exam exempts us from this class?

This test raised quite a few questions, but the results made the questions bubble over.

About 110 Rice freshmen failed the test, automatically placing them in English 103. I know of at least five of those who failed who received AP English hours from Rice, and I have not been looking for such students.

However, I have been searching for the elite, those that received a "satisfactory." I have found two students with such an incredible score, a score that brings to mind the word "average" or the letter "C." While the elite English students of the freshman class achieved a "satisfactory," the overwhelming majority of Rice freshmen received a "low-pass."

This lower-than-mediocre score places those students out of English 103, yet a superior score of "5," a score only 13 percent of the students who take the AP test receive, does not? That does not seem consistent or fair.

So what did those five students, who are getting AP English credit but still have to take English 103, do? Well, they just took the slap in the face and enrolled. What else could they do? Right?

Wrong. This is the point where the English Department redeemed itself somewhat. One of my friends who failed went over to argue his case. Instead of just turning him away, someone looked over his essay with him. In fact, the professor had this student read his essay to her. After he finished reading, she asked him where he wanted to begin discussing why he failed. The willingness to take a second look, to even re-evaluate a single student's status impressed me. The AP committee would certainly never do the same.

Overall, I guess the Class of 1999 came out of the experience with a better idea of their level of writing as compared with the university level, but I think the test could be given in a different manner.

Students without AP English hours could take it to try to place out of an otherwise required writing course, but those AP hours should be taken. Colleges like Rice encourage high school students to take AP classes, so why should they have a problem rewarding those who do?

Well, basically Rice does not. No department other than English has a problem taking AP credit. Explain that.

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the September 8, 1995 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.