Choose Between AP Exams and Competing in the State Track Meet?

I tead this comment on Facebook. It is referencing the state track championship meet on this past Thursday.

“I cannot offer any kind words for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) - scheduling a state track meet for a school day is one thing but on a day of Advanced Placement tests is disgraceful. The KHSAA made STUDENT-athletes choose between taking tests that would gain college credit and competing at state.

I think we should encourage kids to challenge themselves academically and not punish them. The bright side of this experience is that the students carried themselves with grace and dignity and did what they could under trying circumstances. Maybe, they taught a lesson to the KHSAA.”

Thoughts on this?

On one hand, I understand KHSAA spot in this. Getting event venue contracts, working with sites and vendors, its not an easy thing to do. Follow that up with the other option would be to have them on Memorial day weekend. (which I just happen to know was the backup plan if pending weather canceled any part of the meet and they couldnt get it in this weekend.)

On the other hand I have to ask, which date was set first? Is the AP test date the same every year? (I dont know the answer to this question) If not then cant really blame the KHSAA as they normal have a 3 year ahead plan on contracts and dates. Being they are working with UofL and UK for venues that takes some in the future planning.

On the third hand life is all about choices, you will be in many situations like this as an adult, make one and go on with it.

Bashing the KHSAA for this is fine if you dont understand the larger scope of the picture.

Someone dropped the ball, either the KHSAA or whoever scheduled the AP test on the same days as State Championships.

The AP dates were known 9 months ago (before school even started) and I'd assume the Track Finals dates were known at that time also...someone should have stepped in and fixed this.

It's crappy to expect a kid to work hard all year long then pass up the chance to compete or get AP credit.

Someone dropped the ball, either the KHSAA or whoever scheduled the AP test on the same days as State Championships.

 

The AP dates were known 9 months ago (before school even started) and I'd assume the Track Finals dates were known at that time also...someone should have stepped in and fixed this.

 

It's crappy to expect a kid to work hard all year long then pass up the chance to compete or get AP credit.

You make it sound like its a phone call and its fixed. It is not that easy.

You make it sound like its a phone call and its fixed. It is not that easy.

I didn't infer that at all, my point was this didn't just come up this week. Someone knew or should have known this was an issue many months ago at least at the beginning of the school year and in that time some kind of relief for students could have been made.

I didn't infer that at all, my point was this didn't just come up this week. Someone knew or should have known this was an issue many months ago at least at the beginning of the school year and in that time some kind of relief for students could have been made.

Plans for this stuff are not made year by year, they are made years in advance, while also avoiding title IX issues and scheduling other state championships that may conflict on top of that, all while missing graduations as well.

I will ask again, are the AP exams the same dates every year?

Plans for this stuff are not made year by year, they are made years in advance, while also avoiding title IX issues and scheduling other state championships that may conflict on top of that, all while missing graduations as well.

 

I will ask again, are the AP exams the same dates every year?

I don't about dates but they always seem to fall the last week to ten days of our school schedule.

When was the current schedule for the state track meets made? This season could have been scheduled a couple of years back or could have been finalized over the past school year. Either way someone should be in charge of cooridinating these things between athletics and education at the state department of education level.

The AP dates are not set at the state level but are set by the College Board and the 2019 dates are already set for May 6th-17th 2019.

Sounds to me like the solution is to make track go back to one class, then you only need one day to hold the events and dont need to miss any school days.

BTW 2 weeks of AP exams, ridiculous.

Sounds to me like the solution is to make track go back to one class, then you only need one day to hold the events and dont need to miss any school days.

 

BTW 2 weeks of AP exams, ridiculous.

Then you don't understand them...two exams per day for 10 days to ensure all AP classes are covered. Passing these classes in nearly all cases count as college credit hours, the test are 3 hours long.

Then you don't understand them...two exams per day for 10 days to ensure all AP classes are covered. Passing these classes in nearly all cases count as college credit hours, the test are 3 hours long.

No I get it, I took 4 of them my senior year, I get it, all were in the same week, first week of May. Now it seems we have an AP for everything, if you look at the list of test. You cant put Athletics on hold for 2 plus weeks.

Sounds to me like the solution is to make track go back to one class, then you only need one day to hold the events and dont need to miss any school days.

 

BTW 2 weeks of AP exams, ridiculous.

Or instead of missing school days schedule the state meets on Saturday and Sunday.

No I get it, I took 4 of them my senior year, I get it, all were in the same week, first week of May. Now it seems we have an AP for everything, if you look at the list of test. You cant put Athletics on hold for 2 plus weeks.

So teaching and having available more advanced classes is a bad thing?

You can schedule track finals on the weekend or just admit education is secondary to athletics for waaaaay too many people.

Or instead of missing school days schedule the state meets on Saturday and Sunday.

They did, but there were 3 of them, so a weekday is getting hit somewhere.

BTW this cant be an argument when basketball misses most of a whole week for its state tournament.

So teaching and having available more advanced classes is a bad thing?

 

You can schedule track finals on the weekend or just admit education is secondary to athletics for waaaaay too many people.

Or track goes back to a non classified event and you only need one day to complete it.

Nobody seems to mind when all the other sports miss days of school for state tournaments.