Slippage

I know it's a new semester, a new grading period, and with a fresh start, many people feel that it's OK to slack off a bit since there's still plenty of time to pull a low grade up. So many folks started off the year with C's and D's but went up to A's and B's, so maybe they think they can do that again in the spring.

Here's the thing...there are WAY fewer practice tests in the second semester. You're in the middle of the SIXTH cycle out of EIGHT. That means the opportunity to raise your grade in the second semester is very limited.

Other than the AP Exam itself, for which I give you an absurdly easy 100 points just to take it, there is NO built-in point padding for the spring semester. You NEED to step up on the essays, especially if you're still scoring below the 60% mark on the multiple choice. If you're still falling below 50% on the MC, you need to be prepping yourself on your own...the practice tests in class aren't going to be enough.

These last two rounds of essays have been noticeably weaker than what I saw in January...most people aren't even trying to hit page three.

And next week is another open-ended. If you haven't made a cram sheet yet, you should!

Pick it up, folks!