AP Exams: 80% of Us Are Doing It

The Worldwide Advanced Placement exams, commonly referred to as AP exams, began on May 6th covering subjects such as Calculus, English, Foreign Languages, and the Sciences. In 2012, more than 2 million students worldwide took 3.7 million AP Exams. 80% of students who qualify opt to take the exams, no matter how challenging. However, these exams aren’t like your typical tests with a passing or failing grade. It is impossible to fail this test.

When students take the exams, they can receive a score of one to five, which indicates poor comprehension of the subject or an excellent grasp of the subject. For many colleges, a score of four or five on an exam allows students to be exempt from the corresponding college course. Some schools will even accept a three for credit. The $89 exam in high school could save up to $1200 in college credits. For many students, the challenge of the exam is worth the possible college credit.

 73.4% of New Jersey exam takers passed the exam with a score of three or higher, the highest percentage in the nation in 2012. Although Sterling’s 55 AP students pulled an overall average score of 2.56, slightly less than the international average of 3.18, students were able to achieve an average score of 2.85 on the English Literature exam and 3.6 on the Biology Exam, both above the international averages last year.

Why take the exam? Besides a chance at college credits, 82% of students say that the class is more worthwhile than regular level classes. Our students agreed. AP student Michelle Tang agreed, “AP classes are much more challenging than a regular level class. They require independent study which some kids can’t handle.” Other students steered clear of the classes. Kellyn Lowden, a non-AP student remarked, “Honors and AP are hard. They’re way too intense for me.”

Although AP exams and classes are a great commitment, Sterling students are up for the challenge. Emily Strauser, an AP student at Sterling, says, “The tests are hard, but they can be worth it. It’d be nice to skip that class in college.” 

Hard Article, Politics and Such

Jeremy Peters', New York Times, article "House Votes Again to Repeal Health Laws" discusses the vote to repeal the new health laws in a fairly balanced way. Peters reports that "the law had passed 229 to 195. No Republicans voted against the repeal and two Democrats voted for it."

Peters' article discusses the repeal and those who commented on it. His primary focus is the comments made by those pushing for the repeal. Michele Bachmann, head of the push for repeal, is a main point for him.

However, Peters also quotes other representatives who spoke such as "Representative Luke Messer, a freshman from Indiana, said that he could not possibly sum up in the minute allotted all that was wrong with such a wretched law."

Peters is also careful with his facts. For example, when one representative said " the law was making medical students anxious about what awaits them upon graduation. Some undergraduates, he said, do not want to even go to medical school because of the law," Peters followed with " (The Association of American Medical Colleges, however, has reported a steady increase in medical school enrollment every year since 2008.) " He also linked this statement to the report to back himself up.

Peters ended the article with the simple statement of "But the bill, which has no chance in the Senate, will go no further." This is the entire point of the article. The repeal passed, and the bill will not move forward. Even a reader who swims to the end will see this.

Overall, Peters does a fairly decent job of reporting a political event without taking a side. He is able to remain unbiased, and that makes it a good article.

You Can Find the Article Here!

Soft Article, short and to the point

Nick Bilton's, the New York Times, article "Yahoo to Buy Tumblr for $1.1 Billion" discusses the rumor of Yahoo, a large web-search organization, and their possible acquisition of Tumblr, the online blogging site. Yahoo is due to make a formal announcement on the sale on Monday, May 20th.

However, this article sites a source "who was not authorized to speak ahead of the announcement" and thus, remains nameless. Yahoo declined to comment, and "a representative from Tumblr was not immediately available."

The article is designed to get the information about this deal out there as soon as possible, even with nameless sources. It does not contain any comments from either company. Bilton gives background on both online sensations such as "Facebook, Microsoft and Google all showed interest previously in purchasing Tumblr, an employee of Tumblr said, but those talks never culminated in final offers."

He ends with the question of "It is unclear if all of the company’s 175 employees would become Yahoo employees, too," as well as gives credit to the origins of the story: "The deal was first reported by the technology news site AllThingsD. "

Bilton also discusses Marissa Mayer's, head of Yahoo, career and her decision to buy Tumblr to catch up with the social media. He does not, however, have a comment from her or her people.

Bilton effectively reports the information in a short, one-page article. Because of a lack of details, a longer article would have been pointless.

The Article can be found  Here!

Cookies, Camp, and Crafts

                 When people hear the words “Girl Scouts,” they think of cookies, camp, and crafts. GSUSA is trying to change that. Girl Scouts is where “today’s girls become tomorrow’s leaders.” 
                 This is their mission, and it is reality. GSUSA reports that 53% of all business women are former Girl Scouts, and 60% of the women in the House of Representatives were Scouts. Even with these great statistics, the first thing that comes to mind is “Thin Mints!” How does GSUSA fix this?

                 In 2010 there was a major rebranding of Girl Scouts. The logo was updated, it now features a more vibrant shade of green, and a new campaign, “What Did You Do Today?”, was launched to appeal to the perspective of girls. The campaign was designed to target middle school girls, especially those who have dropped out of scouting around the 6^th grade.  

                In 2011, the Girl Scout Badges were completely redesigned for the first time since 1987. The new badges were presented in 2012 along with the new Girl Guides and the Leadership Journey Series.  Gone is the Fitness, Makeup, and Fashion badge from the 80’s. In its place is the Science of Style Badge that focuses on nanotechnology and the science behind fabrics. In 2013, the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles began testing out a new Video Gamer patch in an effort to appeal to modern girls, who are way more interested in technology than they are crafts, while partnering with WIGI to help girls design and program their own video games.

                Local councils, including our own GSCSNJ, are making the push to recruit and retain today’s modern girls. GSCSNJ offers STEM programs, Lego Robotics patches, and the Leadership Journey. According to a representative from our local council, “GSUSA has led the strategic movement for developing a leadership journey modern girls want to see, but GSCSNJ has fully supported these changes to keep Girl Scouts alive.”