It was decided in a democratically held election that a majority of voter taxpayers prefer a later start date. Time to move on and do stories about how (AP) students can adjust (the only ones affected by the change).

Here comes the tired old excuses;

Due to a later start to the school year, Sioux Falls students lost three weeks of preparation for their Advanced Placement exams.

I’m still curious how they lost 3 weeks? Sure in actual class time, but with all the time students get off between the beginning of the school year and now, there is plenty of time to read and study on their own time to make it up. Three weeks is a drop in the hat. Last I checked no one forces these students to take AP courses. Why should a small percentage of HS students be determining the school start date for the large majority who don’t take the courses? Of course, the same people who are whining about this (the teachers) got a massive raise (working 9 months out of the year) from increasing the price of food on the same students who’s parents can’t afford it to begin with.

Want to be smart and go to the college of your choice? Study harder.

3 Thoughts on “Stormland TV really needs to get over the late school start date

  1. The D@ily Spin on April 29, 2016 at 5:04 pm said:

    AP courses are valuable but not in SD. My daughter started as a sophomore at U of MN with 23 AP credits. SD universitys don’t accept most AP credits. There’s full reciprocity. SD students don’t pay out of state tuition in MN. Her masters was half the price for Augustana and a third less than state schools.

    Students and parents should be made aware of this. AP credits are free. It’s possible to save a year or more tuition but have your kids go to better cheaper schools in Minnesota.

  2. don Coyote on April 29, 2016 at 11:31 pm said:

    SDSU accepted all my daughter’s AP credits except for Chemistry and Physics because her major was Chemistry. U of Mn didn’t give her squat in scholarships. SDSU kicked in about $29K. Her AP credits didn’t get her through college any faster (4 years) but it did give her a good foundation and two majors in Chemistry and Math. Her PhD at Iowa State was totally covered by ISU. A lot has to do with what your field of study is. Also AP credits are not free as you have to pay for the final test for credit. Cheaper yes, but not free.

  3. Karma on May 1, 2016 at 8:05 pm said:

    There was a story in the Fall how AP test scores had dropped by 5%. The jist of the story was not questioning why these test scores had dropped, but what effect the school start date would have on test scores for the coming year. My question to Patrick Anderson at the Argus Leader was why aren’t we questioning the administration on why those test scores dropped when the school start date had absolutely nothing to do with it? Of course, no one asked those questions because there would be no one to blame those statistics on except for the schools and teachers themselves. I have heard MANY teachers relay the information that we have entirely too many students taking AP classes that absolutely should not be. They are pushed by their parents and their teachers and the problem is if they struggle with these classes in HS, it will do them zero good in college as they will not be successful and it will not matter, as far as dollars, they took these classes in HS.

    The Argus Leader has backed off a bit, but Kelo will not let the school start date go. My suggestion to the media, if you want to continue to do stories on the school start date, actually start doing education some benefit and really report on AP classes, their benefits, their nonbenefits, and everything in between. There are oodles of articles out there on the push for students to take these classes and they are stressed out messes with no balance in their lives. The continual boring boohoo story has become tiresome and monotonous.

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