Rule Change May Accredit Advanced Placement Tests; Current Students Included

The first act of the Committee on Undergraduate Education has brought credence to Dean May's promise of extensive curriculum reform. If approved by the Faculty, it will considerably lighten the course load for most Harvard-Radcliffe undergraduates.

The new student-Faculty committee decided March 20 to propose to the Faculty Council for a vote at the May 5 Faculty meeting that a full course credit be given for each College Board Advanced Placement examination a student has passed. The change would be retroactive for all students currently enrolled.

Presently, any student who comes to Harvard or Radcliffe having passed three AP exams is offered sophomore standing and four course credits toward his Bachelor of Arts degree. A. B. A. degree requires 161/2 course credits (The half is freshman expository writing.)

No credit is given for one or two AP's and no extra credit is given for four If a student doesn't want sophomore standing-as about half don't-he doesn't get any course credit for his AP exams.

The new rules. if passed, will:

give a single course credit for each AP exam passed, up to four. Harvard accepts a score of three (our of five) on the AP exam in most fields. Chemistry, French, and Spanish require a score of four.

offer sophomore standing and three course credits to all those entering school with three AP's Currently those entering with three AP's are offered sophomore standing and four course credits towards graduation.

In order to complete the required 131/2 remaining courses under the new system, students admitted with sophomore standing will be permitted to take a fifth course during one of their three years at no extra charge.

Current undergraduates who got four course credits with their sophomorestanding will not be affected by the new rules. But undergra??, who either refused sophomory standing or did not have enough. AP credits to quality for it will now be given a full course credit for each AP exam up to four-they passed to Harvard's satifaction.

Anomaly

"The current Advanced Placement program is an anormaly. "Dean May said last night. The program was set up, he said to encourage high schools and prep. schools to develop advanced placement courses.

Originally, students ??? advanced placement credit benefit?? ??ven if they didn't get souhomore standing because they were able to placed out of prerequist? basic ???? in many departments.

In the past do?? years, however, many prerequisites have been dropped making most AP exams worthless unless they contribute to sophomore standing.

The new rules. if passed, will come as a gift out of the blue for most undergraduates, whose long-forgotten three's and four's on AP exams will permit them to float through with three, or even two courses a year until they graduate.