The AP® Scores Can Wait

Around this time of year, AP® teachers everywhere are doing the same thing: checking scores. As soon as they become available, many of us feel the urge to log in and see how our students performed.

This year, I am choosing not to.

It is not because I do not care about the scores. Of course I do. I invested a tremendous amount of time and energy into helping my students prepare for the exam. I want them to be successful, and I am curious about the results just like everyone else. However, after many years of teaching AP®, I have realized that looking at scores during summer break often creates unnecessary stress at a time when we should be recovering.

One of the reasons is that scores immediately trigger assumptions. When a student earns a lower score than expected, it is easy to start wondering what they might be thinking. Are they disappointed? Do they blame me? Are they upset? Did I fail them in some way?

I have been there before. I have spent part of my summer worrying about students whose scores were lower than I expected. Then, when school started and I finally spoke with them, I discovered that many of them already knew they had not performed as well as they wanted. Some were actually more concerned that I might feel disappointed than they were about the score itself. In a few cases, students even apologized because they felt they had not shown what they were capable of on exam day.

The opposite can happen too. Sometimes students earn outstanding scores, and we naturally feel proud and excited for them. Yet not every student sees that success in the same way. Some recognize the role their teachers played in helping them get there, while others believe they accomplished it entirely on their own. Neither reaction should define how we feel about our work.

The truth is that, during the summer, we do not really know what our students are thinking. We create stories in our minds, and those stories often generate emotions that serve no purpose. The conversations that matter will happen when we see our students again.

There is another reason I am waiting. Summer is one of the few opportunities teachers have to truly recover. Teaching is incredibly rewarding, but it is also emotionally demanding. For months, we carry the responsibility of planning lessons, grading, supporting students, communicating with families, solving problems, and constantly making decisions. Even when we love what we do, it takes a toll.

Summer gives us a chance to recharge. It gives us space to spend time with family, travel, read, exercise, pursue hobbies, and simply rest. It allows us to reconnect with parts of ourselves that often get pushed aside during the school year.

The AP® scores will still be there in a few weeks. Looking at them today will not change them. Looking at them tomorrow will not change them either. What it can change is how much of our remaining summer we spend thinking about them.

For an entire school year, we did our best for our students. We taught them, encouraged them, challenged them, and supported them. That work is already done. The scores matter, but they are not the most important thing. The relationships we built, the confidence we helped develop, the growth we witnessed, and the experiences we created in our classrooms matter too.

So for now, I am choosing peace of mind. The AP® scores can wait.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, get the rest you deserve, and return to the classroom feeling refreshed, optimistic, and ready for a new year.

An Invitation

If you are thinking about how to better prepare your students for the AP® exam—especially with the new changes and the introduction of the Project component—this is just the beginning.

This summer, I will be offering the online course: Unlock Success in the AP® Spanish Language Exam where where we will:

-Break down the new AP® exam changes in a clear and practical way
-Work step by step through the new Project
-Explore strategies and activities you can immediately use in your classroom
-Share ready-to-use materials aligned with the exam

If you’re looking for clarity, practical tools, and a more intentional approach to AP® preparation, I would love for you to join us. Register HERE