Riverside’s engineering classes will retain their AP weighting for at least one more school year.
Riverside engineering program director Tim Velegol received an email from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) on April 25 that course weights for seven high school classes will remain the same next year.
“After many internal discussions, we are excited to inform the field that these seven PLTW courses will continue to have the extra quality point for the 2024-25 academic year,” wrote Trey Michael, NCDPI director of career and technical education.
The seven courses are:
- Intro to Engineering Design
- Principles of Engineering
- Digital Electronics
- Computer Integrated Manufacturing
- Civil Engineering and Architecture
- Aerospace Engineering
- Environmental Sustainability
For many Riverside students and families, the AP weight of engineering classes is a key reason for joining the program.
“The change would disincentivize new students from joining the engineering program and taking more rigorous courses,” said sophomore Alex Gray.
The threat of a weighting change in the 2024-25 school year from double to single honors had some reconsidering their place in engineering. Velegol assured parents in an April 3 email that, regardless of course weighting, “Riversides’ PLTW classes will continue to deliver the same level of rigor and will continue to be eligible for college credit.” As a result, many students and parents petitioned NCDPI to reconsider the change. One petition on change.org, created by Change.org user Ava E-F, gained over 500 votes.
“The 5.0 weighted engineering classes in North Carolina have been a staple for years,” Ava wrote. “The rigorous program has led to many students receiving college credit for engineering programs and increasing their chances of getting into rigorous colleges such as UNC and Virginia Tech.”
After almost three weeks of petitioning, Velegol informed students and parents of the “unusual” decision to retain the current weights next year.
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a national organization that creates curriculum for engineering classes. According to its website, there are 71 high schools in North Carolina that offer classes impacted by NCDPI’s decision.
It’s unclear at this point if student or parent petitioning made a difference in DPI’s decision to reverse the change.
