AP Seminar is an English course for sophomores that replaces the Sophomore Honors English course and it first ran in the 2024-2025 school year. This advanced college-level course aims to equip students with essential skills in writing, research and collaboration. 

Other local school districts have successfully introduced AP Seminar as an advanced Sophomore English course, which supported Lockport’s confidence in making the transition. The results of Lockport’s class of 2027 taking the AP test in 2025 were impressive, with 93% of Lockport’s students earning college credit with a score of 3 or above.

Despite the description of the course and its data, the class has sparked controversy among students at LTHS. Some students found that the class was beneficial in their learning, the books taught were enjoyable, writing skills were improved and the research topics discussed were engaging; however, many students struggled with the course and the work ethic it required. 

This mixed experience raised concerns among current sophomores (2028) which led many students, who previously excelled in Honors Freshman English, to opt out of AP Seminar based on the feedback from their older peers and siblings. Department Chair of the English Department and AP Seminar teacher, Dr. Carter, acknowledges that students felt overwhelmed by the AP Seminar course. She encouraged students to “persevere, even when that is uncomfortable or challenging because in the end, completing the AP test was a rewarding experience for my previous students.”

Another common misconception about AP Seminar is that it doesn’t benefit students without other qualifying classes for college credit. This is not true; many colleges accept AP Seminar credit, whether that be for a general English or an elective course. Students who excel in both AP Seminar and AP Research can earn a capstone designation, recognizing their success in these classes.

During a recent Board of Education meeting, AP Research was approved as an elective course at Lockport for the next school year. Now, juniors and seniors at Lockport who took AP Seminar can receive the capstone by succeeding in both AP Seminar and AP research.

Many may wonder how AP Seminar prepares students for future advanced English classes, such as AP Language and Composition, the advanced English option for juniors. “AP Seminar focuses on claims, evidence, and line of reasoning in writing, which is the foundation for students’ writing in AP Language and Composition,” explains Mrs. Pompilio about how students prepare for her class by taking AP Seminar.

“It is still early to truly know how much of an impact AP Seminar has had on my current junior students,” Mrs Pomplio said, “but I am hopeful that with the common writing language and similar skill acquisition, my students are starting the year with an advantage and we will not be starting from scratch in AP Lang as in years past.” 

In the past, the transition from Sophomore Honors English to AP Lang was a challenge for students and teachers because the course emphasizes nonfiction and rhetorical analysis over fiction-based literary skills. “Students read and analyze texts from the viewpoint of the writer and the rhetorical situation instead of from a literary perspective,” she added.

While AP Seminar prepares students for AP Language, it may be better suited for seniors because, “part of a student’s AP Seminar test score is reliant on group members doing their part of a presentation and doing it well. Because part of a student’s AP score is based on others’ work and abilities, I believe seniors would be better suited for the course. Seniors will have had 2 extra years of coursework and skill acquisition, and frankly, they are more mature and will understand their responsibility to the group,” stated Mrs. Pompilio. 

All in all, there is still work to be done to support sophomores taking this course here at Lockport. The future of the English Department is bright, and it has the potential to improve even further.