Editorial: Cashing in on good grades

Those Advanced Placement (AP) classes you took in high school meant two things: no senioritis… Those Advanced Placement (AP) classes you took in high school meant two things: no senioritis for you and, if you studied hard and received a passing grade on the exam, free college credits. But now, imagine that you could’ve received cash-money for achieving that passing grade. Under a New York City-based program, some students can.

REACH, or Rewarding Achievement, is a program that offers low-income high school students in the New York City area money for achieving passing grades (at least a 3) on most Advanced Placement exam. The program works with schools with large minority enrollment, according to The New York Times.

Students who earn a 5 on an exam, the highest score,are awarded $500. Those who earn a 4 receive $400. Additionally, the program offers Saturday tutoring sessions geared toward AP exam preparedness. A student who earns a 5 and attended the tutorials will receive $1,000, while a student with a 4 who attended sessions will receive $750.

Using monetary incentives to motivate students’ academic achievement remains a contentious notion, however. We’ve all had those professors who insist it’s not the grade that’s important, but what you learn that really matters. They’d say students should appreciate learning for the sake of learning and that their motives should not be clouded by things like padding your grade point average — or in this case, money. . But scores matter, because they have a serious impact on people’s futures.

In reality, this notion feels tremendously idealistic, and in this case, the money won’t hinder educational benefit. Those students receiving the money — collected through charity — can put it to especially good use. Already many of the students come from low-income backgrounds, and those students enrolled in AP classes more than likely plan on attending college. The reward money won’t be wasted, and given the triple-digit rewards, the funds can help pay for college.

Earning college credit is a very large, if not the keynote, reason to enroll in AP classes. Earning college credits in high schools means one — sometimes two or three — less classes to worry about fitting in your schedule. But passing AP scores offer more than just relief from general education requirements. They save money, too. The less classes a student takes while enrolled at college, the less money he’ll have to pay for tuition.

Those who disfavor the program’s use of financial incentive aren’t acknowledging that the system already involves monetary motivation. Consider the student who strives to achieve a passing AP score so that he can save time and money by not having to take (insert general education requirement here).

The essence of learning and the drive to learn, excluding all the financial controversy, won’t be lost under the system devised by REACH. For the students in the 31 schools that work with REACH, the money might very well be the factor that sways them to take an AP class. If they want the reward, students won’t have a choice: They’ll have to keep up with reading and study hard, and, as a result, they might actually learn something.

Educators should laud this system as a form of motivation that will encourage students to maximize on their high school careers while being appropriately rewarded.