AT courses ask students to tackle a range of skills that go far beyond the text, including real-world problem solving, project-based learning, critical thinking, design thinking, and independent work. These are exactly the skills that students will need in college and beyond, so many students will be well served by AT courses.
Course selection is a highly individualized process, and SAS is committed to providing families with the resources necessary for making good decisions. Freshmen work with their personal academic counselors (PAC) on choosing the sophomore year courses that are most appropriate for them. Sophomores and juniors may opt to work with their PAC counselor or their college counselor as they choose their classes.
The main driver of course selection should be student interest—so if a student is interested in taking a particular AT course and is likely to do well in it, we would generally encourage the student to take the course.