Q. My 15-year-old son is currently entering 10th grade and is in the honors program. In ninth grade he didn't earn good grades, although his teachers thought he was learning the material and was an asset to the class. I do think he's learning more in the honors program than he would in the regular classes. The cause for his poor grades is primarily organizational.

This past summer, he repeated a class in a non-honors format, received an A and finished the course work two weeks early. I'm torn between leaving him in the competitive honors program, or enrolling him in regular classes where he would receive better grades (a number of other parents have chosen this route). Is the purpose of high school to learn or to earn good grades? The question is especially important when the trade-off affects post-high school educational opportunities.

A. Many parents and even students themselves question the issue of whether students should take challenging honors or Advanced Placement classes in high school. Some schools weigh these advanced classes, so that a B for an honors class receives the same weight in the student's grade point average as an A for a regular course. When schools weigh grades, it encourages students to take the more challenging courses because they recognize the advantage more of this work has in their class rank.

Colleges do value honors and Advanced Placement courses more than regular courses, so your son won't be penalized for his efforts to learn more. But the students who are taking the easier courses won't be considered as competitive in their applications for college, even if they earn A's.

The correct answer for your son is very individual.

First, taking these difficult courses prepares him better for the challenges of college courses. The fact you've discovered his organizational problem can help him to attack the problem and gradually improve on it. While it's important for high school students to learn to work hard in their studies, there also should be some time for fun, physical activity, hobbies, and involvement in outside interests.

You and your son may be able to compromise on finding a solution to his taking some honors courses and regular courses. It would be most important for him to take the advanced courses in his areas of strength or potential career interests. In subjects where he feels less enthusiastic, he could take easier or general-level classes. He can also talk to his counselor and teachers to help him find the right direction without overloading himself. Your support for his finding balance can take some pressure off him while still allowing him to experience sufficient challenge to best prepare for college.

For free newsletters about visiting and choosing a college, or about organizational skills, send a large, self-addressed, stamped envelope to P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094, or for more information, visit www.sylviarimm.com.

Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the author of many books on parenting. More information on raising kids is available at www.sylviarimm.com. Please send questions to: Sylvia B. Rimm on Raising Kids, P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094 or srimm@sylviarimm.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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