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The first to go was Madame Bovary. Then Frankenstein had to be sent home.

Shakespeare will stay, but only when Middletown High School teacher Debbie Leonard, figures out what other literary masterpieces to bump in order to fit his works into her crammed Advanced Placement English class schedule.

"I'll have to do one dramatic monologue instead of three. ... I am just going to teach some of the shorter pieces, but at a faster pace," Leonard said.

Missed instructional days due to snow cleanup are wreaking havoc on the schedules of teachers throughout Frederick County. But those who teach Advanced Placement courses are especially rushed, as they must cram as much knowledge into their students as possible before Advanced Placement tests in May.

Administered by the College Board, the Advanced Placement program allows students to start working on college-level classes in advance so they can earn college credits in high school in more than 30 subjects.

To qualify for early college credits, a student has to complete an advanced placement course in school, and score well on Advanced Placement tests (which costs $86 each). If a student meets an individual college's criteria, he or she can earn college credits.

There also are other incentives for students to do well on their Advanced Placement exams – they can help a student qualify for scholarships and stand out in the college admissions process.

More than 3,600 colleges and universities in the United States recognize the importance of Advanced Placement classes and more than 90 percent of colleges in the country provide credits for students who meet criteria, according to the College Board Web site.

Teachers are worried that the missed school days will negatively affect their best students when they get to college.

"Seniors are hoping to pass the exams so they can get to college and get credits," Leonard said. "... We are running really fast and hoping we can get there."

Students were supposed to have 63 full days and three half days in the second semester to get through class material and prepare for the Advanced Placement tests, which take place May 3-14.

Because of major snowfall in February, schools were closed for eight full days and started late on Feb. 18 and 19. School officials are trying to make up for that by taking two days from spring break and giving teachers full days instead of half days of instruction on Feb. 23, March 1 and 2.

But even with those changes, teachers will not be able to make up for lost instruction before the Advanced Placement test dates in May. Since the Advanced Placement classes are administered nationwide by the College Board, there is no hope that the test dates could be delayed.

So, teachers are being ruthless as they adjust schedules — skipping chapters and lessons which are less likely to come up on the exams, trimming extra material, videos and presentations.

Middletown High School teacher Jerry Donald, who teaches Advanced Placement classes in U.S. government and politics is also worried about cramming his material into a limited time frame. This year, Donald had to drop all extras from his class, such as videos and extra assignments, and shoot for the basics – covering a full chapter every other day and using the rest of his time to practice test-taking strategies.

"I cannot expect students to read and complete more chapter outlines each night and expect them to do the normal amount of writing," Donald wrote in an e-mail.

"... I try to keep in mind that students have other classes besides mine and some of those are AP classes with teachers that are in the same position I am in," he added.

Some students who are counting on the Advanced Placement classes to give them a head start in college are also starting to panic.

Nicholas Etheridge, a Middletown High School senior, who is taking Donald's Advanced Placement class and Advanced Placement statistics this semester, said he has a lot of catching up to do for his statistics exam.

"I am not a math person," he said. "I really need that personal attention from the teacher."

At Hood College, AP classes do play a role in the admissions process and a student who scores 4 or above on the Advanced Placement test for U.S. history is eligible for up to 6 college credits, said Michael Deegan, associate director for admissions.

With all the missed days in Frederick County, Deegan said he would not be surprised if he sees fewer incoming students who qualify for credits.

"We understand that this year we may see less students getting that college credit," he said.

The situation is similar at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg.

Mike Post, dean of admissions and enrollment management, said that Advanced Placement classes carry less weight in the admissions process than a student's SAT scores, grade point average and extracurricular activities.

"It's just a part of the puzzle," he said.

If a student feels that scores on the Advanced Placement tests this year were affected by the weather, they may appeal for the college to consider that as any other special circumstances, Post said.

With that in mind, Frederick County teachers will continue to push on in their classes and do their best for students under the circumstances.

"We are going to have to be OK," Leonard said. "We don't have any other choice."

E-mail Margarita Raycheva at mraycheva@gazette.net.