A new study raises a red flag regarding Advanced Placement courses and International Baccalaureate programs in public schools.
Researchers say the programs contribute to a new underclass of students. This lower cohort would consist of the group that "dwells below the level of AP and IB study, in lightweight, second-tier courses that might be called 'honors' or AP but lack rigor. If you have a child taking AP courses at a high school where few students ever pass AP tests, then your kid is probably a member of the underclass," according to an article in the Washington Post by Daniel de Vise.
As parents know, many high school students sign up for AP classes (perhaps due to prodding at home), but don't take the exam to receive AP credit. They know they won't pass it. It's tough.
Here's the study. The authors are Regina Deil-Amen at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Arizona, and sociologist Stefanie DeLuca at Johns Hopkins University.
This controversy will sound familiar to those who recall a previous generation's contentious debate over "tracking" of students into vocational programs. It might also ring a bell with those who casually observe that many students in "Gifted" or "Talented" programs are definitely not gifted nor especially talented. (Okay, we're all gifted and talented in our own way, but please. This is way beyond All the Children Are Above Average.) In some school districts, the majority of seniors graduate with high grade point averages. Unfortunately, way too many of these same students need developmental education.
The solution, the authors write, is to "abolish tracking altogether and to re-imagine high school as a tool to prepare all students for both college and careers," according to the Post article. Students would choose from several academic “pathways” that “include both academically rigorous, college-preparatory requirements and challenging professional and technical knowledge grounded in industry standards,” the scholars say.
Easier said than done, of course, but certainly worth examination. The challenge involves avoiding discriminatory outcomes based on income and ethnicity when students (and parents) "choose" a curriculum.
Comments