Shock Therapy

Dumbed down is right! Regular level high school classes cater to the lowest common denominator, leaving the quick learners bored to tears. The answer to this is differentiation and alternative assessment. Same tough curriculum, different ways to learn it. Take into account the learning speed and learning style of each student and make sure that they LEARN! Assess their learning by means other than multiple choice tests. Lower class size so that teachers can do this effectively. Then any kids who wants to try an AP class can do it without being limited by traditional grading systems. At least this sink-or-swim approach is catching some of the hidden talents of the bored and dissenfranchised. It is time to focus on developing the skills of high potential students!

I WAS TOTALLY SHOCKED TO FIND MY HIGH SCHOOL ON THIS LIST. GRANTED IT CAME IN NUMBER 500+ (HOMES HIGH SCHOOL, COVINGTON, KENTUCKY). MY SCHOOL IS ALSO AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST IN STATE RANKINGS. I TOOK A FULL IB COURSELOAD AND RECEIVED THE DIPLOMA. I ALSO LIVED SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GHETTO. I WAS ON SUBSIDIZED LUNCH AND LIVED IN A SINGLE PARENT HOUSEHOLD. ALL OF MY NEIGHBORS STRUGGLED TO KEEP UP WITH TRADITIONAL CLASSES SO I CAN SEE THE ARGUMENT THAT THERE'D BE NO WAY FOR THEM TO SUCCEED IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT/IB. BUT I ALSO THINK THIS NEW POLICY IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THE TRICK IS TO HEIGHTEN THE STANDARDS IN GRADE SCHOOL AS WELL. THAT MAKES THE HEIGHTENED STANDARD IN HIGH SCHOOL NOT SO MUCH OF A SHOCK TREATMENT, BUT ONLY A CONTINUATION OF EXCELLENCE. THE IB COURSELOAD WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, BUT THE AP COURSES ARE NOT SO HARD THAT EVERYONE COULDN'T BE EXPECTED TO PERFORM. IF THE TRULY ADVANCED STUDENTS STILL NEED TO BE SET APART, THEN IB IS THE WAY TO GO.

The approach reported in this article is disingenuous at best. I compare it to teaching children how to swim by throwing them in deep water -- how many will become afraid of water for the rest of their lives and, worse yet, how many will drown? We have become a society that is so obsessed with people going to college that we have stigmatized those who don't and created a socio-economic caste society in the process. It's a shame that one has to become disabled in our society to get the kind of attention all of us need to align aptitudes, abilities, and interests with our vocational and career pursuits.Perhaps one of the beneficial by-products of the current economic downturm will be to burst the "college-bubble" and have us develop more respect for individuals regardless of their vocation and whether or not they have been to college. Then "AP" could stand for "accepted person".

This might work for some low-performing kids, mainly the ones only behing held back by low expectations, or who are used to knowing that they can get away with doing nothing, or ones who have the work ethic and intelligence, but haven't had anyone in their lives believe in their capabilities and tell them what they CAN achieve instead of what they can't.

For the rest--kids who really don't have the reading skills--I'm very concerned about the fact that they may make up the majority of AP classes. What then do these schools do with the truly advanced students? Where do they go when even their AP classes are full of kids without prerequisite skills holding the entire pace of the class back?

Unless the policy is for the class to go on at an advanced pace whether or not the majority of the students in it are keeping up...and then what benefit is that to the low-performing students, to be stuck in a class where they have no chance at mastery?

Raise the bar! I was an average HS student, until I was sent to Salem Academy, an all girls boarding school est. in 1772. I was shocked to say the least about the level of homework! I had to earn my way out of proctored study halls! But what I learned about myself was that I could be just as smart as those "other much beter prepared" girls! I turned it around in one semester, graduating in the top 10% of my class and as senior class president! I also helped my team win the state volleyball championship. I went onto college earning both a BS and MBA. What did I learn? 1. People want what they can't have (ie-make them work harder and be more competitive, and 2) Girls learn more and are more competitive in an all girl enviroment.

I passed HS with a 2.1GPA. I skipped an entire semester. There was nothing challenging about secondary school, I was bored as hell. College was the same way. Our school system is teaching people how to be stupid and selfish and not much more. I didn't learn a thing until I started teaching myself.

If you force everyone to take AP courses, then how are we providing "above and beyond" for our highly intelligent student populations? Smart kids take the AP courses to get away from the slow-learners and finally get a chance to work their brains. Not everyone can afford to go to a private magnet school--those AP classes allow smart students to get started on college credit before graduating high school. And let's not forget that the target purpose of AP IS for college credit--it's not designed or intended as a "cram course for dummies". You don't generally see someone transferring AP credit to a 2-year vocational school--these tests help to relieve the $400-500 per credit hour costs at 4 year universities.

If you force everyone to take AP courses, then how are we providing "above and beyond" for our highly intelligent student populations? Smart kids take the AP courses to get away from the slow-learners and finally get a chance to work their brains. Not everyone can afford to go to a private magnet school--those AP classes allow smart students to get started on college credit before graduating high school. And let's not forget that the target purpose of AP IS for college credit--it's not designed or intended as a "cram course for dummies". You don't generally see someone transferring AP credit to a 2-year vocational school--these tests help to relieve the $400-500 per credit hour costs at 4 year universities.