At first blush, it might seem like a good thing that Gilroy High
School’s Advanced Placement, or AP, classes, have a record-high
enrollment this school year
– and it might be so.
At first blush, it might seem like a good thing that Gilroy High School’s Advanced Placement, or AP, classes, have a record-high enrollment this school year – and it might be so.
The open enrollment policy at Gilroy High – any student can register for the classes which are classes designed at the college freshman level not at high school level – and a new commitment from the administration to challenge students has increased numbers dramatically.
We urge school officials to carefully monitor the open enrollment policy and to keep an open mind regarding requiring prerequisites or a passing test on an appropriate test before allowing students into AP course.
There are several possible consequences of an open enrollment policy that we worry about:
• Does the high number of students enrolled in the challenging courses spread teachers qualified to teach at this level too thin? Resources can only be spread so far, and we’re not sure it’s fair or in anyone’s best interest to open AP classes to less-qualified or unqualified students if there aren’t enough teachers and texts to accommodate them.
• Does the presence of less-qualified or unqualified students cause a problem for the qualified students? It seems plausible that less-qualified or unqualified students might slow the pace of instruction in AP classes, perhaps causing AP classes to fail to cover their required curriculum.
• Does the presence of less-qualified or unqualified students cause teachers to “dumb down” the curriculum so as to allow the class to stay on schedule? Lowering standards for AP classes, which GHS principal Bob Bravo says won’t happen, seems like a real possibility.
GHS administrators and GUSD officials need to examine the AP open enrollment policy experiment at the end of this school year to see if any of these concerns were a reality. If so, the open enrollment policy should be retooled.
The school district has set a clear standard of excellence for its students, and if the AP open enrollment policy compromises that standard, it should not be in place.
We urge an open-minded, dispassionate, clear-eyed evaluation of the policy at the end of the school year.
Certainly one measuring stick should be how Gilroy High students perform on the AP exam, which is subject specific, and, if passed, can yield general education college credits at some universities.
Unfortunately, some AP students can’t afford the $70 charge for the exam. Perhaps the Gilroy Educational Foundation or the Rotary Club would be willing to assist with the fee for students who can’t afford it. Failing that, the district should develop its own test. Assessing whether students are appropriately being enrolled in AP classes and whether they are truly learning freshman college level material is crucial to the success of the program.
We hope that we’re borrowing trouble with our worries about the AP open enrollment policy at Gilroy High. But the only way to know for certain is to study the policy at year’s end. Politically correct or not, it’s the right thing to do.
