DEAR EDITOR:
Once again the Advanced Placement Program rears its medusa-like
head at Gilroy High School.
DEAR EDITOR:
Once again the Advanced Placement Program rears its medusa-like head at Gilroy High School. Gilroy is the only high school in Santa Clara County that requires students to take the end-of-the-year AP Exam. If students do not take the exams, their transcripts are changed from “AP” to “Honors” thus negating the rigor of taking a college-level course. If one takes Honors English, then takes the AP English course the following year but does not take the exam, the transcript will show that the student has received credit for taking Honors English twice. Something is wrong with this policy, and it might be illegal.
Gilroy High has an “open door policy” for taking AP courses. The previous principal, who misinterpreted a California Department of Education position paper sent to all districts, unilaterally initiated this new policy. This CDE paper regarded a lawsuit by minority students against the state of California. The lawsuit stated that students in low-income, high-minority schools without AP courses don’t have the same access to a comprehensive education as students in schools with AP courses. How GHS relates to this is baffling as it offers over 14 AP courses. Where is the “lack of equal access” as the former principal often touted in public?
Other high school AP courses have minimum grade point averages, prerequisites, or both. These criteria tell the students, parents, and teachers that a relatively homogenous, well-prepared group of students with similar study skills are ready to engage in the rigors of college-level instruction.
In AP courses teachers cannot teach to the slowest student; rather, the course must be taught in its entirety in eight months, often times at breakneck speed. Unprepared “open-door-policy” students are almost guaranteed a score of less than 3 on the AP exam. Taking an exam on one day does not indicate either the success of the teacher in the class, or the degree to which students have learned collegiate material. Improperly placed students combined with poorly trained teachers will consistently produce results as displayed in The Dispatch.
How do we solve the problem?
(1) Reinstate prerequisites for AP courses;
(2) Place mature, well-prepared teachers into the classes;
(3) Utilize teacher recommendations for admittance;
(4) Allow students the option of taking the AP exam, as stated by the College Board, without negatively affecting transcripts;
(5) Give back to the departments the decision-making process of who teaches AP courses;
(6) Develop an AP Program Committee that is student/parent/teacher based, and coordinated with the new honors program;
(7) Reinstate weighted-grades for AP and honors courses;
(8) Have all AP policies readily available to students, parents, teachers and community members;
(9) Annually, re-evaluate all AP courses within the context of the AP Program Committee guidelines.
Gilroy High School can take a giant step into the future in redefining the AP program by looking into the past. The honors program has been resurrected, now let’s bring back the AP Program.
Dale Morejón, Gilroy
Submitted Wednesday, Oct. 30
