DEAR EDITOR:
The specter of the former administration continues to haunt
Gilroy High School. Parents have slowly chipped away at the flawed
GHS Advanced Placement Program over the years. Still remaining is
the open enrollment policy that continues to cast an academic
shadow on a beleaguered AP program.
DEAR EDITOR:
The specter of the former administration continues to haunt Gilroy High School. Parents have slowly chipped away at the flawed GHS Advanced Placement Program over the years. Still remaining is the open enrollment policy that continues to cast an academic shadow on a beleaguered AP program.
In July 1999, Inglewood High School students sued the state of California (Daniels v. State of California) because they did not have access to as many AP courses (3) as students at Beverly Hills High School (14). This inequality in access to AP courses, according to the lawsuit, denied these students the right to a higher education.
The California Department of Education, in an attempt to resolve the issue out of court, sent a letter to all school districts stating the following:
“It is critical that all high schools in California ensure access by all students to AP classes. The Advanced Placement Program has recently received considerable scrutiny due to a lawsuit filed on behalf of California students on this issue of equity of access. The CDE will be examining this issue of student access and support more closely with districts/schools and other interested parties.”
When this letter was sent out, GHS provided students access to at least 10 AP courses. As far back as 1991, when the first AP course was offered, students have had access to AP courses. In effect, this was a non-issue for GHS students and staff.
But, the former GHS administration, not satisfied with the current status of the AP program, and without consulting district or high school staff, unilaterally removed prerequisites from all AP courses creating an “open enrollment” policy that somehow fulfilled CDE’s “access.” How the two terms equate is still a mystery to all interested parties.
Data collected and presented to the former GHS administration demonstrated that no high school in Santa Clara County offered open enrollment in AP courses. None. Additionally, all high schools had prerequisites for AP courses. Three years ago concerned parents expressed displeasure with the GHS administration’s open enrollment policy and accompanying problems, but their voices fell on deaf ears.
The College Board (originator of the AP Program) stresses when AP courses are offered that they are challenging, college-level in quality, and provide prepared high school students the opportunity to pass a national exam. The key words are qualified students … not all students.
Open enrollment is a problem for all. Unqualified, unprepared students can’t keep up with the frantic, scripted AP pace; qualified students feel cheated when instructors slow down for unprepared students; AP instructors remediate more often, thus covering less material; unqualified students struggle with the AP course work, so failure is a built-in ingredient; and, student dissension builds in classes with extremes in student preparedness, thus creating realistic impediments for curricular completion and successful passage of the national exam.
The open enrollment policy was unilaterally implemented, so it can be unilaterally eliminated. Simply stated, open enrollment is for beginning ballroom dance, not college-level AP course work.
Dale Morejón, Gilroy
Submitted Monday, March 8 to ed****@****ic.com
The Golden Quill is awarded occasionally for a well-written letter.
