Page 10 - Priorities #33 2006-April

Bridge
All students learn in freshman physics about forces, then try
to build a popsicle-stick bridge that will withstand them. In class, they test their bridges with weights from the gym. Students continue to build problem- solving skills as they go through the four-year science curriculum.
Leaders at some very academically oriented schools with established AP programs are looking at some other concerns, such as these:
Is the Advanced Placement curriculum too broad-based and fast- paced for thorough teaching at high school level?
Teachers’ opinions differ. A
recent article in the New York Times mentions that
a few highly regarded college prep schools in New York gave up the AP curricula in favor of honors classes at their faculty’s request, and at least one highly regarded mid-Peninsula college prep school has raised the issue. Other AP teachers think the curriculum is both good and teachable. At the Priory, AP teachers’ views are in both camps on this and the following quesions, and they make thought- provoking personal observations.. Laura Young, who teaches the AP Art History,notes that AP label is for her students an inducement to really apply themselves. (Priory students typically do well on the tests, and top scholars earn AP honors.)
Is the pressure to take ever more APs overstressing students?
A study of Texas students describes a classic “game theory” situation in which students see themselves as competitors for a college admissions prize. They can’t guess what their competitor students are doing, so the tendency is to take more and more APs, past what they feel comfortable taking—in case the others are. The study points out a possible unintended consequence. Students may learn to cut corners and occasionally cheat—actually sacrificing in-depth learning—to survive this academic load.
Students’ assumption that the most competitive colleges expect students to take vast numbers of AP classes might be incorrect. The college admissions officers uniformly say they want students to take “the most rigorous academic program available
to them” or some variation on that concept. That doesn’t mean they expect students to take as many APs as their school happens to offer.
Yale Admissions Officer Jeffrey Brenzel was quoted in the New York Times (January 8, 2006): “Sheer AP firepower, having 10 APs, doesn’t impress us. It’s just one factor in evaluating a student’s background.”
Woodside Priory’s Director of College Counseling, Betty Van Wagenen, advises freshmen that because the Priory’s college prep curriculum is very sound, Priory students are compelling applicants, with or without AP courses, at the vast majority of colleges and universities in the country.
Students Need Individual Solutions
Woodside Priory has no plans to change its AP offerings, but is paying new attention to counseling students in making choices.
“We have a few students who thrive on AP courses and for them, an all AP schedule might be a good choice. I can’t say this student will be a more attractive college candidate, but it allows him or her to do what is most satisfying.
“Another student, who is taking a credible number of APs and is contemplating giving up a great love in life, like sports or arts, to squeeze in that 7th or 8th AP—I will ask that student to consider whether that choice serves his or her interests in the long run,” Mr. Schlaak said.
There are occasional bright students who would prefer not to challenge themselves with even one AP class, and Mr. Schlaak will help that student take a careful look at the schedule he or she is choosing.
It may be realistic; the Priory’s basic curriculum coupled with good grades will gain students admission at many fine colleges (one of the UC campuses, for example) without a single AP course. Time spent exploring fields of interest, growing up, and developing a strong sense of self, may be more important than college level work for this student.
“It is easy to forget that APs are not college prep work. They are college level work. If a smart high school student is not yet ready for college, that isn’t surprising,” Mr. Schlaak added.
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