High school Advanced Placement (AP) classes have long been viewed as the gold standard for secondary education, something that more high schools should offer and more students, especially disadvantaged students, should avail themselves of. But this respected program has taken some hits in recent months, according to an article in Sunday's Los Angeles Times. As described in Checker's editorial (above), Harvard announced that it will only award credit to freshman who receive the highest score-a 5-on the test. Some private high schools (Fieldston, Exeter) are dropping AP classes in favor of in-depth courses designed by the school's own faculty. A 2001 study commissioned by the College Board, which runs the AP program-and in recent years has pushed hard to widen access to it-identified a growing shortage of qualified teachers and weak academic backgrounds of some AP students. Many believe that the quality of AP courses is being diluted as a consequence of the tremendous growth in participation in this program, growth also driven by intensifying competition for college slots among children of baby boomers. Still others sense that AP test standards are softening even as trendier and more politically-correct content infects course syllabi. The College Board says that it is attempting to deal with the shortage of AP-qualified teachers by expanding teacher training, establishing clearer guidelines for AP classes, and developing a program to better prepare middle and high school students for the rigors to follow. While many laud efforts to bring the AP program's higher standards to students who may not otherwise experience challenging classes, Kati Haycock of the Education Trust warns that, by utilizing the best instructors for AP courses, schools may end up denying excellent teachers to the students who need the most help. For more see "Rapid Growth of Advanced Placement Classes Raises Concerns," by Rebecca Trounson and Richard Colvin, Los Angeles Times, April 7, 2002.
