http://www.facebook.com/notes/ann-lamborghini-lane/ap-courses-cut-at-orhs/1675583562866
UPDATE: The text from the link above which is not working for many is here:
Last week during the school board meeting three AP and one Advanced course were cut from the 2011-12 ORHS class offerings. While the class enrollments were low, there were no correlated staff reductions and there will be no cost savings to the district. According to Chair Henry Brackett he received no prior warning of this cut. Board member JoAnn Portalupi acknowledged the cut and dismissed the action as within the purview of the principal. Sitting in the audience, I witnessed no moral outrage.
Some might argue that our district caters to the child who elects to take rigorous courses. While 50% of them were just cut, that is a myth. The truth is that we fail to celebrate and reward merit. “Engaging every learner” requires a comprehensive spectrum of class offerings, including classes of rigor.
In 2008 my eldest child was discouraged by a HS teacher to take AP US History. As his parent I encouraged my son to follow his passion and take the class. He scored a 4 on the exam, receiving 6 credits toward his GWU Gen Ed requirements.
Tomorrow, March 8th, you have an opportunity to vote for three school board candidates. It is not my place to tell you who to vote for. Candidates who have records of advocating for children are one option.
We are also very upset about this decision. My understanding it is due to low enrollment. I have many questions as to why there is low enrollment. Are there schedule conflicts? Are our teacher's encouraging the challenge? How long has this been a problem? How much thought has been put into this?
ReplyDeleteIf we want our children to be ready for higher education, we need them to be challenged. Not just taking all the fun classes or the classes that ensure a higher gpa.
An easy 'A' is not the kind of school I want my kids attending.
Can you post a source for more information about this?
ReplyDeleteIt was discussed at the March 2 meeting. Look at DCAT for a reply schedule or check the local library for a DVD copy.
ReplyDeleteThe minutes are not yet posted on orcsd.org
I talked to Mrs. Rogers about this today. She said the classes were not being run next year because few students signed up for them. The teachers are not being cut because they are teaching other courses that are more in demand. There are fewer seniors next year; the classes in question are typically taken by seniors; and they will continue to be offered in the future.
ReplyDeleteif you think classes at ORHS are easy A's, I got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. The classes haven't changed at hte school. There were fewer signups (4) so they ran other classes instead that had higher demand. Supply and demand folks. Don't forget that the high school offers the ability to send students to UNH for classes so they can take real college classes instead of the AP classes. I think the UNH class would look much better on a transcript than AP would. Besides, there is absolutely nothing stopping a student from still taking the AP test and gaining the credit when they attend college (assuming they pass the test).
ReplyDelete