One in particular — the addition of more AP classes will certainly not be a detriment in the college application process. However, the most selective colleges generally expect applicants to have taken the AP classes at their high school if they are available.
The idea that this new plan will promote segregation is particularly pernicious and about 180 degrees off the mark as far as the intent of the program goes.
Finally, the point of choosing a curriculum for our schools is to determine the best courses for our students to take, not the courses that teachers most want to teach. Students and their needs come first.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to write.
Ed Hughes, Madison School Board
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Right on, Ed. While many of Madison West’s elective English courses (e.g., Advanced Writing workshop) are every bit as good, if not better, than AP ones, the same can not be said for many of their electives offered in the sciences and social sciences. West’s upper-level electives are largely based upon what their teachers most desire to teach, not what the students need to learn to become well-informed citizens. For example, West’s physics courses are so deficient in covering the standard curriculum that, except for the rare student who studies physics on his/her own, their graduates are not able to do well in beginning college physics, thereby eliminating the possibility of their going on to careers in the physical sciences or engineering. Most of West’s graduates go off into the world with no understand about the workings of even everyday items such as eyeglasses, cell phones, computers, and microwave ovens.