Universal AP English & History at Wilson next year for 11th grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, just maybe, the people on this listserve should ask how the students (and parents of the students) who will now be mandated to take these classes feel? Do they think it's a good idea? Are they excited? Hopeful? Upset? Outraged?

Maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't be centered around how those who are privileged by the current system feel about the changes without knowing how those who are disadvantaged feel....

This! The curriculum should be set by students’ feelings!

I assume this is sarcasm...and that you think that the curriculum should be set by the privileged families of the kids who have the greatest chance of succeeding in a broken system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, just maybe, the people on this listserve should ask how the students (and parents of the students) who will now be mandated to take these classes feel? Do they think it's a good idea? Are they excited? Hopeful? Upset? Outraged?

Maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't be centered around how those who are privileged by the current system feel about the changes without knowing how those who are disadvantaged feel....

This! The curriculum should be set by students’ feelings!

I assume this is sarcasm...and that you think that the curriculum should be set by the privileged families of the kids who have the greatest chance of succeeding in a broken system.

I think the curriculum should be set by adults looking out, first and foremost, for the educational interests of all the individual students.

I don’t think adults who come up with faux, superficial solutions to complex problems putting education first. See the PPs above who articulate clearly the dishonesty of the “AP for All” scheme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, just maybe, the people on this listserve should ask how the students (and parents of the students) who will now be mandated to take these classes feel? Do they think it's a good idea? Are they excited? Hopeful? Upset? Outraged?

Maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't be centered around how those who are privileged by the current system feel about the changes without knowing how those who are disadvantaged feel....

This! The curriculum should be set by students’ feelings!

I assume this is sarcasm...and that you think that the curriculum should be set by the privileged families of the kids who have the greatest chance of succeeding in a broken system.

I think the curriculum should be set by adults looking out, first and foremost, for the educational interests of all the individual students.

I don’t think adults who come up with faux, superficial solutions to complex problems putting education first. See the PPs above who articulate clearly the dishonesty of the “AP for All” scheme.

... faux, superficial solutions to complex SOCIAL problems ARE putting education

[Anonymous]

Right now, kids taking an AP class at Wilson are automatically signed up to take the AP exam in May. If this continues (and I suspect it will since certain ways of rating high schools give credit for the number of students that take the AP exams, not just the classes), scores are going to go way down as a result of the 4x4 schedule and pushing grade-level and below kids to take AP classes. Its not going to be pretty. Kids with with-it parents are likely to allow them to not take the AP tests when it is not to their benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, just maybe, the people on this listserve should ask how the students (and parents of the students) who will now be mandated to take these classes feel? Do they think it's a good idea? Are they excited? Hopeful? Upset? Outraged?

Maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't be centered around how those who are privileged by the current system feel about the changes without knowing how those who are disadvantaged feel....

This! The curriculum should be set by students’ feelings!

I assume this is sarcasm...and that you think that the curriculum should be set by the privileged families of the kids who have the greatest chance of succeeding in a broken system.

I think the curriculum should be set by adults looking out, first and foremost, for the educational interests of all the individual students.

I don’t think adults who come up with faux, superficial solutions to complex problems putting education first. See the PPs above who articulate clearly the dishonesty of the “AP for All” scheme.

Right...but I think the point of the previous poster was that we should be centering the conversation around what the families of the disadvantaged kids think about this policy, not what we think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering what folks think about this decision and will it impact what your junior decides to take?

If you think it means that they are going to somehow "dumb down" the class in ways that seem to perturb the wealthy parents of the neighborhood - remember that APs are a set curriculum. It's a good thing they are trying to make it more accessible. Nothing really to see here.

Isn't the majority of Wilson filled with students coming from wealthy white families with resources? Everyone in NW seems to have gifted kids. Why would anything need to be dumbed down. 95% of the student body should be able to fulfill honors/AP requirements easily.

https://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Woodrow+Wilson+High+School
(2019 - 2020) 39% white
(2018 - 2019) 32% met/exceeded expectations in math
(2018 - 2019) 38% met/exceeded expectations in english language arts

Same poster. How in the heck are only 3% of students exceeding expectations in maths?

because there are a lot of students at Wilson who get to HS significantly behind in math and cannot do work at grade level. there are a bunch of kids who are not at grade level in English. the school should work to bring these students at grade level so they can do well. instead, they will be thrown into an AP class requiring extensive reading and writing assignments and be told to swim.

But 39% of Wilson is white, and most white people in DC come from well resourced families who can provide. How can only 3% of the student body be exceeding expectations in math?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, just maybe, the people on this listserve should ask how the students (and parents of the students) who will now be mandated to take these classes feel? Do they think it's a good idea? Are they excited? Hopeful? Upset? Outraged?

Maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't be centered around how those who are privileged by the current system feel about the changes without knowing how those who are disadvantaged feel....

This! The curriculum should be set by students’ feelings!

I assume this is sarcasm...and that you think that the curriculum should be set by the privileged families of the kids who have the greatest chance of succeeding in a broken system.

I think the curriculum should be set by adults looking out, first and foremost, for the educational interests of all the individual students.

I don’t think adults who come up with faux, superficial solutions to complex problems putting education first. See the PPs above who articulate clearly the dishonesty of the “AP for All” scheme.

Right...but I think the point of the previous poster was that we should be centering the conversation around what the families of the disadvantaged kids think about this policy, not what we think.

I am not sure why. Wilson has 2000 students and they should all count. I am not sure why educating kids must be a zero sum thing, where some kids gain only if others are screwed. issues that people have raised on this thread are relevant for many normal kids, not just the one Nobel-prize-in -waiting genius.

I do agree that all voices should be heard and certainly those of disadvantage kids too. Did the school organize a school wide zoom conference? an open air meeting somewhere? did they ask the community to give input, discuss, ask questions, raise concern (and I include families of disadvantage kids, who will be affected by this change)? absolutely not. just a surprised email on a Sunday night and that's it. so instead of blaming the privileged white parents on DCUM, it was the principal and the school itself that did not give a damn about what families think, including families of disadvantage children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering what folks think about this decision and will it impact what your junior decides to take?

If you think it means that they are going to somehow "dumb down" the class in ways that seem to perturb the wealthy parents of the neighborhood - remember that APs are a set curriculum. It's a good thing they are trying to make it more accessible. Nothing really to see here.

Isn't the majority of Wilson filled with students coming from wealthy white families with resources? Everyone in NW seems to have gifted kids. Why would anything need to be dumbed down. 95% of the student body should be able to fulfill honors/AP requirements easily.

https://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Woodrow+Wilson+High+School
(2019 - 2020) 39% white
(2018 - 2019) 32% met/exceeded expectations in math
(2018 - 2019) 38% met/exceeded expectations in english language arts

A HUGE number of kids boycotted PARCC in 2019...
Same poster. How in the heck are only 3% of students exceeding expectations in maths?

because there are a lot of students at Wilson who get to HS significantly behind in math and cannot do work at grade level. there are a bunch of kids who are not at grade level in English. the school should work to bring these students at grade level so they can do well. instead, they will be thrown into an AP class requiring extensive reading and writing assignments and be told to swim.

But 39% of Wilson is white, and most white people in DC come from well resourced families who can provide. How can only 3% of the student body be exceeding expectations in math?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, just maybe, the people on this listserve should ask how the students (and parents of the students) who will now be mandated to take these classes feel? Do they think it's a good idea? Are they excited? Hopeful? Upset? Outraged?

Maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't be centered around how those who are privileged by the current system feel about the changes without knowing how those who are disadvantaged feel....

This! The curriculum should be set by students’ feelings!

I assume this is sarcasm...and that you think that the curriculum should be set by the privileged families of the kids who have the greatest chance of succeeding in a broken system.

I think the curriculum should be set by adults looking out, first and foremost, for the educational interests of all the individual students.

I don’t think adults who come up with faux, superficial solutions to complex problems putting education first. See the PPs above who articulate clearly the dishonesty of the “AP for All” scheme.

Right...but I think the point of the previous poster was that we should be centering the conversation around what the families of the disadvantaged kids think about this policy, not what we think.

I am not sure why. Wilson has 2000 students and they should all count. I am not sure why educating kids must be a zero sum thing, where some kids gain only if others are screwed. issues that people have raised on this thread are relevant for many normal kids, not just the one Nobel-prize-in -waiting genius.

I do agree that all voices should be heard and certainly those of disadvantage kids too. Did the school organize a school wide zoom conference? an open air meeting somewhere? did they ask the community to give input, discuss, ask questions, raise concern (and I include families of disadvantage kids, who will be affected by this change)? absolutely not. just a surprised email on a Sunday night and that's it. so instead of blaming the privileged white parents on DCUM, it was the principal and the school itself that did not give a damn about what families think, including families of disadvantage children.

I don't necessarily think it's a zero-sum game...I think many of the other posters ASSUME it's a zero-sum game based on their impressions of what the needs/aptitudes are of disadvantaged kids. And, with those assumptions, they decide that their kids might lose something (and to the degree that they think about what others might get, it's again based assumptions). I agree that more parental input would have been a great idea...I also would just love if the discussion here (and on DCUM more generally) weren't always centered on the needs of our white UMC kids. And--again--"not centered" does not mean "not considered"...

[Anonymous]

I think the decision was centered on the disadvantaged students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the decision was centered on the disadvantaged students.

But is it? It seems like it is is centered on making a statement on behalf of the disadvantaged, but not actually focused on the students.

If they were focused on the students, they would do the stuff they promised two years ago beginning with Honors for All.

When they do nothing more than stick everyone in the same room, the administration makes it a zero sum game. At best, they are just redirecting resources; they are not doing anything to help support low-performing students nor anything to maximize the experience of high-achieving students.

[Anonymous]

I think this policy should have been more broad- so say that all juniors must take at least two AP classes. Then kids can choose classes in their strong subject areas or interests. A student is more likely to succeed in a challenging class if they have interest in the subject matter. That policy ensures all students are taking AP classes but gives some choice. And a bunch of kids might choose AP Physics or Bio over AP US History which is a TON of reading. This would meet the needs of more students.

[Anonymous]

So what is the class size and range of grades given in honors for all? Dies every student receive an increased gpa?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what is the class size and range of grades given in honors for all? Dies every student receive an increased gpa?

The range of grades is the same as all classes (DCPS grading policy). All honors designated classes get a GPA bump as do AP classes.

[Anonymous]

The WAPOs challenge index devised by Jay Mathews awards points based on the number of ap tests taken not receiving a 3 on those tests. Pushing every student into ap is a joke.