Wilson honors for all - how has it worked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Entry into AP classes at Wilson has nothing to do with teacher recommendations. Anyone is allowed to sign up.

That is true now because of Wilson’s honors for all. Which is what we are debating the merits of.

What? Then why did every teacher we saw at Parent teacher conferences tell us their AP recommendations for my kid and that they were submitting it to the counseling staff. My kid is a junior.

Are you saying that if you are in honors for all you can just sign up for AP classes? I don't believe that is how it works but please tell me the process.

As I understand it, honors for all means that in ninth grade at Wilson all the kids now have access to small honors classes. This is what the parents in this thread are up in arms about. The change was instituted because prior to this teachers recommended children for honors testing, and those recommendations were overwhelmingly for white children. Now all students have a chance to access the curriculum. Students who do well in ninth-grade honors can then go on to honors in sophomore year and so on. Many parents on this thread don’t like the change because they don’t want their children in the same classes with the children who had previously been frozen out of honors access. So, freshmen, sophomores and juniors are still accessing AP based on recommendations. It’s only children coming in from middle school who have across-the-board access for one year.

All cildren don’t “have access” or “ have a chance to access” to honors classes — all the students are in ‘honors’ classes. There is no choice.

Parents of high-achieving kids don’t care who their kid is in class with as long as the kids *want* to be there and are prepared for the work. They just want their children’s time in school to work well for their children — same as all parents.

Seems reasonable. So it sounds like people don’t have a problem with “Honors for All.”

You want to believe that all kids are equally motivated and academically adept? Dream on.

This has all been discussed alteady in this thread.

OK, so parents do have a problem with “Honors for All.” And you feel that without tracking the kids in your child's class won’t be motivated and academically adept. And that their presence will affect your child’s learning, although you don’t actually know whether it will or not. For the sake of argument, let’s assume it does. What other method of getting motivated and academically adept children into honors classes, in this case one that is actually accurate given that the previous method clearly is not, do you think should be used?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Entry into AP classes at Wilson has nothing to do with teacher recommendations. Anyone is allowed to sign up.

That is true now because of Wilson’s honors for all. Which is what we are debating the merits of.

What? Then why did every teacher we saw at Parent teacher conferences tell us their AP recommendations for my kid and that they were submitting it to the counseling staff. My kid is a junior.

Are you saying that if you are in honors for all you can just sign up for AP classes? I don't believe that is how it works but please tell me the process.

As I understand it, honors for all means that in ninth grade at Wilson all the kids now have access to small honors classes. This is what the parents in this thread are up in arms about. The change was instituted because prior to this teachers recommended children for honors testing, and those recommendations were overwhelmingly for white children. Now all students have a chance to access the curriculum. Students who do well in ninth-grade honors can then go on to honors in sophomore year and so on. Many parents on this thread don’t like the change because they don’t want their children in the same classes with the children who had previously been frozen out of honors access. So, freshmen, sophomores and juniors are still accessing AP based on recommendations. It’s only children coming in from middle school who have across-the-board access for one year.

All cildren don’t “have access” or “ have a chance to access” to honors classes — all the students are in ‘honors’ classes. There is no choice.

Parents of high-achieving kids don’t care who their kid is in class with as long as the kids *want* to be there and are prepared for the work. They just want their children’s time in school to work well for their children — same as all parents.

Seems reasonable. So it sounds like people don’t have a problem with “Honors for All.”

You want to believe that all kids are equally motivated and academically adept? Dream on.

OK, so parents do have a problem with “Honors for All.” And you feel that without tracking the kids in your child's class won’t be motivated and academically adept. And that their presence will affect your child’s learning, although you don’t actually know whether it will or not. For the sake of argument, let’s assume it does. What other method of getting motivated and academically adept children into honors classes, in this case one that is actually accurate given that the previous method clearly is not, do you think should be used?

This has all been discussed alteady in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

“Unbelievable,” eh? I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DCPS administration and their willingness to push back against parents like you. I think you, and all the parents who think like you, should take responsibility for your own children and stop blaming any issues with their learning on the mere presence, in your child’s classroom, of children whom you, for whatever reason, do not approve of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

“Unbelievable,” eh? I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DCPS administration and their willingness to push back against parents like you. I think you, and all the parents who think like you, should take responsibility for your own children and stop blaming any issues with their learning on the mere presence, in your child’s classroom, of children whom you, for whatever reason, do not approve of.

DP: There’s just no logic to this. If it’s the class that everyone can take, then it is “Physics.”

It makes no sense to think that mis-labeling something as “Honors” achieves sone real-world impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

“Unbelievable,” eh? I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DCPS administration and their willingness to push back against parents like you. I think you, and all the parents who think like you, should take responsibility for your own children and stop blaming any issues with their learning on the mere presence, in your child’s classroom, of children whom you, for whatever reason, do not approve of.

DP: There’s just no logic to this. If it’s the class that everyone can take, then it is “Physics.”

It makes no sense to think that mis-labeling something as “Honors” achieves sone real-world impact.

If the content of the two classes is different, which it is, then the classes are different. The content of the class is not determined by who is taking the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

“Unbelievable,” eh? I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DCPS administration and their willingness to push back against parents like you. I think you, and all the parents who think like you, should take responsibility for your own children and stop blaming any issues with their learning on the mere presence, in your child’s classroom, of children whom you, for whatever reason, do not approve of.

DP: There’s just no logic to this. If it’s the class that everyone can take, then it is “Physics.”

It makes no sense to think that mis-labeling something as “Honors” achieves sone real-world impact.

If the content of the two classes is different, which it is, then the classes are different. The content of the class is not determined by who is taking the class.

If there is no “Physics” class to compare it to, then the curriculum of Honors Physics can’t be different from the Physics curriculun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

“Unbelievable,” eh? I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DCPS administration and their willingness to push back against parents like you. I think you, and all the parents who think like you, should take responsibility for your own children and stop blaming any issues with their learning on the mere presence, in your child’s classroom, of children whom you, for whatever reason, do not approve of.

Oh with that you mean parents will have to supplement even more than what they are doing now because their child is not challenged enough when courses are dumb down to the lowest common denominator? No it’s not unbelievable. What is unbelievable is that the majority of parents at Wilson are putting up with us this with not just 9th grade but being extended to 11th? Are you kidding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

“Unbelievable,” eh? I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DCPS administration and their willingness to push back against parents like you. I think you, and all the parents who think like you, should take responsibility for your own children and stop blaming any issues with their learning on the mere presence, in your child’s classroom, of children whom you, for whatever reason, do not approve of.

Sure, anyone can enroll in an honors class with no criteria whatsoever of test scores or teacher recommendations. There is no background or previous experience to show they can do the work. Let’s just throw any child in there that wants to take it. Let’s have kids be 2, 3 grade levels apart. Sure no problems.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

“Unbelievable,” eh? I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DCPS administration and their willingness to push back against parents like you. I think you, and all the parents who think like you, should take responsibility for your own children and stop blaming any issues with their learning on the mere presence, in your child’s classroom, of children whom you, for whatever reason, do not approve of.

Oh with that you mean parents will have to supplement even more than what they are doing now because their child is not challenged enough when courses are dumb down to the lowest common denominator? No it’s not unbelievable. What is unbelievable is that the majority of parents at Wilson are putting up with us this with not just 9th grade but being extended to 11th? Are you kidding?

The courses are not being “dumbed down.” If you have evidence for that happening, show it to us. Otherwise, please stop complaining about your child being placed in a class with children whom you are, apparently, obsessed with keeping out of his or her classroom.

[Anonymous]

What do teachers think about huge classes with kids at wildly different levels?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

“Unbelievable,” eh? I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DCPS administration and their willingness to push back against parents like you. I think you, and all the parents who think like you, should take responsibility for your own children and stop blaming any issues with their learning on the mere presence, in your child’s classroom, of children whom you, for whatever reason, do not approve of.

Oh with that you mean parents will have to supplement even more than what they are doing now because their child is not challenged enough when courses are dumb down to the lowest common denominator? No it’s not unbelievable. What is unbelievable is that the majority of parents at Wilson are putting up with us this with not just 9th grade but being extended to 11th? Are you kidding?

The courses are not being “dumbed down.” If you have evidence for that happening, show it to us. Otherwise, please stop complaining about your child being placed in a class with children whom you are, apparently, obsessed with keeping out of his or her classroom.

PP, did you go to high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors for all is being extended to 11th grade next year. I was told 11th grade science choices next year are Honors physics, AP physics and AP chem.

Unbelievable.

“Unbelievable,” eh? I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DCPS administration and their willingness to push back against parents like you. I think you, and all the parents who think like you, should take responsibility for your own children and stop blaming any issues with their learning on the mere presence, in your child’s classroom, of children whom you, for whatever reason, do not approve of.

Oh with that you mean parents will have to supplement even more than what they are doing now because their child is not challenged enough when courses are dumb down to the lowest common denominator? No it’s not unbelievable. What is unbelievable is that the majority of parents at Wilson are putting up with us this with not just 9th grade but being extended to 11th? Are you kidding?

The courses are not being “dumbed down.” If you have evidence for that happening, show it to us. Otherwise, please stop complaining about your child being placed in a class with children whom you are, apparently, obsessed with keeping out of his or her classroom.

PP, did you go to high school?

I'm not the PP but I did go to high school, college and graduate school. All you have to do is ask the teachers/admins who took the time to develop the curriculum and decide for yourself about rigor. The teachers at Wilson put a lot of time and thought into these classes and it might be a good idea to actually talk to them so you can have an informed opinion. All you are doing is trafficking in negative social narratives that spread to your white kids and end up holding worthy students color of back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If the content of the two classes is different, which it is, then the classes are different. The content of the class is not determined by who is taking the class.

If there is no “Physics” class to compare it to, then the curriculum of Honors Physics can’t be different from the Physics curriculun.

It's not about having something "to compare it to." The issue being discussed is the curriculum being taught in the classes, call it whatever you want ("physics", "honors physics", "super extra special physics"). The content of honors physics next year will be the same as the content of honors physics this year. No classes will be taught using the curriculum of the current on-level physics class.

One problem with this approach is that kids who worked hard and barely passed on level classes using the old curriculum (which covered less material) will REALLY struggle to pass a class that covers more material in the same amount of time. I know a kid who left Wilson after freshman year for this reason.

Another problem is that kids who can pass honors or AP physics but aren't excited about being there, don't care about an AP test score and don't want to do the work will check out and distract kids like mine (bright kids with learning disabilities for whom it takes every bit of concentration that they have to keep up with what's going on in their honors/AP class load). This is already a problem this year with one of my kid's AP classes -- it's a huge class, most kids don't care, the teacher doesn't maintain control, 25 kids talk or play on their phones during class and 3 kids pay attention.

Ironically, the posts who are pearl clutching about their extra super high achieving snowflakes will be the ones least negatively impacted by this change.