People treating the news that schools are cancelling AP classes as if it’s completely normal

[Anonymous]

This is so funny. Your kid wouldn't stand out just by taking all AP classes anyway. That's literally a dime a dozen around the nation.
So what is the problem with universal AP? Your racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is canceling AP classes in DC. Wilson is requiring all kids in 11th grade take AP English and AP US History and people are freaking out about it because they assume (without evidence) that this means it won't be a "real" AP class. Of course, it will, because the College Board has to approve the curriculum/syllabus in order for it to be an AP class.

It's an effort to deal with a substantial segregation issue at Wilson with regard to which kids take AP classes and which don't. If it is to be successful, Wilson will have to devote a lot of resources to supporting some of these kids and it's not clear that they have a plan for doing so but time will tell. But MANY people are assuming it will be a disaster without giving it a chance.

If anything at all, not matter what, Wilson will have to devote a lot of resources to support the kids who are several grades behind. That has absolutely nothing to do with the whiteness of a certain classroom and whether advanced classes are racist.
Wilson should be held accountable for catching up its weakest students.
"AP for all" after what this forum has reported on "Honors for all" is just an enormous cruel trick on everyone. It sidesteps entirely the system's primary responsibility. You want more disadvantaged youth in AP? Tutor hothouse them until they can figuratively beat the shit out of that AP class. Come on, you can do it!

At the very least, if you're gonna have "varsity basketball for all," there should be a mini-trampoline next to the basket to accommodate the short, fat kids. You know, some kind of supports for them so they are able to keep up with the rest of the team. If you don't have that, then the team...kind of sucks.

Ugh, why do you have to destroy my images?? Tutor hothousing, 80ies movie style, is not like a mini-trampoline for fat kids. It's like the sensei in karate kids. We need a bunch of karate kids senseis aka awesome interventionists to make AP less white. Unless you just don't want AP in your school, then cancel it.

I agree that cancelling AP would make better sense than requiring AP for all. Because requiring AP for all will not be AP. Alternatively, making AP an opt-in class without any supports would at least allow for it to remain an accelerated, college level-class: because the students who are feeling too much pressure could just drop out and go to the mainstream class. But Principal Martin has no fall-back. I suspect this is at least partially because she simply does not have enough square footage in an already over-crowded building to roll out a new idea the right way.

You people are ridiculous. FFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet another thread for folks to freak out on. 🙄 Including all students in AP classes is not cancelling AP classes.

Yes, yes it is.

If everyone is in AP -- including students 3+ years below grade level who don't want to be there -- and teachers are discouraged from giving failing grades, then there is effectively no AP.

But this isn't the case for DC....OP is just stirring the pot with lies.

This is the case for dc. It’s so cloying how you all you so excited to fall on your sword, and hold advanced children back from their potential, in some neo-communism style “we all fail together in ap for all” attempt at engineering social progress. It won’t help. It will fail in the long run and retard progress for our country. There are better ways to tackle racial inequity, but this ain’t it. This is basically racism and punishing certain demographics to try and raise others. It’s poorly reasoned. The scary part is anyone who criticizes it is somehow “racially insensitive”. Groupthink idiots. Sorry.

Oh, hey, I'll say it again, troll, don't destroy good willing people's arguments.

This isn't social engineering progress, it's social engineering progress theater to hide that we are STILL giving zero resources to actually supporting the kids who are several grades behind.

[Anonymous]

On the last ELA PARCC at Wilson,
42% of the school was BELOW grade level.

Grade level is a really low standard. Have you seen these tests?
And yet, it's a good idea to put all these kids in a college level English class in 11th grade? Many can't even read.

[Anonymous]

Are there online AP options? If Wilson can't afford to teach its lowest performers to read AND provide actual AP classes, can those ready for AP take classes online, while Wilson catches up those who need it? And then put them in class together for whatever the heck else you want for equity?

If we want to focus exclusively on the needs of the lowest performers, let's do that, actually do that. And then brag about those gains in those kids.

If we have some disadvantaged kids who would be amazing at AP but their background has kept them just a tad short of whatever is needed, let's get those particular kids, into the class anyway, and see what happens, and then brag about those kids.

AP for all is just sloppy and destructive to all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet another thread for folks to freak out on. 🙄 Including all students in AP classes is not cancelling AP classes.

Yes, yes it is.

If everyone is in AP -- including students 3+ years below grade level who don't want to be there -- and teachers are discouraged from giving failing grades, then there is effectively no AP.

But this isn't the case for DC....OP is just stirring the pot with lies.

This is the case for dc. It’s so cloying how you all you so excited to fall on your sword, and hold advanced children back from their potential, in some neo-communism style “we all fail together in ap for all” attempt at engineering social progress. It won’t help. It will fail in the long run and retard progress for our country. There are better ways to tackle racial inequity, but this ain’t it. This is basically racism and punishing certain demographics to try and raise others. It’s poorly reasoned. The scary part is anyone who criticizes it is somehow “racially insensitive”. Groupthink idiots. Sorry.

Oh, hey, I'll say it again, troll, don't destroy good willing people's arguments.

This isn't social engineering progress, it's social engineering progress theater to hide that we are STILL giving zero resources to actually supporting the kids who are several grades behind.

Resources are given. Most in the nation. Where are the families? Where is the culture of celebrating education?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet another thread for folks to freak out on. 🙄 Including all students in AP classes is not cancelling AP classes.

Oooo. So Orwellian.

Heh.

[Anonymous]

So are they going to: 1) create a 9th grade academy separate from Wilson while 2) instituting AP for all? Will this mean 9th graders no longer have access to any advanced coursework?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet another thread for folks to freak out on. 🙄 Including all students in AP classes is not cancelling AP classes.

Oooo. So Orwellian.

Eek. I don’t think you understand what “Orwellian” means.

That poster perfectly grasps what Orwellian means. Their grasp is Double Plus Good as you might say.

Why are only some people brilliant? Isn't everyone brilliant, if you really think about it?

No one is equally brilliant, though we can all potentially be brilliant in different ways. All humans are born with different gifts that should be explored and enhanced, imo, but we need a government that is willing to do that for them. Problem is, the kids who are born with the potential to be really good at certain academic subjects...DCPS not care so much.

No, the problem is that not all kids are given the same opportunities from birth so there’s only a fair chance for certain kids to develop their potential before entering school. DCUM doesn’t care so much about policies that impact kids ages 0-3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet another thread for folks to freak out on. 🙄 Including all students in AP classes is not cancelling AP classes.

Oooo. So Orwellian.

Eek. I don’t think you understand what “Orwellian” means.

That poster perfectly grasps what Orwellian means. Their grasp is Double Plus Good as you might say.

Why are only some people brilliant? Isn't everyone brilliant, if you really think about it?

No one is equally brilliant, though we can all potentially be brilliant in different ways. All humans are born with different gifts that should be explored and enhanced, imo, but we need a government that is willing to do that for them. Problem is, the kids who are born with the potential to be really good at certain academic subjects...DCPS not care so much.

No, the problem is that not all kids are given the same opportunities from birth so there’s only a fair chance for certain kids to develop their potential before entering school. DCUM doesn’t care so much about policies that impact kids ages 0-3.

Oh yes DCUM does! Clearly that’s where intensive investment in families needs to begin.

Solve that, and DCPS could do less spinning its wheels on tragically futile interventions late in childhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet another thread for folks to freak out on. 🙄 Including all students in AP classes is not cancelling AP classes.

Oooo. So Orwellian.

Eek. I don’t think you understand what “Orwellian” means.

That poster perfectly grasps what Orwellian means. Their grasp is Double Plus Good as you might say.

Why are only some people brilliant? Isn't everyone brilliant, if you really think about it?

No one is equally brilliant, though we can all potentially be brilliant in different ways. All humans are born with different gifts that should be explored and enhanced, imo, but we need a government that is willing to do that for them. Problem is, the kids who are born with the potential to be really good at certain academic subjects...DCPS not care so much.

No, the problem is that not all kids are given the same opportunities from birth so there’s only a fair chance for certain kids to develop their potential before entering school. DCUM doesn’t care so much about policies that impact kids ages 0-3.

Oh yes DCUM does! Clearly that’s where intensive investment in families needs to begin.

Solve that, and DCPS could do less spinning its wheels on tragically futile interventions late in childhood.

Also, how is that people arguing that DC should invest in 0-3 don't know that DC does? If you haven't looked into what is, don't comment about what should be. These are not easy problems to solve.

[Anonymous]

Getting rid of advanced coursework in HS isn't going to make a dent of difference, either. But it will p*ss a bunch of people off, which has its own satisfaction, I suppose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting rid of advanced coursework in HS isn't going to make a dent of difference, either. But it will p*ss a bunch of people off, which has its own satisfaction, I suppose.

Nothing like cutting off your nose to save your face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the last ELA PARCC at Wilson,
42% of the school was BELOW grade level.

Grade level is a really low standard. Have you seen these tests?
And yet, it's a good idea to put all these kids in a college level English class in 11th grade? Many can't even read.

MYOB. Other kids’ test scores aren’t your concern. The only parents who should complain are the kids who can’t pass non-AP classes. Those are the kids who need help. Your kid will do fine in AP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the last ELA PARCC at Wilson,
42% of the school was BELOW grade level.

Grade level is a really low standard. Have you seen these tests?
And yet, it's a good idea to put all these kids in a college level English class in 11th grade? Many can't even read.

MYOB. Other kids’ test scores aren’t your concern. The only parents who should complain are the kids who can’t pass non-AP classes. Those are the kids who need help. Your kid will do fine in AP.

They will do less fine when they’re held back by other students who are not at their level in “ap for all”. Of course, you’re fine with penalizing students because of skin color.