Reply to Wilson honors for all - how has it worked?

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Reply to "Wilson honors for all - how has it worked?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
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.[/quote]

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

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.

[/quote]

Maybe this is irrelevant but in my day, you didn't take AP unless you really wanted to. Certainly it wasn't de facto honors, it was very difficult to pass and you needed to pay attention. If AP today is dumbed down to Honors, then Honors can be dumbed down to the regular level.

I agree that a child who has a hard time with the material in any of these classes is going to be lost. Where do those kids go? I also agree that it's silly to name something Honors when there is no Non-Honors. It's like a meaningless badge.[/quote]

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