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

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

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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 [b]AP today is dumbed down to Honors[/b], 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]

Please realize that this notion of "dumbed down" exists entirely and solely in the minds of posters on this thread who seem very upset that there won't be lower, less prestigious sounding classes for them to compare their kids too.  That seems like a really odd thing to focus on.

If people are thrown by names, let's call the courses Physics 6, Physics zeta and Physics blue.  Let's assume that in Physics 6, students used to study 10 chapters of material.  In Physics zeta, they studied 15, and in Physics blue, they studied 20 chapters and took at test at the end that would count for college credit at some universities.

Wilson admin decided to get rid of Physics 6, and now everyone must take Physics zeta (and cover 15 chapters of material) or Physics blue (20 chapters plus a high stakes test).  No chapters are removed from the curriculum of either of the remaining physics classes.  Nothing is dumbed down from a curriculum or expectations or testing perspective.  Now do you get it?

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Just stop.  I think the HFA is admirable but lets not deceive ourselves that it is as rigorous as an honors class when non-honors is also offered.  My dc transferred into Wilson from a private this year where she took honors classes.  I asked her opinion, based on her[b] actual experience[/b], on the rigor of the honors class at her private compared to Wilson.  She said the private was more rigorous and the teachers made a point of saying they were doing x,y,z because it was an honors class and would be taught as such.  The students were expected to keep up and were only in the class because a determination was made they could do the work at that level.

Again, what Wilson is attempting is admirable but to think they are meeting all students academic needs with this model is ridiculous.  [/quote]

Right, the problem is that I doubt Wilson is ok with failing 50% of their physics class. So in theory it's exactly, exactly the same as always, just that all kids have to take it. In practice there is absolutely no way.
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