Teaching, Learning, and Testing
Print View
Wow...i was searching, searching, searching for a good blog topic this week and finally picked up my latest copy of US New & World Report. Tucked away near the end of the mag was an article that caught my eye: Some High Schools Are Dropping Out of the Advanced Placement Program. That sounded like an interesting article, and it was. I encourage you to read it (first). But what really socked me in the eye as a history teacher was reading another piece mentioned in that US News article...
Tom Stanley-Becker was a Junior last year in one of the best private high schools in the US, taking an Advanced Placement course in US History for college credit and probably hoping it would help him get into a good college -- until he intentionally dropped out the course so he could learn about US history.
!!!!!! -- ????!?!?!?!???!
He wrote an op-ed piece for the LA Times, which they titled Bursting the AP Bubble. His comments make VERY interesting reading -- and boy do they challenge me! You will find it interesting, guaranteed; after all, this was just last spring and he's the same age as you are. For this blog, respond to what he says and to what educators call "teaching to the test" -- and don't be afraid to comment on the way i run our US History class (i'm a big boy, i think i can take it 
). Seniors, you were through the whole course last year; being on the
other side now (i.e., finished), yours is an especially valuable perspective.
Remember: This is the start of me grading your blogs. If you respond like most of you have been, you'll get at least a 90, probably more. To get a 100, respond thoughtfully, quote and resond to the authors, comment on your classmates' opinions (even if that means a second posting by you), and/or respond early.
Blessings! You're a great bunch.
Well at first I skimmed though the article on highschools dropping the AP program. After about one third of the way through I realised that; wait, i don't even know what the AP program really is or in which ways does it benifit or distract students. So then I read the article that Becker wrote and I completely understood what to write in my blog. Of course for Becker, that was his opinion. but after awhile of thinking about it I have to say that I would be against AP classes only if they were really getting in the way of the real deal of highschool because other wise, you go thru all these tests and studying in the college courses in a class(such as US History) when you should be being taught something that you may need in life. Otherwise you may do the AP course during the highschool class and then actually get to college and take a course similar to what you should have already known from highschool, and you won't know what the heck your doing or learning! I guess in my conclusion, unless you are the smartest most gifted person in the world, leave highschool courses for highschool and leave college for college.
Posted by Daniel — Oct 07, 2008 19:03
I agree with Ted O'Neill in his statement, "Success in the exam doesn't mean success as a thinker or success as a future student." I know that there are people that are excellent students, they have good grades, and they are great thinkers, but yet when it comes to taking big exams they don't do that great on the exams, some good students are just not that good when it comes to taking big exams. I think that students learn at differant paces, some need to be taught slower than others to grasp the material, rushing through the material and jumping from one issue/subject to another can confuse the student if they haven't previously comprehended the last issue/subject. I know from personal experiance that just memorizing for an exam does not help you to actually understand and grasp the material. I agree with Tom Stanley-Becker, because if the goal is to pass the AP tests and not acutally learn the material, it will only give you a passing grade on the exam, but it most likely will not help you in the furture because you did not fully comprehend the material.
Posted by Brittney S. — Oct 07, 2008 19:21
This is the first time I have heard about the AP exams. Kids who want to get a jump start on college while still in high school is great and I wish I could do it. But I completely understand where Stanley-Becker is coming from. We cram our brains of topics about history for the test and forget it the next day. Although, Stanley-Becker makes a very good argument, I think it only stands with the U.S. History AP test. To take a math or science AP exam might be different in that its not a bunch of facts to be memorized, a basic understanding of the subject not easily crammed for. But I can't be sure since I have never taken these exams. 'Teaching to the test' is obviously learning the facts to get a good grade on the test, not to learn the ins and outs of the material which should be the main concern of high school. Although, say your not going to college for history, and this material won't be relevant to your career, it would be easier to learn the material by cramming for it and concentrate on your more focused classes. Also, if the teachers went at their own paces and the paces of the students making sure the students learned everything is definitely not doable in one school year. It does frustrate me in how we study hard for these difficult tests and we don't remember what we learned. But there's always college with a lot better, and more focused teaching. So if getting college credits out of the way early for advanced students (even if your not learning the material) is frustrating to you, then don't take the (optional?) tests and learn it in college. I'm not saying it's right by the way.
Posted by Ethan — Oct 08, 2008 22:42
After reading both articles on the Advanced Placement program, I would have to oppose it. I read in the Bursting the AP Bubble article the statement "The AP program once a learning course is a memory test now. This program is just focussed on getting students prepared for the big exams, but they don't really prepare the students for the future. Tom Stanley-Becker said that this program just speeds right through the material. These students don't really have much time to learn the material. I think students need to learn the material slowly because it will help them comprehend it.
Posted by Brian K — Oct 08, 2008 23:20
I agree w/ both Britt and Dan, from becker's article all the AP classes seem to do was to prepare for the test. If teachers teach only for the test then us students will never learn anything and our days at school are wasted. The reason for school is to learn the material and not just to get good grades, granted getting good grades is not a bad thing, but if all the AP classes are doing is rushing towards a big exam then why have them? We focus too much on how good a person does instead of trying to make the students interested in what we are learning, or really soak it all in. Besides if we take AP classes and prepare for this exam and ace it, but we didn't learn anything, why are colleges stressing to have it to get in to college ? Grades are good and all but what is this saying about what we can really do? Like Britt said not everyone is great at tests but, they have other wonderful gifts and potential that won't be realized if all a college wants is great grades, and that you aced an exam.
Posted by Gracie — Oct 09, 2008 12:02
i agree with brittney that "Success in the exam doesn't mean success as a thinker or success as a future student." i know that some people just do not do well on test and like others said learn the material at a diffrent pace. And it says "The problem with the AP program is that we don't have time to really learn U.S. history because we're preparing for the exam" So i would say why be in a class where you are not learning the material and just studying for a exam and a lot of the material is probably forgotten after awhile so its not really preparing for the future. I think it would be better to be in a normal history class where you could actually learn the material and not just be rushing towards a test and having the material flying through your brain.
Posted by carrie — Oct 09, 2008 21:47
When I first finished reading these two articles, I had no idea what you wanted us to write about, except our opinions, and I don't really have all that much to say about the subject. I think I've heard of the AP program before, but I've never known anything about it. Apparently its a test that high school kids can take if they want help getting into a good college. I think, that if the program distracts students from getting good grades in their current subjects, then its not a good idea to take it. Good grade averages and such matter when you apply for colleges, and an amazing average will look just as good as having taken the AP test. Becker said that was why he dropped it, so he could better focus on his U.S History. I agree with this, because from your class, I realize that History is one of the harder grades, and needs more attention, simply because there is so much to learn, and remember. It is also a very interesting class, and requires full attention to fully appreciate it. Having another huge course to study for that you find more important, when it isn't even necessary, just isn't a good idea. Brittney repeated the O'Neill quote in her comment, and I also agree with it. Doing good on the AP program is not proof that you will do well in a any certain college, because it doesn't show how you think or what your interested in learning, it just shows that you remember all the things you studied for the test. Also, Ethan mentioned teachers having set schedules for their curriculum, as did Becker in his article. It must be very frustrating for some teachers to know that their class is not doing well, simply because they are too focused and busy on a different subject. I believe that if there is to be an AP program it should be offered at colleges, for students to take when they are done with high-school, and ready to apply to college. That way, they can focus on the topic at hand without neglecting their school grades.
Posted by Elise — Oct 09, 2008 22:34
I think that it all depends on the teacher who is teaching the AP class. It depends whether they are "teaching to the test" (teaching only what is on the test) so you will get a good grade, or whether they really care if you know all of the material of the course thouroughly so that we will do well in college later on. Today most teachers reputation of being a good teacher depends on the students test grades (if your students get good grades on the test you must be a good teacher right?). So as sad as that is many teachers these days are just working to get their paychecks and go home. I think that the AP test only test knowledge not understanding. The only way that a student will know if they will benifit from taking a AP course is if they try it themselves and that they truly know they are LEARNING! the facts not just memorizing them to get a jump start on college.
Posted by Aaron H. — Oct 09, 2008 23:52
Good, thoughtful responses so far! Just a note -- "AP" stands for "Advanced Placement." It's offered by the same folks who bring you the SAT test(!) AP classes are college-level courses and if you score well, you will receive college credit. Most schools offer this but ECA has not had enough resources to do this. BUT--does anyone think that New York State Regents courses with those big tests in June pose the same kinds of dilemmas for teachers and students as taking an AP course?? Would Stanley-Becker say the same thing about Regents classes and tests? Do you find that at ECA you are learning the subject OR that you are mostly being prepared to pass the Regents exam??
Posted by Mr. D — Oct 09, 2008 23:52
I think this kid has a point. In history last year we were always rushing through the material so that we would cover as much as possible but in reality were not really learning about each event. So in fact we were actually hurting ourselves. I hate to bring up a sour subject but in Mr. Couch's class he didn't try to rush us through world history to get us ready for the regents, he went slow and I learned a lot more going that way and we got to dig dipper into each event. In all honesty history used to be my favorite class but since I have had to take regents it has become one of my most disliked. It 's not because of the teacher but because of the regents. Well these are my thoughts and
Posted by Tim — Oct 11, 2008 13:07