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Too crowded to get to the top
More students in Advance Placement classes, but passing scores declining
Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Chris Morris / Special to the Sun
Advanced Placement calculus students crowd into Phil Bombino's class at Clark High. Clark Principal Jill Pendleton says, "I have students fighting to get into Mr. Bombino's class."
Sun coverage
Having sold thousands of students and their families on the value of college prep classes, the Clark County School District is wrestling with a problem of its own making: How to deliver the goods.
District officials are concerned that some of the most challenging classes have become so crowded, the quality of the instruction may be suffering.
At the same time, the district says it needs to better prepare students for the tougher courses by doing a better job of teaching them in prerequisite classes.
The decision to encourage students to push themselves academically is prompted by national studies showing that students’ postgraduate success correlates to the rigor of their high school curriculum. So several years ago, the district added a fourth year of math to minimum graduation requirements and students were urged to enroll in the tougher advanced classes.
The success of this campaign is seen in the marked increase in the number of students taking college-level Advance Placement classes that can translate into college credit for students who pass a national exam. Even students who don’t pass the exam benefit from the classes’ rigor and perform better in college, studies have found.
The district boasts that participation in AP classes has nearly tripled since 2002, from 5,675 seats to 16,669 this year.
But that has also led to crowded classrooms, with as many as 45 students per teacher in some of the more popular courses because there is no cap on classroom enrollment.
On the face of it, that seems to be taking its toll: Although the participation rate in AP has significantly increased, there’s been a steady slip in the percentage of students passing the exams. In 2009, the pass rate was 43.8 percent, down from 57.8 percent in 2002.
But that downhill trend belies some good news, said Trevor Packer, vice president of the AP Program for the College Board, which administers the exams.
Even if proportionately fewer AP students are passing compared with past years, the raw number of students in Clark County passing the tests has increased to 4,810 last year, compared with 2,129 in 2002.
“Most educators, policymakers, parents and students would agree that 4,810 students passing AP exams is better than 2,129 students passing AP exams,” Packer said.
The College Board recommends that AP courses be taught by teachers who have at least three years classroom experience, “an advanced mastery of the discipline” and undergo some form of professional training in advance.
Toward that end, the School District hosts a summer teaching institute sanctioned by the College Board to prepare instructors to teach AP-level curriculum.
The first year of the institute “we were hoping to get 150 people. We had 300,” said Bill Hanlon, director of the Regional Professional Development Center, which was established by the Nevada Legislature to support teacher training. Last summer more than 500 teachers participated.
Beginning with the next school year, the district will require AP teachers to attend a summer institute at least every three years, and the district plans to offer weekend refresher sessions.
But the decline in the district’s pass rate speaks to a larger problem than just the size of the AP classes, Hanlon said.
Students typically struggle in advanced classes because they haven’t fully grasped concepts they should have learned in earlier classes, Hanlon said. If students are struggling in an AP calculus class, attention should be focused on the quality of instruction in lower-level math courses, he said.
“When you don’t have your strongest teachers teaching entry-level math, and you put 38 or 42 kids in a room, the foundation gets weaker,” Hanlon said. “Without those foundation skills, kids aren’t going to be ready for the tougher classes.”
At the private Meadows School, each AP class averages 13 students. The students are required to take the AP exam and last year, 80 percent of them passed. Bishop Gorman High School averages 20 students per AP class. The school also requires AP students to take the exam, and nearly half passed the test last year.
Daria Hall, director of K-12 policy development for the Education Trust, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, warns that some AP courses may not be sufficiently challenging — a problem that comes back around to whether the best teachers are in those classrooms.
“What needs to be a part of the conversation is whether students are really getting the rigorous, high-quality instruction and support they need to be successful,” Hall said. “Unfortunately, what we’ve found all too often is high school courses that are advanced in name only, and are watered-down curricula and weak instruction.”
Districts need to do a better job identifying their best teachers and making use of their talents, Hall said.
“If one teacher is consistently getting kids to score 3 and above (on a 1-to-5 grading scale), go in and ask, ‘What are you doing?’ ” Hall said. “Then, have the other teachers copy it.”
For Silverado High School art teacher Karen Heater, the test score isn’t the end-all be-all for a successful class.
At Silverado, there isn’t enough time in the daily schedule to offer separate AP art classes in all the disciplines, so Heater uses one class period to help all her advanced students prepare their portfolios for submission to the AP’s judges. Silverado has had a good track record of students earning passing scores, Heater said.
There’s more to the class than just the final score, Heater said.
“They have to set their goals and be self-motivated,” Heater said. “That’s an important skill to learn.”
Clark High School has more AP courses than any other campus in the district, as well as some of the largest class sizes.
But Bobby Roeder, a senior at Clark, says his crowded calculus class — with 44 students — has its benefits.
“It helps us to collaborate,” Roeder said. “Smaller classes are good because you get more time from the teacher, but sometimes you need other students.”
Roeder’s teacher, Phil Bombino, remembers teaching AP math classes 25 years ago at Basic High School with 12 to 15 students in a class.
Bigger classes mean he has less time to circulate the room and help individual students.
“You have to hope they come after school or make appointments when they need it,” Bombino said.
But that doesn’t mean he’s pining for the good old days.
“If you have asked me 10 or 15 years ago, I would have opted for the philosophy of concentrating on the few students who can pass the (AP) test,” Bombino said. “Now I believe that we should increase our participation numbers and give more kids a chance and expose them to the opportunity. Even if all my students don’t pass, they’ve gotten a good introduction to calculus, and that can be very beneficial down the road.”
Clark Principal Jill Pendleton, who is pushing to expand AP participation even further at the campus, cheers Bombino’s enthusiasm.
“I have students fighting to get into Mr. Bombino’s class,” she said.
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The problem with the District's AP courses is that they do not insist that students take the required final exam and that the score or grade on that exam become the final grade earned for the course. Students have had the option to choose whether or not to take the exam. This philosophy has promoted the idea that if a student fails to master the required material, that is doesn't really count toward college credit anyway. It is all part of a prevailing philosophy of coddling the weak, below standard academic student into believing that it is all fun and games anyway. There is not demanding pressure that the student be committed to learning and mastering the material well enough to earn a decent grade or face the consequences of a lesser commitment.
The problem is more than not having experienced and excellent teachers instructing these courses; the problem extends to parents who insist that their students are 'A and B' grade scholars and deserve these grades. Additional problems arise from gutless administrators who will insist instructors lower grding and testing standards to prevent confrontation with angry, uniformed parents.
This district has implemented experimental grading program in some schools whereby No work = 50% grade. This in and of itself lowers standards, demands and expectations of students and parents This district tends to recycle mediocrity in students by insisting teachers teach to the lowest achiever in a course instead of challenging all with high standards. Failure to teach to the top students and insisting that the weaker academic students meet the established standards for passing the course has created a 'make 'em feel good' philosophy that accomplishes little in the way of true achievement and course content mastery.
Virgil A. Sestini, M.Nat.Sci.
Retired, 30 year CCSD Biology Educator.
vsestini is spot on with her analysis. This concept of "everyone" is a winner and the policy of dumming down the grading standards leads to young adults who have a very difficult time in post high school education and the workplace. Now, more than ever, the workplace is competitive. If our country hopes to innovate our way out of this economic downturn we need more of our high school students graduating with the will and the ability to perform at the highest level. False success in a Calrk County school classroom will not help a young person as they move into the real world. Teachers are producing a product, and this product needs to have a competitive advantage over products from other states, and even other countries. The workplace cannot mend itself if we continue to teach to the level of our lowest performing students.
When the CCSD promotes a policy toward teachers that kills initiative, inventiveness, creativity and demands regimented uniformity of lessons the quality of instruction is bound to decline. Many very creative and highly talented teachers have already fled the CCSD, and that is a loss of incalculable determination.
The CCSD is following the No Child Left Behind Federal Mandate so rigidly to such a point that classroom instruction within schools is more akin to a factory producing canned string beans. Every can is filled with a uniform, standardized product. Each is alike and uniform on all aspects neatly fitting within the appropriate can size. The problem with this approach in education is that the products are living, breathing humans capable of a wide range of thinking, analytical, creative and inventive skills that must be nurtured and encouraged; instead these human attribute are dumbed down and discouraged. We should not be producing identical autonomic human robots all capable of thinking and working only one way; we should be developing the creativity and intelligence of each one to the maximum possible for each individual student.
The district's emphasis is so great on test score results that the real purpose of education and the classroom teacher have been muddled over and forgotten.
Lesson plans are now used as potential tools of harassment against teachers. Lesson plans are no longer truly for the teacher's use but rather have become a weapon to guarantee strict uniformity of work and compliance with administrative directives. Final test score results are all that matter. Whether students have learned to think independently, creatively and are capable of individual initiative matters far less than test results. It another case of where the minimum expectation such as a minimal score on a standardized test becomes the maximum.
Studens who desrie to take AP courses would do just as well as early enrollers in community college programs in the same specific subject areas. There the course grade would be for college credit and could count as well for the high school diploma.
The difference would be that parents intent on seeing their student earn the A or B would not be so likely to be able influence the final grading by a power struggle and intimidation with the instrutors.
As a rule college instructors I have ever known are or were not easily intimidated nor required to 'giving grades' because of demanding parents or whinning,lazy students. Besides when one's real money is riding on completion of the course it does a great deal to motivate the investor be it parent or student footing the billto produce satisfactory results!
When it comes to determining how to best improve instruction in science and math in the CCSD why has the district not consistently relied on utlizing teachers noted for their expertese in these areas. Every year since 1983 the CCSD has had award winners recipeints, K-12, of the Presidential Awards for Excelence in Math and Sciences. Yet, I know of not one of these nationally recognized outstanding teachers who has been called upon to present an inservice course, discuss successful teaching innovations, procedures, processes or program to fellow teachers. WHY?
Advisory committees are formed as specialists to the Trustees and Administators of the district for various projects but none of these experienced and excellent teachers have been consulted for their ideas, advice, input or expertese. WHy?
This seems like a strange, selfish waste of readily available talent and a resource that is yet to be tapped. If there are problems with the AP courses why not call upon the experts in these fields, the classroom teachers themselves instead of some highly paid, re-tread administrator crony who has influential friends in the right places and hasn't been in front of a classroom for over 10 years? WHY?
Because of its lack of reliance on the true experts in teaching, those actually on the frontlines of education as classroom instrutors the district continues to muddle itself through problems such as that being experienced with the AP programs. WHY?
So it's unprepared teacher's with low expectations that "cause" low performance on AP exams. We are indeed blessed to have heroes like Mr. Hanlon who are funded by the state to step into the learning breach caused by teacher incompetence with AP "training". What a waste of money!
AP classes are in depth explorations of subjects similar to college classes. CCSD curriculum is not able to properly prepare students for such classes because the design is constructivist. While fashionable with liberals and unqualified teachers, the idea of breaking a subject down into little bits and spreading those bits throughout K-12 years embodies the cynical attitude that we must settle for instruction targeted to the worse student taught by the worst teacher.
It's no surprise to this math teacher that students can't make connections let alone remember some information bit from 2nd grade that goes with something from 6th grade that was mentioned in 8th grade and used in 10th on that one problem that you need to know for Calculus AP. What this leads to is a false belief that most people are no good at math, when almost no one can remember bits without the context of the larger skill.
If we used such an approach to reading instruction, we would teach only 2 letter words in 2nd grade, 3 letter words in 3rd grade, 4 letter words in 4th grade ... well maybe that's why kids can't read either!
This, sadly, is to be expected.
With the highest per capita of illegal aliens and their anchor baby offspring flooding into the CCSD school system, CCSD schools have become nothing more than warehousing for parents who have no vested interest in the success of their children.
In reality, government (public) schools now are nothing more than overgrown daycare operations. Nearly 50% of 'students' are on some type free meal government run program, English speaking qualifications are not mandatory to have the priviledge of an tax-payer-paid education, and qualified graduation rates are abominable.
Businesses who hire many times are now required to expense for the training of these 'graduates' in basic math, proper English, generalized Geography, and even minor amounts of U.S. History.
Very few now can find the U.S. on a map, can multiply 15 x 17, know what the word 'domicile' means, know who were the first, second and third Presidents of the United States, or know where the first capital of the United States even was.
But they DO know who L.L. Cool Dude Rapsta' Mocha' Whateva' is, they can spell marijuanna and methamphetamine perfectly, know the EXACT locations of every tattoo and nose piercing parlor withing a hundred miles, can text 2 U 4 U 2 C with one hand, and could find sugarized junk food in their sleep.
Their drugged up and drunk parento's know they can dump off their one-night stand offspring at the government school bus stop without even feeding them as much as a breakfast. Then carouse to their 'day gig' with their 'peeps' and perform their perfunctory job functions while making plans to meet up with some 'babes and dudes' at the the smoke filled party bar, knowing that 'Latchkey' (evening daycare) will pick up the slack.
Now we have the weirdo 'there's more to a child than a test score' types wanting to exacerbate this downward even more and get rid of OBJECTIVE testing to see how well this tax paid 'education' is paying off.
Right now, a CCSD HS Diploma is questionable, at best. And employers have caught on.
That's why businesses administer 'quality tests' to job applicants to continue the hiring process, of which very few CCSD 'graduates' will ever pass....
Oh yes "Wizard", it's all because of illegal aliens. Parents have absolutely no role whatsoever in the development of their children. Every white kid who gets pregnant at 15 or is addicted to drugs or commits a crime has no one to blame but the "illegal aliens". Really? I suppose that Bristol Palin got pregnant and dropped out of High School because of all the illegal aliens in her classes that were taxing the system? Come down off your high horse. Americans will never advance and become competitive with the rest of the world until we start taking personal responsibility for our actions and stop pointing fingers at everyone else for our shortcomings.
And as for your last comment regarding businesses administering "quality tests" to job applicants, I have to ask you on what planet this happens? You have doctors removing limbs when a patient was sedated for a tonsilectomy. Before surgery now you actually have to draw an "x" on the spot with a Sharpie so the doctor gets it right. The thousands of people who work at Walmart are clearly able to pass some sort of complex test that the average CCSD graduate couldn't. And let's not forget the state that the American financial system is in. Oh yes. Geniuses every one!
This is not a personal blog. I would suggest you either keep your comments relevant or do your homework first.
My suggestion to the Sun: make your readers pass a test before they can post comments to the site.
Ignorance abounds in the American pubic and it never so much more evident than in the citizens of this state and country. It is far more important for students to be prepared to kick, throw, pass and dribble a ball than to be able to write, speak and compose a complete sentence in American English. Oh, woe to educators that might demand serious homework and high grading standards that would interfere with the social life, athletic or other activities after school.
Beware of the teacher that demands a student demonstrate competence in subject matter mastery which just might include reading, writing and basic math skills. A plague upon any teacher that reprimands a student for not being on task in class, for disrupting and preventing the learning process of other students, failing to complete an asignment or who has not demonstrated one iota of ambition to learn even the most rudimentary basics in a specific course, but demands they be given an "A or B" grade for just sitting there.
Parents you are important partners in the education of your own children. Learn what it takes to be a real parent and help your children become students of academic learning not mere partners in 'bread and circus' of socialization and atheletics endeavors. Their future welfare very well demands a good quality, well-rounded acadmic education; sports and athletic activities are an important adjunct to that, but not the sole reason or most important one for attending school.
Their future will be bright and successful or a failure depending upon your assisting them in earning and leaning the value of a quality education.
The idea of political correctness has infiltrated the CCSD as now everyone that wants to be in an AP class can be. It is up to the parents to force the issue with a little pressure on the school administration and volla--the kid is an AP student whether he is qualified or not, or wants to or not. The parents win every time. The teacher has no say as to who should be qualified for the AP class.
Once in the class the parents then begin to pressure the teacher to back off on the high standards expected in the course...it's not fair to my 'little johnny' he has football practice and can't spend the time doing that special project for his AP class; "little Annie" must go to her ballet class or cheerleading workouts and just doesn't have the time to study that much after a 'hard day's work' at school. She needs her relaxation and socialization time. Poor kids they are so pressured to do so much that academics just get in the way.
Just because a kid is in an AP class does not mean they are qualified to be there...it's a status factor as well...got to keep up with the kid across the street although my kid doesn't like the subject, the teacher or the idea of all the extra work and study....
And, so the drum beat goes on in the CCSD and all American schools.
http://www.usnews.com/listings/high-scho...
http://www.usnews.com/listings/high-scho...
Maybe they should have used Coronado High in Henderson as an example of success...daughter dear informs me that there are about 15-20 max in her AP classes at Coronado High.
Silver rating for Coronado...not too bad considering all the other bad press one reads about Nevada schools overall.
In a nut shell..."it's next too impossible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."
Adding additional students to AP classes will help no one if those new students are not capable of doing the required work. It's nice to talk about "setting the bar very high" when it comes to academics, but many students simply don't belong in AP classes.
Putting students into AP classes when those students aren't capable of doing the work and aren't motivated to do the work only encourages grade inflation and mediocrity.
It's quite evident that we already have far too much mediocrity in American education...
Too often parents push to have their child put into an AP class because they consider it a status symbol...."Look what my child is doing! Isn't that wonderful?"
Thank goodnes I learned my 3 R's for this depression, er I mean reccession;
reccession= robbery= rewards.