Classes May Be Advanced in Name Only

“High School Classes May Be Advanced in Name Only” by Sam Dillon

New York Times, April 25, 2011

Topic: How “advanced” are advanced classes?

Summary: More and more students are taking advanced “rigorous-sounding” classes (the percentage has nearly tripled in the past two decades) but are the classes really any more advanced? The author says “no”. The classes have been mislabeled to sound more difficult for a number of reasons (parents want kids in more rigorous classes, tougher requirements for graduation, etc.) Even though so many more students are taking these classes, standardized test scores are not rising.

Intended audience: General Public

Key Points:

• Enrollment in advanced classes is rising.
• Test scores are not improving
• Classes are watered down (Advanced Bio is the same as Bio, Algebra II is really Algebra I)
• Easier to see with science and math courses, but the author suspects the same is happening in other subject areas.

Relevance: We have heard Doug mention in class that the AP Physics class he is observing is the same as the regular Physics class. This seemed strange to me, but here is an article backing that up. I am now beginning to wonder if the more “advanced” classes I took in high school really were more advanced. What sort of implications does this have for us as teachers? If the advanced classes are being watered down, are other classes being watered down as well?