Diversity in AP courses

Sligh_Anarchist · 03-26-2008, 05:58 PM

The state of Georgia offers an award to Georgia High Schools called the "Georgia Advanced Placement Access and Support School". An article from a newspaper in Washington, Georgia discusses this distinct award for high schools in the state.

Quote:

These programs are important tools for closing Washington- Wilkes' achievement gap. Recently Washington-Wilkes High School was named a Georgia Advanced Placement Access and Support School by Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools. This designation is given to Georgia public schools where at least 30 percent of the AP test takers are African-American or Hispanic and at least 30 percent of all AP exams received a score of 3 or higher.

Grim Shogun · 03-27-2008, 01:27 PM

This is an interesting subject to talk about. At my school the majority of students who do take AP classes are white, which in turn creates a kind of closed environment where people can't talk to a wide variety of people...

XiΞiX · 03-27-2008, 01:31 PM

Everyone who takes AP in my school is an URM. So I guess this doesn't apply to me, eh?

astrophysicsmom · 03-27-2008, 01:55 PM

I like the score component as part of the award. The annual Newsweek (I think???) awards for top high schools frustrates me because it only looks at number of AP tests as a percentage to the senior class # of students. The schools in my area that it recognizes are ones that encourage all students to take the exams, but is also one of the ones that has the lowest "passing" rates on those exams.

I'm sure there are flaws in this Georgia plan, but it seems like a step in the right direction, at least. This is an issue that is huge in our NC school district....not only for AP tests, but for the state competency exams as well.

degoutant · 03-27-2008, 02:59 PM

my school is a prime example of what GA is trying to improve with this; the majority (read: 90% of students at my school) are underachieving minorities. unfortunately, most students that take APs just take them to have APs on their transcript (ie, they dont really put forth the effort that is required for APs). thats not to say that all students who take APs dont care, its just that most dont.

with most of the socioeconomic issues with minorities beginning at education (they usually cant go to good schools without living in a good area, they cant live in a good area without a good job, and most good jobs can only be acquired through education), i dont know what else a school system could do to fix the situation if their solutions only work for a small amount of students.

Sligh_Anarchist · 03-27-2008, 04:15 PM

You live in NC too, astrophysicsmom? My school is about 50% black, 30% Hispanic, and 20% white, but we are doing pretty well with the standardized testing that NC administers. 73% of my schools gets free lunch as well. Our AP scores are pretty pitiful though. All of the teachers are looking at me and my best friend for good scores this year. I feel a lot of pressure to do well on my AP tests (English Language, US History, and Human Geography [self-study]).

Overall, our AP classes are just filled with the "traditional" AIG kids who have been sheltered together since elementary school (I am not apart of that group; I came to my current school system in middle school from the Triad area). Our AP classes have sprinklings of minorities, but most of the minorities drop the AP classes. It's a shame, too. Some of them are pretty smart.

padfoot · 03-27-2008, 08:31 PM

AP classes at my school are probably 60% asian, in an area where 15% of the population is asian.

atrophicwhisper · 03-28-2008, 12:00 AM

I like this, actually. I saw a documentary on Central High School (yeah, think Little Rock Nine) and surprisingly there's a lot of self-segregation. One of the ways this was shown was through differences in students registering for AP classes

My school is mostly white (as in >93%), but tons of Asians also take AP classes. But then again, that's kind of expected. Bleh.

llpitch · 03-28-2008, 12:17 AM

In AP classes at my school, about 50% are white, 45% are asian, and 5% are black.

My school is about 35% white, 45% asian, and 20% black.

lwk1005 · 03-28-2008, 01:13 AM

they need this kind of initiative at my school. My school is like 22% black and I was always the only black male in all of my AP's. There were black girls here and there but it was rare. And I have never seen a hispanic so yeah, things need to change.

doctordestiny · 03-28-2008, 02:50 AM

My school has like 15% Asians (of which I'm one) and 5% blacks. The rest are Caucasian.

But the AP classes are like 30-60% Asian, depending on the subject... and I've only had an African-American in *one* of my classes (besides Gym) in my four years of high school >.>

wxmann · 03-28-2008, 02:54 AM

my school is 33% asian, give or take.

in my ap classes the aznness varies from ~40% in the humanities AP's, to 80% in some of the science AP's.

There are maybe 1 or 2 non-azn/caucasian ppl in the humanities AP's at most, if even that. There are simply none in any of my science AP's.

Vicious · 03-28-2008, 01:27 PM

My high school was 40% White, 40% Latino, and a 20% mix of pacific islander/black/asian.

I took seven AP classes, and all of those classes were 95% white, with one or two asians/latinos in some.

Narcissa · 03-28-2008, 03:14 PM

lol i counted, Asians made up about 60% of my AP english class.

monday i'll count the other classes

VivaLaCollege · 03-28-2008, 08:29 PM

Forced diversity in AP classes? That's awful.

Don't deprive talented students just because they're white.