College Board to cut four AP programs.

[standrews]

collegeboard seems a bit late in getting this information out since most student have already signed up for next year's classes, and they should provide two year's notice rather than just one. DD had intended to take both AP French Lit & Lang in jr & sr years. I'm not sure which order. I hope she's taking French Lit next year. Otherwise she will be one unhappy girl and will probably write collegeboard a letter - IN FRENCH - to register her displeasure.

[JHS]

For me, too, AP French Lit was one of the best courses I ever took, anywhere. I'm less upset about dropping Latin Lit, since there really wasn't much reason to have both Latin Lit and Latin Vergil. But, of course, what they really should do is combine the two so that the AP test covers both Virgil and a selection of other authors (just like . . . the IB tests!).

[jackief]

is this news available on the official college board site? Our Latin teacher hadn't heard this news, I could forward him the washington post and edweek links, but I assumed there would be some notice on collegeboard.com

I also asked this on one of the several other threads on this topic, for the latin tests is what is the order that most people take them if there is a preferred order in your school. Our school most kids take Virgil and then Lit. The teacher would be open to reversing Juniors to take Lit next year, but says they aren't used to the pace and will be in with kids with Virgil already under their belts. Looking for other experiences/comments.

[jackief]

nevermind, I found the link in the educator section

[standrews]

DD is signed up for French Lit next year so she and her classmates will be in the last group to take the AP exam - fortunately. The school alternates years for French Lit & French Lang.

[jazzkingrt]

I lost will lose 3 AP's... sob.

[mommusic]

Another point of view...S who took both AP Latin classes (but did not go on to major in the classics or even liberal arts) said the one they cut out is much less popular than Vergil, enrollment is lower, and few students take both even where they are offered.

And he's a lover of Latin. I still think it's a shame for those kids that do want 2 Latin APs. They will be less prepared to major in Classics.

[johnshade]

The College Board is, as usual, plein de merde.

[mathmom]

And he's a lover of Latin. I still think it's a shame for those kids that do want 2 Latin APs. They will be less prepared to major in Classics.

Not necessarily. My son took courses that went beyond the regular science, but weren't APs. (Astrophysics). Our high school also offers a course in Forensic Science that give you college credit. If there's enough demand the school can continue to offer the course and there are ways to ensure college credit may be possible for at least some colleges.

[tango14]

The decision to cancel the 4 APs was truly a financial one. I take issue with the statement that these are "unpopular" APs which imply that there is something wrong with them or that people dislike about them. They are "low-enrolled" APs. It is particularly unfortunate that these APs are usually taken by students who want to pursue an even higher level of study in an area beyond Latin Lit, Computer Science or French Lang. Of course, there will be fewer of them. I know that in all of the language exams, enrollment has been increasing, albeit slowly, for the last several years.

And this will overall have a negative impact on higher level enrollment. Of course, a few motivated students will continue study because of their love of the subject, but overall, most students will elect to take another AP and courses will be cut.

It is certainly expensive to develop and score these exams, but there should be ways, for example, to administer and/or score them on-line since relatively few students are involved. And I thought the College Board was supposed to be a non-profit. Has anyone taken a recent look at their 990-T form on their Web site? Whew!

[Sungchul]

It really surprises me that the NY collegeboard people supported cutting Italian. I know Italian isn't as widely taught as French or Spanish, but this is New York. Almost every kid of European descent in the NYC, LI, and Westchester has at least a grandparents that's Italian...

And considering how popular French is a second language (I believe 2nd to English in the world and 2nd to Spanish in the US?), I'm surprised that they but French Lit. Might French Language soon become a French Language and Culture AP like Italian (and other languages) was (are)?

It's ridiculous.

[Keshira]

Absolutely. Why cut languages of all things? They're about as core subject as you can get without being a core subject. The collegeboard should have focused on gaining more students for the programs rather than cutting them.

And it sucks because the easier, less challenging subjects will always have more people enrolled in them while the higher level, more difficult ones like French Lit, Latin Lit, CompSci AB will have less students. But cutting those programs just decreases the overall rigor of AP. And doesn't that defeat the point?

[tango14]

Sungchul, I think all Language APs will now become Language & Culture like Italian. Only Spanish will continue to have a Literature AP because....can you guess?...it enrolls 3 times as many students as the APs that were cut put together!

If college football and basketball revenue can support tennis/golf/etc., why can't the larger APs (a number of them enroll HUGE numbers) support the smaller ones?