<p>Best teachers–and best students?</p>
<p>Some years ago, our high school principal, in a fit of misguided egalitarianism, abolished the Honors tracks. What was left was 9th and 10th grades heterogeneous classes in which students of wildly varying abilities and preparation (anywhere from 5th grade to collegel-level reading ability) were thrown in together and AP classes. There was nothing in between these two poles. I heard from parents whose kids wanted more challenging classes but not college-level ones that their kids were being pushed willy-nilly into AP classes for lack of Honors classes in those subjects. It was a bad experience for both teachers and students–those who struggled and those who wanted to move faster through the curriculum. Everybody sighed with relief when Honors classes were restored (after the principal quit).</p>
<p>Let’s not forget as well the kids who take APs because of the weighted grades.</p>