<p>Thank you to those who have replied so far. I am responding to you in order, so you will see that my understanding of this matter becomes clearer as I continue.</p>
<p>To Muffy333: My family is relatively new to our community, and I prefer to keep a low profile at my daughter’s school. I am not acquainted with any of my daughter’s classmates’ parents, so I hesitate to contact them at this point, but I will do so, if that’s what it takes to try to get a group protest going. This community is an uncomfortable mix of Lived-Here-For-Generations families who look at life through rose-colored smog, and Still-Unpacking-The-Moving-Boxes families (like my own) who are disliked by the established families. (The AP U.S. Government teacher at issue is from a LHFG family, by the way, which will make putting that teacher on the hot seat a real challenge for me.) According to my daughter, most of her classmates “don’t talk to their parents,” so most parents probably have no idea that there is an academic problem brewing, and even if they did know, I doubt they’d care. Muffy333, you and your children are fortunate to live in a community where parents know that a school is a school. Most parents in my community view “school” as an athletic training camp, a performing arts rehearsal hall, or a community service placement center. </p>
<p>To thumper1: I am going to write to the principal, instead. My experience with this school’s administrators is that phone (and face-to-face) conversations are politely dismissed with no subsequent action taken. This is a situation where it’s better for me to “put in in writing.” </p>
<p>To anothermom2: You’re right; students do not have to take an AP class to take an AP Exam. (My daughter has already passed two “self-study” AP exams, and will be taking a third “self-study” AP exam next month.) Students at my daughter’s school are required to pre-pay in full for their AP exams (whether AP class-based or self-study); the school picks up the tab only for the lowest-income students, who are underrepresented in AP classes. The school could lose a lot of money (over $7,000!) if ninety AP U.S. Government students suddenly demand a refund for an AP exam they refuse to take (if the course is downgraded to non-AP/non-weighted grade status). On the other hand, my daughter has registered for and intends to take the AP U.S. Government Exam, regardless of how the AP course “problem” plays out, because she is confident she can pass, and she need$ to bypass as many college courses as possible with transferable AP credit.</p>
<p>To patsmom: Thank you for the heads-up about the CollegeBoard link (which was provided below by arjgn). I suspected that the CollegeBoard’s new auditing procedure, which two of my daughter’s AP teachers (including the AP U.S. Government teacher at issue) mentioned to students last September, might somehow pertain to the “problem.” The AP U.S. Government teacher–who frequently voices his hatred of paperwork–mentioned to students the week before last that correcting the “problem” involved “doing a lot of paperwork.”</p>
<p>To lefthandofdog: My daughter and I have known about the new AP course audit procedure since last September (although we didn’t know about the link mentioned by patsmom and provided by arjgn). Last night, my daughter and I combed through the CollegeBoard’s website for additional information, and I had my daughter read through the CollegeBoard’s AP U.S. Government course syllabus (as well as our state’s American Government and Civics content standards) to see if her teacher had covered all required course material. My daughter confirmed that her teacher (who used a CollegeBoard-recommended, state-adopted, and school district-approved Government textbook as the foundation for lectures, homework, and tests) had covered all required material. The “problem” appears to be that the teacher (who hates doing paperwork) has neglected to document the manner in which s/he covered the material. This will be key to my communication with the school. </p>
<p>To momtn: I fondly recall the days when I was an elementary/secondary public school student–the days when my teachers, my parents, and my friends’ parents were proud members of the esteemed PTA. Unfortunately, each of my daughter’s many schools has offered only membership in a site-based PTSA, used by parents (and “concerned” others) to promote their own children and/or to “uphold community standards.” I could join my daughter’s high school PTSA for a nominal fee, but I am unable to meet the group’s real membership requirements: a loud mouth, a white sheet, an open checkbook, and an unbroken ancestral link to a member of the school’s first graduating class. PTSA? Not my style.</p>
<p>To arjgn: You did find the link, and it was a real eye-opener. I input my daughter’s school information, and AP U.S. Government was missing from the school’s long list of approved AP courses. Obviously, the teacher at issue either has not yet submitted the required syllabus to the CollegeBoard, or has submitted a syllabus which was subsequently disapproved, and must be revised and resubmitted. Based upon the information provided by others who have posted here, I suggest that you contact your daughter’s school about the missing AP French class. Your daughter’s guidance counselor might not know that the AP French syllabus has not yet received CollegeBoard approval, so contact the school ASAP. According to huguenot, there is still some time to get this kind of problem corrected (if possible), but your daughter’s school and her AP French teacher will have to jump on it.</p>
<p>To huguenot: Thank you for your valuable information. April 23rd is a date which has cropped up in graduation-related information recently provided by my daughter’s school. Now I see the connection. It doesn’t appear to be a “three-strikes” issue for my daughter’s AP U.S. Government teacher–at least not yet. On the day the teacher first mentioned the “problem” to students, the teacher also stated that correcting the problem would involve submitting “a lot of paperwork.” My daughter did, in fact, see the teacher busily preparing a lot of paperwork. Now that I know the AP audit approval cut-off date, I know how much time I have to “encourage” the teacher and the school to get this matter resolved to students’ benefit. </p>
<p>To bluebayou: Thank you for the wise advice. I will communicate with the school–and the district, if necessary–in an appropriate step-by-step manner. (Of course, I will also do it in the “beeline” manner you suggested.) I questioned whether this would be considered a Guidance issue or an Instruction issue, which, at my daughter’s school, would involve contacting a different Assistant Principal. Based upon your suggestion, I will contact the Assistant Principal (Guidance), a “by the book” person I respect. </p>
<p>To sherpa: You’re not old; you’re Young At Heart… and so am I. (Thank you.)</p>
<p>To JHS: I see your logic with regard to students’ ranking remaining the same even if the course loses its AP designation, is de-weighted, and all affected students’ GPAs drop uniformly. However, my state’s public higher education system (to which my daughter and most of her classmates have been admitted by one or more colleges and/or universities) is notorious for pulling the admissions plug on students whose applications and final transcripts contain discrepancies. This is particularly true at the top-tier public university level. Moreover, my daughter and many of her classmates have been admitted to and/or waitlisted by admissions-competitive private and out-of-state schools, some offering sizable merit scholarships (including full-ride). For my daughter and her classmates, this is a “mountain” issue, because they could lose a lot as the result of a school administrative “problem” which could have been prevented, and can be corrected–if the paperwork-hating teacher who caused the problem gets in gear.</p>
<p>To MidwestMom2Kids_: Your suggestions for renaming the course are good. I agree with you; it would be unfair to retroactively “unweight” the course grade, because the teacher did present all required material, students completed all required coursework, and (wise) students will be taking the AP Exam.</p>
<p>To SoCalGal09: AP U.S. Government has been taught in this district and at this school for many years. It is approved by my state’s public higher education system, which also awards community college, state college, and university course credit for a passing score on the AP Exam. My daughter will definitely be taking the AP exam, no matter what happens with regard to the course’s current AP designation. If the course loses its AP designation (and its weighted grade), a swift and upfront explanation might lessen–but won’t eliminate–the chance of a punitive reaction from schools to which students have been admitted or are waitlisted. If I were a college admissions counselor, I would wonder, “What’s is going on at that high school that I don’t know about???”</p>
<p>To marite: My daughter is a senior. She will be taking the AP Exam. Absolutely.</p>
<p>To SoCalGal09: Thank you.</p>
<p>To ejr1: Thank you for the information. At the beginning of the school year, my daughter’s AP U.S. Government teacher mentioned having taken recent AP training, as well. The teacher also mentioned successfully presenting the course’s newly-published textbook to the school board for district approval. Finally, the teacher mentioned the new AP audit procedure, so the teacher has clearly been aware of the documentation required. I’ve met this teacher just twice, and both times, my take was that s/he’s highly intelligent and shrewd (definitely nobody’s fool); however, according to my daughter, the teacher is also stubborn, and balks at dealing with unpleasant but necessary administrative matters (which is why I suspect that s/he might have intentionally created this “problem”). Thank you for the AP Exam Time good wishes! </p>
<p>To Hedda: Lack of proper training doesn’t appear to be the issue. As huguenot observed, submission of a syllabus worthy of CollegeBoard audit approval does appear to be the issue. Quote: “As long as the school is accredited…” Hmmm… You amazingly (wink!) happened to bring up a pertinent matter which I will need to start researching ASAP. I owe you one, Hedda. Thank you.</p>
<p>To marite: I agree that many seniors might consider this a minor issue, but not the college-bound seniors at my daughter’s school. They will be outraged as soon as they know what’s really going on, and I guarantee that many of them now know more than they knew last Friday. I printed out a copy of the CollegeBoard’s audit approved AP course list (obtained from the link provided by arjgn) and sent it to school with my daughter to show around to her classmates, some of whom will then go home and tell their parents, who will then contact the school. (All I can say is, the school’s fans better be industrial strength!)</p>