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Saying
academic standards are high doesn’t necessarily
make them so. A recent report from Education
Sector (“The
Pangloss Index: How States Game the No Child Left
Behind Act”) demonstrates
how educational reports can be jerry-rigged to
paint results that are better than reality.
So,
it is noteworthy when advocates of rigor like the
Thomas B. Fordham Foundation issue a report
awarding high grades to programs like Advanced
Placement and the much smaller International
Baccalaureate programs – all the more so because
of recent fears that AP and IB courses run the
risk of being “watered down” as increasing
numbers of students take the demanding coursework.
But
the Fordham Foundation report (“Advanced
Placement and International Baccalaureate: Do They
Deserve Gold Star Status?”) dispels those
concerns, analyzing a range of AP and IB courses
in literature, math, history and science. The
report awards largely As and Bs to most courses,
looking at the content, rigor and clarity of each.
The
Institute concludes that both Advanced Placement
and the International Baccalaureate “demonstrate
that independent entities can and do make programs
and assessments that are rigorous, fair and
intellectually richer than almost any state
standard and exam for high school that we’ve
seen.”
That
conclusion is important for Virginia, because the
Commonwealth has been in the forefront of urging
high school students to take these and other
advanced courses.
Indeed,
nearly 56,000 Virginia students enrolled in an AP
or IB course last year, an increase of 5,000 from
the year before. According to a report by
the College Board, Virginia ranks fifth among
the states in the percentage of students scoring 3
or higher on an AP Exam during high school years
– 20.7 percent, an increase of 4.8 percent over
last year.
For
high school students moving on to college,
successful completion of a course can mean more
than college credit in advance of their
tuition-paying years. AP and IB students, having
completed college-level material, are better
prepared for college and have the skills that help
make freshman year less daunting. And, like a
rising tide that lifts all boats, ratcheting up
the ceiling raises the rest of an academic
program.
Other
advanced programs have also seen increases: The
number of students taking dual enrollment courses
has risen from 16,409 to 23,702 (6.18%) in the
last three years, and Governors School enrollments
have risen by about 700 students.
But
it is the AP and IB courses, for which testing is
conducted by third parties in the form of the
College Board and International Baccalaureate
Organization, where Virginia has seen the most
notable increases. Nearly a quarter of
Virginia’s totals come from Fairfax County
alone, where more than 14,000 students took such
courses last year.
Fairfax
provides a clear example of why broadening the
demographics of those taking challenging courses
and demanding tests is beneficial. In the past
three years, the
number of black students taking AP tests there has risen
by 48 percent while the number scoring 3 or higher
has risen by 64 percent. Among Hispanics, the
increases are 31 and 32 percent, respectively. The
number of white students has increased by 10
percent; the number scoring 3 or better has gone
up 12 percent.
Fairfax
gets help from a program instituted some years
back when I was on its School Board that helps
underwrite AP and IB test fees for students and
also provides training to ensure teachers are
prepared to teach college-level material.
Initiated by then- Superintendent Dan Domenech
(with some additional suggestions from those of us
on the School Board), it has since been emulated
in a number of other states.
While
the struggle continues to ensure that at-risk
students graduate with the knowledge and skills
needed to thrive in the 21st century, we can take
some comfort in knowing that high-end performers
here in Virginia continue to be challenged and well-prepared.
--
November 26, 2007
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