To Increase Equity, School Districts Eliminate Honors Classes

[cawacko]

We’ve had similar discussions here before. The bolded above is absolutely DUMB, STUPID AND SO IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH. Hopefully I said it loudly enough for the kids in the back.

Listen very closely: It is not possible to help ANY student reach his potential when you have to teach to the center. If you give me students from the lower third I can get them so much further when they are together than I can when you lump them into a class with advanced and median students. Similarly, the advanced kids are never going to go as far as they can go when teachers cannot challenge them because they’d be leaving 2/3 of the class behind.

Uniform courses providing a rigorous education … can’t happen.

This is an absolutely stupid thing to do. Yes, it is the “dumbing down” of education.

Probably not an apt analogy but it made me think of sports. In middle school we used to have three basketball teams for our grade and they were divided up by the A, B & C team. From a numbers perspective it made since because that many kids on one team meant a bunch of kids weren't playing. So splitting it up into three teams allowed more kids a chance to play. The A team consisted of the best players, the B team the next and so on. Again, seemed to make sense to let kids compete with those of a similar skill set.

My daughter's in kindergarten and it's already started. I've talked to the coaches and they've discussed whether they should just randomly put the girls on the two teams or divide them by talent. Even at this age some girls are more into and others are out there (literally) picking flowers. It's not so much about winning and losing but letting the girls compete with those at the same level as them so hopefully its fun for everyone, regardless of skill level.

If we're talking about equity is dividing the teams up this way equitable? Should there be an A team of the best kids or should all three teams have a mix? They did the same thing in football and even though it was flag football and we were in middle school there was an element of physicality to the game. Many of the big kids were on the A team. I was a late bloomer so I was happy playing on the B team. But again, equitable?

Like I said I don't know that is an apt analogy to academics but it's what popped into my head.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Irrelevant to the topic at hand. Anecdote isn't evidence in any case...

But to the point you are trying to make, by no means are all AP / honors classes worthless. The problem arises when politics, particularly radical Leftist politics, takes control of these classes and turns them into another means to push their dogma and agenda rather than educate.

Who said they were worthless? Obviously they are or DeSatan wouldn't be trying to get rid of them in Florida.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

We’ve had similar discussions here before. The bolded above is absolutely DUMB, STUPID AND SO IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH. Hopefully I said it loudly enough for the kids in the back.

Listen very closely: It is not possible to help ANY student reach his potential when you have to teach to the center. If you give me students from the lower third I can get them so much further when they are together than I can when you lump them into a class with advanced and median students. Similarly, the advanced kids are never going to go as far as they can go when teachers cannot challenge them because they’d be leaving 2/3 of the class behind.

Uniform courses providing a rigorous education … can’t happen.

This is an absolutely stupid thing to do. Yes, it is the “dumbing down” of education.

Well said.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Who said they were worthless? Obviously they are or DeSatan wouldn't be trying to get rid of them in Florida.

I suspect that's why he's trying to get rid of them. They're either worthless because of poor teaching, or because they've become political rather than educational, or both.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

We’ve had similar discussions here before. The bolded above is absolutely DUMB, STUPID AND SO IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH. Hopefully I said it loudly enough for the kids in the back.

Listen very closely: It is not possible to help ANY student reach his potential when you have to teach to the center. If you give me students from the lower third I can get them so much further when they are together than I can when you lump them into a class with advanced and median students. Similarly, the advanced kids are never going to go as far as they can go when teachers cannot challenge them because they’d be leaving 2/3 of the class behind.

Uniform courses providing a rigorous education … can’t happen.

This is an absolutely stupid thing to do. Yes, it is the “dumbing down” of education.

It's even worse when you teach to the lowest common denominator in the class, which is likely to be the case in Culver City California.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

I suspect that's why he's trying to get rid of them. They're either worthless because of poor teaching, or because they've become political rather than educational, or both.

Funny that there weren't any complaints until he decided to play to the MAGATs. These AP classes are voluntary, just like joining ROTC is voluntary. Bet kids in ROTC are exposed to "politics" too, eh?