Personally, I think that open access is great, provided that
1. Literally anyone with the minimum qualifications can take the course (i.e., you hire more teachers if need be);
2. Standards are not watered down and anyone who fails to meet written expectations is removed from the class.
Miracle Vitangcol, a Downtown Magnets junior with average grades and test scores, is failing her AP U.S. history class; she said she is overwhelmed by the rapid pace and volume of material she needs to memorize. But she said she intends to stick it out because the class is teaching her to manage her time, take good notes and develop perseverance.
That said, I have a degree in history, and would love to know who dreamed up the idea that college-level history courses involve memorizing gobs of factoids. Even the local community colleges around here, which are swamped with students, base their courses around analysis of historical events through essay writing rather than easy-to-score multiple choice tests. This is presumably because the people teaching them have graduate degrees in history. IMO (and my I like to think my degree gives me a bit of credibility here) history courses based on memorization are a waste of time. AP US History certainly fits that description.
"IM DESPERATE ILL GIVE YOU FREE FOOD,"
Let us hope this student wasn't trying to get into AP English.
