In the spring, lawmakers in Washington State passed legislation encouraging all districts to enroll in advanced courses any student who meets a minimum threshold on state standardized tests or the Preliminary SAT exam.
I agree wholeheartedly with the above.
Familial income should have no bearing whatsoever on whether or not a child ought to be in the AP track (and there are prejudices here among teaching staff) but strong academics have to be essential.
I also agree, depending upon where the threshold is set, what area(s) the students' strength(s) are in, and what area(s) the student is enrolling in advanced courses.
For example, the "minimum threshold on state standardized tests or the PSAT" must be at a level indicative of readiness and ability for ADVANCED work. A strong score in reading/language arts might not qualify a student for encouragement to enroll in advanced math.
Using scores to ensure students are working at their challenge level, based in readiness and ability, would preclude this type of situation:
... groups of four working together to solve quadratic equations... peer grouping, she said, “gets kids who come in with a lot of skills to solidify them by helping other students.”
Students are in school to learn, not to be exploited as free teaching assistants and tutors. While some may view this practice as mutually beneficial for all students involved, others may see it as fostering negative social/emotional development on the part of those pressed into service. On a current thread about deliberate self harm, one article mentioned a possible relation to maladaptive conflict resolution... a feeling of guilt for the unfair advantage of giftedness. Possibly an internalized feeling of guilt and unresolved conflict is planted by requiring students to tutor rather than to learn at their own pace, readiness, and ability level.
Students who have not mastered quadratic equations should not be in any calculus class, much less an "advanced" one. The students who have mastered precalculus should be taught calculus in calculus class, not pressed into tutoring algebra.
Agreed! Students interested in tutoring may find opportunities to do so by their own free will, for example through volunteerism, or through service clubs.
