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openmind
Member
| Joined: | Mon May 8th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 107 |
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Posted: Fri May 12th, 2006 02:29 am |
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At my D's school, they were going to deny AP Bio to jrs because they had so many kids registered for 2 sections but instead the school opened a THIRD section. It was still a very crowded class and the teacher left last month on maternity leave.
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PrimetimeMom
Member
| Joined: | Mon Mar 6th, 2006 |
| Location: | Los Angeles |
| Posts: | 157 |
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Posted: Tue May 22nd, 2007 10:00 pm |
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It's now one year later since I first posted this thread. Son worked very hard in this class and will have either an A/A- or B+ in the class. He feels like he did well on the AP test. He loved the class and I'm glad the school gave him the opportunity to take it and he proved to them he was worthy of taking it
This is one case that I'm glad I intervened with the school on.
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WestrnMom
Super Moderator
| Joined: | Fri May 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | West Coast, USA |
| Posts: | 1218 |
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Posted: Tue May 22nd, 2007 10:58 pm |
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I'm glad to hear it worked out. My son is in a private school that can't offer enough AP classes, so he wasn't able to take the ones he should have. They either offer them every other year, or not at all. He took honors instead, wherever possible, and the teachers added extra work as needed, so at least he has the knowledge to take to college with him. I didn't realize until it was too late that he could have taken the AP Bio and AP Chem tests without taking AP classes.
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outwest
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 4th, 2007 |
| Location: | CA |
| Posts: | 598 |
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Posted: Wed May 23rd, 2007 03:56 am |
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Some schools limit the number of kids in AP classes. My #2 was denied AP in a subverted way that really made me mad. The counselor said all three times she tried that the classes were full. She also had A's in her classes, bur did not test fantastically well. It really stunk. I will say that she got into all the schools she applied to without them. Granted, she had a special talent and she didn't apply to top tier, but she still had plenty of choices.
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mychalwynn
Member
| Joined: | Sun May 20th, 2007 |
| Location: | Georgia USA |
| Posts: | 14 |
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Posted: Wed May 23rd, 2007 07:08 pm |
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Anyone with children yet to enter high school may consider laying out a 4-year course schedule based on what they believe their child will want to pursue; meeting with the counselor or advisor to fully understand school policy (i.e., entrance criteria, independent study opportunities, etc.); and adjusting their child's schedule as they progress.
Our son entered high school with the intention of applying to college as an art major that meant that taking the AP Portfolio Art class by the 11th grade was a must. When he submitted his paperwork we were notified by the department chair that our son was denied admission into the class because, "he is not mature enough." When I emailed the department chair and referenced a conversation that we had when my son entered the 9th grade his response was, "I do not recall speaking about this with you." Fortunately for my son I was aware of county policy that states that AP enrollment in our district is "Open Enrollment." Students do not need teacher recommendations and parents can sign waivers if teachers advise against certain students being admitted to the class.
Once in the class, the instructor provided our son with little support, however, a portfolio class at the Atlanta College of Art supplemented what he was not receiving in the class and his art portfolio was outstanding.
Several other students at our high school have studied independently for the AP exams and have taken the classes not offered at our high school at other local high schools.
Congratulations to all of those whose children do well in APUSH. My son took the class for 1 semester and dropped out. On the other hand, he loved AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science, and AP Computer Science.
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moewb
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| Joined: | Mon Jul 30th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 17 |
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Posted: Mon Jul 30th, 2007 05:11 pm |
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We had the same experience with APUSH - a Junior year class - which was initially denied my son because (as he would be spending his Junior Year in high school in France) it would be too easy of a class for him as a senior. That notwithstanding, he would be placed in regular US history because it would be a graduation requirement ! Go figure on that logic !
It was my experience, having written appeals all the way up the chain of command - that 1. Having an ally in guidance is crucial; be friendly, be firm, point out logical inconsistencies, and constantly repeat the mantra to them - 'we know that you want the best for your students'. A working relationship is essential. Teenagers simply will take 'no' for an answer - sometimes the parent must be involved and refuse to accept the normal response; 2. Do not stop with guidance but work your way through the other levels of appeal.
I say this as a parent who has never once - outside the normal parent teacher conferences - disussed anything about my son with any of his teachers or administrators prior to these appeals. I was initially VERY reluctant to be his spokesperson for all the traditional reasons, and allowed him to have the initial conversations with guidance. It was only after a bit that I discovered that he - as an adolesent - sometimes accepts positions as adult authority and at face value.
Guidance in public school here is hit or miss. My son's counselor is very personable, but, I think the mission is to get all the student's into 'a college' rather than 'the college that they could get into'; the talk of 'fit' is in that sense a distraction from the real question of 'what is possible for this student and given the possibilities, what is best for this student" The 'fit' ques. And the mission on AP classes is to enroll the greatest percentage of students in some AP classes.
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CarolynLawrence
Administrator
| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
| Location: | USA |
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Posted: Mon Jul 30th, 2007 05:59 pm |
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moewb wrote: It was only after a bit that I discovered that he - as an adolesent - sometimes accepts positions as adult authority and at face value.
Ain't that the truth? I sometimes feel like my kids and I live in parallel universes. What they hear teachers/counselors say and what is actually being said are often two different things. You also hit the nail on the head -- my kids may ask teachers/counselors the right question but they usually don't feel comfortable asking the follow up questions that can lead to the "rules" being bended at times. Sometimes parents DO need to get involved.
And, your point about the importance of discussing both "what is possible and what is best" for the individual student is also a good one. Just because something is possible, doesn't always mean it is the best choice.
Last edited on Mon Jul 30th, 2007 06:01 pm by CarolynLawrence
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Lupine
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| Joined: | Thu May 17th, 2007 |
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Posted: Wed Aug 1st, 2007 11:47 pm |
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CarolynLawrence wrote: moewb wrote: It was only after a bit that I discovered that he - as an adolesent - sometimes accepts positions as adult authority and at face value.
Ain't that the truth? I sometimes feel like my kids and I live in parallel universes. What they hear teachers/counselors say and what is actually being said are often two different things. You also hit the nail on the head -- my kids may ask teachers/counselors the right question but they usually don't feel comfortable asking the follow up questions that can lead to the "rules" being bended at times. Sometimes parents DO need to get involved.
And, your point about the importance of discussing both "what is possible and what is best" for the individual student is also a good one. Just because something is possible, doesn't always mean it is the best choice.
It is also easy to miss subtle cues -- when we met with D's counselor, she twice suggested that a certain class on my D's tentative plan might not be the best "fit", though it certainly looked good on paper. I got the message, but D was pretty confused. Got home, talked with some other folks, and found out that the class that the counselor had suggested might not be the best fit is one that is taught by a teacher who verbally denigrates kids very frequently, and who is a poor teacher to boot. The counselor can't directly say that, of course, but luckilly the underlying message still got through.
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