Lowell Year-Round AP Teacher

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Author: Belle Yan

Started: October 20, 2007, 1:52:58 pm

Target: Community of Lowell High School

Category: Education

Supporters:

163

Goal:

100,000

Goal Progress:

Status

Active

We, the undersigned, request a public forum, with at least one representative from the Admin Council present, to discuss the proposed policy of mandating students to take the same Advanced Placement teacher for each AP course for the whole school year unless students are required by the College Board, and to strongly oppose the aforementioned policy change.

_____________

Or, if you have time to read all the facts:

WHEREAS: The Lowell High School Administrative Council, the “Admin Council,” is seriously considering a proposal to mandate students to have only one Advanced Placement, “AP,” teacher for a specific course through the school year in every department; and

WHEREAS: “Admin Council” has not officially entertained students’ (or students’ elected representative’s) opinion on this proposed policy; and

WHEREAS: The Administration has historically included students and/or their representatives in the school’s policy-making process, as evidenced in the School Site Council’s student representation and in 2006 when Principal Paul Cheng and a subcommittee of School Site Council graciously listened to students’ input in a public forum about self-scheduling and made a decision that considered student opinion; and

WHEREAS: This policy, as piloted by the English department, when implemented throughout the departments, will effectively hinder student choice and the “individual decision-making” celebrated on Lowell High School’s website (under “Philosophy”); and

WHEREAS: This policy would contradict the philosophy of self-scheduling by refusing the student the chance to choose all his or her teachers for each course every semester; and

WHEREAS: This policy will create more havoc for the Self-Scheduling Arena by increasing misunderstanding, wait-time, inefficiency, and paperwork due to the need to confirm that the student is selecting the same teacher the student had his or her first semester; and

WHEREAS: While implementing this policy will produce a more accurate average “AP” exam score for a particular teacher, this average can be found without infringing on student choice, e.g. taking the average of the exam scores of the students who took the teacher both semesters; and

WHEREAS: College Board, which governs “AP” curricula, mandates that “AP” class credit may only given be to students who have taken a continuous curriculum throughout the year; and

WHEREAS: All departments, excluding the English Department, have extremely similar College Board-approved curricula for each course, and thus provide students consistency throughout the curriculum regardless of the teacher teaching it.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That we, the undersigned, fervently urge a school-sponsored public forum be hosted to allow all stakeholders, such as students, teachers, and the community, to voice their opinions supporting or opposing this proposed policy change; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That we insist on having at least one representative from the “Admin Council” at this forum, and he or she will seriously consider the opinions brought up at this forum and report back to the “Admin Council” the opinions brought up at this forum; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That we, the undersigned, strongly oppose this proposed policy of mandating students to take the same Advanced Placement teacher for a specific course for the entire school year unless required by the College Board.