Schools
Moms Talk: Should Kids' Academic Abilities Affect Classroom Placement?
Today's Moms Talk takes a look at whether or not all students should have access to advanced courses, and whether or not students should be grouped based on their academic track records.
The for parents and Harrison Central School District officials.
A group of parents called the Harrison Parents Educational Partnership are concerned that the district's handling of advanced courses is detrimental both to students who have difficulty handing tough course loads, as well as holding kids who are academically gifted back from reaching their full potential.
Superintendent Louis Wool, on the other hand, says that the district intends to give all students equal access to advanced courses. The decision to take such courses, he said at a board meeting last month, rests with students, their parents, teachers and guidance counsellors.
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Such inclusive district policies are reflected in the number of A.P. tests taken by students recently. In 2001, 84 percent of 180 Harrison students who took A.P. tests passed. In 2010, 545 out of 1046 students, or 52 percent, passed the exams.
So, Harrison parents, we open the debate up to you in this week's Moms Talk. Here are some questions to think about before voicing your opinion in the comments section below:
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- Do you think students should be placed in classes based upon "tracking" their performance in earlier grade levels?
- Or do you think that all students should have access to advanced courses if they have a desire to take them?
- Should the district make multiple classrooms for advanced courses available, so students with stronger track records are grouped with peers of similar abilities?
- Do you think that the decision to take A.P. classes should ultimately rest with the student?
