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critique of AP and I.B. programs in science & math



[Teachers have posted recently on a new critique of AP and IB science and
math courses. Since this issue is of interest to physics faculty in
colleges as well as in high schools, here is an excerpt that I
copied/pasted. - Jane Jackson]
----------------------
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002
From: Paul Gregg Swackhamer <pswackhamer@GLENBROOK.K12.IL.US>

A very good critique of the AP and International Baccalaureate programs
was just released (2/14) by the National Academy of Sciences. It is worth a
read, especially given the widespread misunderstanding of what the AP
program really does for us.

Here's the URL:
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309074401?OpenDocument
----------------------

Date: Feb. 14, 2002
Contacts: Vanee Vines, Media Relations Officer
Andrea Durham, Media Relations Assistant
(202) 334-2138; e-mail <news@nas.edu>

For Immediate Release

Advanced Study Math, Science Programs in U.S. High Schools
Should Offer Greater Depth and Be Available to More Students

WASHINGTON -- High school courses for advanced study in mathematics and
science should focus on helping students acquire in-depth understanding
rather than the more superficial knowledge that comes from covering too
much material too quickly, says a new report from the National Academies'
National Research Council. Educators also should work to make such courses
available to more students who could benefit, especially minorities and
those attending rural and inner-city schools.

"The primary aim of programs such as Advanced Placement and International
Baccalaureate should be to help students achieve deep understanding of the
content and unifying ideas of a science or math discipline," said Jerry P.
Gollub, co-chair of the committee that wrote the report, and professor of
physics, Haverford College, Haverford, Pa. "In advanced chemistry, for
example, students should not only explore the atomic nature of matter, but
also learn how it can explain chemical bonding that holds molecules
together, as well as the widely varying tendency of different materials to
react. On the whole, well-designed advanced programs must provide
opportunities to experiment, critically analyze information, argue about
ideas, and solve problems. Simply exposing students to advanced material or
duplicating college courses is not by itself a satisfactory goal."

Accelerated classes that cover a smorgasbord of topics and final
examinations that devote insufficient attention to the integration of
important ideas cannot produce superior learners, says the report, which
concentrates on biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics in Advanced
Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs in U.S.
secondary schools. AP and IB have raised the level of mathematics and
science education in the United States. However, their efforts to emphasize
the key concepts in science disciplines have been largely unrealized
because of the excessive number of topics covered in each subject.

Today advanced study is practically the norm for secondary students seeking
admission to the most competitive colleges, which view enrollment in
demanding courses as an indication of a student's willingness to work hard.
But access to such programs is limited for many students who are poor or
minorities, the report says. For example, the number of AP programs in a
school tends to decrease as the percentage of minority or low-income
students increases. Even when college-level courses are available, studies
show that such students may not be sufficiently encouraged to take them, or
nurtured to succeed after enrollment.

A lack of well-prepared teachers and the inadequacy of students' prior
schooling are two factors that shrink the number of prospective
participants. "Improvements on these fronts could significantly enlarge the
population that the programs could serve well," said committee co-chair
Philip C. Curtis Jr., professor emeritus of mathematics, University of
California, Los Angeles.

In addition to recommending that courses be designed for in-depth learning,
the report calls for several other changes to boost quality and expand
access. At the outset, advanced courses in mathematics and science should
not be designed primarily to replicate typical introductory college
classes, which may not take into account the best current practices in
education. The way many advanced courses are taught also does not reflect
the recent explosion in scientific understanding about how people learn.
Research indicates, for instance, that encouraging students to learn by
engaging in active problem solving and discussion, as scientists do, is an
effective teaching tool. Yet rote memorization of facts, one of the least
effective approaches, seems to be stressed in many advanced classes.
Furthermore, teachers should work harder to build on students' prior
knowledge and address misconceptions.
...

[The entire report can be ordered, or it can be read on-line at
<http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309074401?OpenDocument>]
---------------------------------

Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics & Astronomy,ASU,Tempe,AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7331 <http://modeling.asu.edu>
"The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after
time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully,
have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth." - Einstein (1931)