One Copy Free
The Black & White
Johnston High School Student Paper
April ‘07
Vol 16 No. 8
In this issue...
Custodian burned feet Yearbook qualified as Lefties struggle to live in a Students describe their on calcium chloride finalist for, and won, work dress codes right-handed world during marathon Page 12 coveted award Page 2 Page 5 Page 8/9
Opening Day
Soccer begins after four delayed games
Dan Haight/BW
Junior Dustin Pirie fights for the ball against his Fort Dodge opponent on April 16. The team had four cancelled games to begin the season, but won its game 2-1.
College Board instigates course audit BY LARISSA FRENCH NEWS EDITOR College Board, the organization that runs and overlooks the Advanced Placement (AP) program, decided to implement a course audit, which will require AP teachers to prove they are teaching a meticulous curriculum. According to Executive Director of Public Affairs Jennifer Topiel, there has been such “great growth in the number of AP courses offered that the College Board needs to make sure schools are providing a rigorous enough course.” Teachers will fill out a form and submit their class syllabus. “You have to demonstrate that AP themes are being woven throughout the course,” AP World Studies teacher Jason Jauron said. Educators from across the country will review the submitted documents to ensure that each course meets the demands of a college-level class, according to Topiel. Teachers need to send in the information by June 1. If College Board decides a class is not rigorous enough, the teacher will have two opportunities to make changes. “Teachers are given information about what’s wrong with their syllabus,” Topiel said. “The goal is not to limit the number of AP courses available to students.” Principal Bruce Hukee does not expect College Board will reject any of the 12 offered AP classes.
“I don’t anticipate problems, but you never know how the process goes and who it goes through,” Hukee said. “If a class is not approved, (College Board) notifies (the school) by Aug. 1, and until it’s approved, (the school) can’t call it an AP course.” If a currently labeled AP class loses that title, it could have an impact on students planning to take AP courses. “I did not know that,” Wessling junior Ally Hughes said. Hughes plans to take AP Biology and AP English. “My only thing would be that (AP English) is a hard class, and if you can’t get the (dual) credit for it after putting so much work into it, that would be disappointing.” Graduate Tyler Buller took the AP English exam last year, and received a 5, the highest possible score. “I absolutely think that the AP English course, coupled with the review sessions (AP English teacher Sarah) Wessling held, was more than adequate preparation for the AP exam,” Buller said. “Having learned the necessary tools and methods for literary analysis in her class, the test was just a matter of applying them to new content and demonstrating an understanding of their application.” Teachers are working to meet College Board’s requirements. Wessling said, “I’m always paying attention to College Board, because I certainly wouldn’t want
to put my students at a disadvantage.” Even if a class lost its AP label, students could still take the exam and obtain college credits that way. “You can take any AP exam you want to,” AP Psychology teacher Sue Cline said. “I suppose, if you’re a self-monitoring learner- you’re highly motivated-you can just do it.” As of this point, no one seems to know what the effect will be on students currently enrolled in an AP class. “Next November, a ledger listing all AP certified schools, and the certified courses in each school, will be available,” Topiel said. “It’s possible (a student’s) AP course won’t be listed. I’m not sure (what that will mean for current students).” According to Associate Director of Enrollment Services at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Dennis Hendrickson, UNI would accept students who have taken either Accelerated classes or AP courses, as long as each student meets the admission requirements. According to Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Iowa State University (ISU) Phil Caffery, ISU would prefer students who have taken AP courses over students who have taken Accelerated courses, because “college and university faculty are so closely involved in every stage of the development of AP courses and exams, AP is nationally recognized for its high standards and rigor.” Despite the unknown effects on current AP students, Topiel sees the audit as a positive thing for next year’s students.
[ ] AP Fast Facts
Two-thirds of test-takers receive at least a 3 out of 5 Costs $83
Two weeks of tests, from May 7-18
Students can take any exam as many times as they want
“It will benefit students, as they can do better on the (AP) exam, and colleges will see that students took a certified AP course,” Topiel said. “In the long run, it would affect them more if the course audit wasn’t done, because (students wouldn’t know if they were actually taking a college-level course).”
Dual-credit courses Some classes, like AP English, offer dual-credit, which means if students pass the class, they will acquire high school and college credit. Rumor has it that College Board disapproves of this. “The question people are asking is, ‘Does dual-credit prepare student for college?’” Hukee said. Topiel, however, has never been told that College Board criticizes dual-credit. “It very well could be rumor,” Topiel said. “Dual-credit has to do with the local community college. College Board has no say about that.”