2007 october

Page 1

The World Is Our Campus Volume 57, Issue 1

Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA

October 2007

Fives Lose Prestige: New AP Policy

on our web site:

theapachepowwow.com

OPINION

Photo by Gregory Zajac

Flaw in the System: What happened to the plans to add a Calculus DE class?

THEN

THEN NOW

Graphic by Kashia Bukowski CONCERNED STUDENT No longer can AHS students request grade changes based on their California Standardized Test or Advanced Placement Exam Scores as Department Chairs and Faculty agree on a policy against it.

By KYLE JACOBSEN & JANHVI JOSHI Editorial Staff Photo Courtesy of commonapp.com

OPINION

In 500 Words or Fewer: The many difficulties of presenting yourself in a college essay.

Photo by Gregory Zajac

NEWS

Campus Construction: Arcadia’s Work in Progress

“Yahoo!” you let loose late one spring morning after your proctor dismisses you from the Santa Anita Racetrack, probably the only time that you will ever visit the historic landmark in Arcadia, at least for another year. You just finished taking your AP Chemistry exam, and you are wholly confident that you completely pwned the free-response section of the test. You know that when you receive your score in late July, you will revisit that euphoric sensation you experienced after taking the test, because you will have earned a 5, the highest possible grade on the AP scale, demonstrating your mastery of the material. Not only will you have impressed your parents and your jealous peers, but you will also have amazed your cynical teacher, proving that you deserve an “A” in the class instead of the “B+” he or she so unfairly allotted to you. Reluctantly, your teacher will change your grade as promised, and you are one step closer to getting into the college of your dreams.

Unfortunately, as of last week, the faculty of Arcadia High School met and agreed to make it a district-wide policy, beginning this school year, not to change your grade in the class based on your performance on the AP exam. Stellar or unspeakable, your grade will no longer be altered in a positive or rescinding manner. Your grade in the class is final, and what you get on the AP Exam is of little importance. This policy also applies to CST scores. Often teachers who did not teach AP students, still promised students that they would change their grade if they scored advanced in the respective area of study. However, what was determined for the AP classes also applies to the college-prep and honors courses. According to Assistant Principal Catherine Merel, this policy “establishes equality for all students regardless of grade level or classes in which they are enrolled.” But, the students argue, isn’t the grade earned on the AP exam indicative of the knowledge of the student and the mastery of the material taught in the class? Senior Daniel Lee said, “This new policy is certainly going to screw many of us students over. It is our AP scores

that determine many of our grades.” He thinks that because students these days are so involved in extracurricular activities, it is extremely difficult to succeed in class. A member of Senior Men and Women and ASB, he only wishes that there were more hours in the day, and he depends on that final exam to get a decent grade. Assistant Principal Craig Wiblemo responded to students’ complaints, “If one test determines an entire year’s worth of work, there is something amiss. The department chairs approached all the teachers in school and decided together that implementing this policy would be the best solution.” Plus, he goes on to say, changing students’ grades undermines the grades of the other students who perform marvelously over the eight-month period that comprises a school year, but have an unfortunate day while taking the exam. In a subsequent argument, Wiblemo reported that colleges and universities understand an “A” in a class represents work ethic and attitude in addition to understanding the material. A 5 on the AP or an advanced score on the CST is not tantamount to the consistency and discipline of a conventionally earned “A” in school.


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