"ap"
It’s Not About Tests. It’s About Rigorous Curricula
Alex Mallory has a piece over at the Huffington Post titled, “The Real Reason Private Schools Drop AP Tests.” His argument is nice, but everything in it is premised on time, money and resources that most schools don’t have. Of course a school, or district (does Mallory know about public school districts?) can write their [...]
Read More5 Reasons why Americans Choose to Board in Canada
Many Americans wonder why they would seek to attend a Canadian boarding school? I just wrote about this over on my own blog (Why do American Students Choose Brentwood College School?) by conveying experiences specific to my school (Brentwood College School), but here are some generic reasons why families may choose a boarding school in [...]
Read MoreAn Educational Consultant’s Impressions of Middlesex School
A truly beautiful campus in Concord, Massachusetts, Middlesex School centers around an open quad with beautiful brick buildings. I was fortunate to visit on an inviting, snow covered day (not the pleasant summer shot to the right). It’s exam week and I saw countless student groups studying together. The library seemed full to capacity. Informal [...]
Read MoreHarvard Study Questions the Predictive Value of Advanced Placement Courses in Science and Math
A four year study by Harvard’s Philip M. Sadler and UVA’s Robert H. Tai concludes that, while the curriculum and rigor required of student in AP courses is worthy, success in AP science and math courses cannot predict a student’s success once in college. Sadler concludes for the Harvard Gazette (High School AP Courses Do [...]
Read MoreSelecting a Private School: It’s not easy nor should it be
After fielding questions from a caller inquiring about our school (The Webb Schools), it is inevitable that I get: “So, where can I find your ranking among other boarding schools?” Happens all the time. Much to their dismay, I have to tell them that there is no such thing and happily so. Yes, there have [...]
Read MoreAP for Everyone: It’s Our Best Yardstick We Have
As AP leaders and readers begin grading student exams this week, Washington Post writer Jay Matthews makes the case for an almost universal validity in high school students taking AP courses (Is AP for All A Formula For Failure?). He takes on the arguments that ‘only qualified students’ should be allowed in AP classes and [...]
Read MoreHow A High School Class Reads Toni Morrison and Barak Obama
Having taught Toni Morrison’s Beloved a few times, I found this new take on bringing it to classroom very thoughtful, but in the end, reflective of the challenges of bringing any great work to students. Ian Shapira writes about teaching Tony Morrison to an AP class at Cardozo High School in DC in an article [...]
Read MoreScarsdale Opts Out of AP Curriculum
Late week we wrote a piece about the growing number of colleges that no longer use the SAT as part of their admission evaluation. I had no idea that the number of non-SAT colleges and universities had grown to 800 or so. We noted that the choice to remove standardized testing from the college admission [...]
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