AP, Dual Credit, and Advanced Courses

More and more high schools are looking to assist their students by offering these types of courses.  At RHS, we offer advanced courses and dual credit, but we do not offer AP (Advanced Placement).  To be honest, I think the one we don't offer might be the best one to offer, but my only look at Advanced Placement courses are through the lens of my children Carmen and Cole in the courses they took at Sherrard High School.  I don't have any empirical proof, but both seem to have benefited from the courses they completed.  The difference is that with Advance Placement, students have to score well enough on the ending test in order to earn college credit.  I just think it's more challenging.

As I mentioned previously, RHS has a few dual credit courses, but the oversight from our sponsoring community college isn't strong.  So the information I hear from students is a little scary.  These students are earning college credit, but they really aren't receiving a college education.  The other disadvantage with dual credit offerings is that many universities and colleges won't accept them as dual credit.

Finally, we offer advanced courses, but again I think it's a question of oversight.  Students earn enhanced GPA weight in these courses, but I'm not sure there is "advanced" rigor.  I know for certain that English III should not be separated into advanced sections.  Not only is it not necessary, I struggle to teach the "regular" students differently, when I'm trying to get them just as prepared for the SAT and their senior level English course as the "advanced" students.  Do the advanced sections gain more?  Perhaps they do because their aren't the distractions and disruptions that exist in regular sections.  Do the advanced students dig deeper into subject matter?  Perhaps they do because the advanced students tend to value academics more than many "regular" students. 

I have offered my opinion that English I, II, and III should all be mixed, and then students can earn weighted credit by their choice they make as seniors, whether to enroll in dual credit English 101/102 or enroll in the 099.  So far my recommendations to the administration have resulted in any changes.