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Thursday, March 17, 2005
AP Follow Up and Block Scheduling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Several metro Atlanta school districts (Fulton, Forsyth and Douglas) responded to my query about AP courses and how they teach them in schools with a 4 X 4 block schedule. There are a variety of ways districts handle it, none of which include creating phantom courses as DeKalb did.
*Teach AP courses on alternate days for the entire year.
*Squeeze the AP course into one semester (90 minutes per class instead of 50 minutes). If the course is taught in the fall semester, the teacher holds review sessions in the spring leading up to the administering of the AP exam.
*Pair two AP courses together and teach each one for the entire year during a single block.
School districts agree the 4 X 4 block schedule poses some challenges with AP courses. But they have found ways to offer the courses and have the block schedule. There are some disadvantages for AP students. If they want to take an AP course that is spread over two semesters, that would cost them a course they may also want to take. Also, they may have to take the course the AP course is paired with, even if they hadn’t planned to.
Administrators say they have asked the College Board to give AP exams after the fall semester, but that would cost money and so far it has not come to pass. No one I spoke with saw this issue as a reason to abandon the 4 X 4 block.
Speaking of block scheduling, do you love it or hate it? I see it as merely a scheduling issue, with pros and cons. I don’t see it as a catalyst for rapid school improvement nor do I see it as something that should hinder students. It seems a matter of preference.
