“There is no pressure from the administration or district. The pressure is a natural competitive drive. I wanna win,” said advanced placement teacher Jayson Waller.
Waller is not talking about a Friday night football game or an election for school president. He is talking about the reason students come to school, education. Each year, Carlmont students take advanced placement (AP) classes. Teachers and students study each day in preparation for the final AP exams, that take place in May, to prove their cumulative knowledge of the subject. The goal of AP is not only to let students challenge themselves in a college level course, but it also benefits students’ college careers, as passing these courses will allow students to save money on tuition. Though the AP exam is optional, 747 Carlmont students were enrolled in one or more AP classes and 631 students paid to take the exams last school year, according to Instructional Vice Principal Jennifer Cho. AP tests have caused students to compete all over the country for high test scores. Although the focus is on the kids to pass, teachers and parents tend to brag of high test scores. Cho said, “Five hundred and thirty four students received a 3 or better on an AP exam last year. All our teachers take pride in what they do. Teachers at Carlmont compete against each other to see who is able to get the highest passing rate at Carlmont that year. AP US History teacher Jarrod Harrison said, “It has been a joke between me and Mr. Gomez. I think a lot of new teachers teaching AP feel like they have to measure up and will be first to ask what your pass rate is, but not share their own.” AP US History and European teacher Waller competes against Harrison, as the two teach the same information to a different group of kids. “AP teachers are especially careful to examine their passing rates and continuously improve one year to the next. AP teachers have the desire and also feel the pressure to prepare students the best they can. Teachers often eagerly await their results and have conversations around what went well and what needs improvement,” said Cho. As teachers achieve high pass rates parents aim to get their child into a certain class in hopes of a high test score. Parents gossip and share their knowledge of classes bragging about certain teachers and occasionally the scores of their child. Scots parent Jennifer Webb said, “I think there has been a lot more education and discussion about encouraging kids to find the right mix of AP and non AP classes. In general the parents I’ve interacted with tend to keep their students classes and scores private. Parents tend to feel similarly as the bragging of students feels as if the parent has an insecurity. “Everyone should be proud of their kids but you shouldn’t put them on a high pedestal. Some parents go on and on and push it too much by putting kids higher than the kids who haven't taken those classes. Parents like to over shoot it. It's their insecurity and they have to boost their kids up,” said parent Denise Pace. Some students feel that competition is totally overrated, and the learners are the ones who give teachers their rates and deserve more credit. “I think talking about pass rates and the different pass rates between classes is not fair because it's all based on students. The material is the same and they should not brag about their smart students because we are the ones taking the test,” said junior Liz Boman who is taking an AP class. Ultimately, the chat between students and parents do not benefit themselves in the long run as Carlmonts policy does not allow students to chose their teacher based on preference. The administration believes Carlmont is filled with prepared teachers as their are many factors that go into a successful teaching style. Cho said, “While the AP pass rate of a specific teacher is not publicized by our school nor is it the only factor that determines a good teacher, students often talk amongst themselves and form perceptions about which teachers have the highest pass rates on AP exams. These perceptions are sometimes accurate and sometimes misguided. Many high school students all over the United States participate in the AP exam each year for a series of subjects. The AP total registration website recorded approximately more than 370,000 students who registered themselves online for over 730,000 AP exams. Webb said, “In the rare cases that someone has bragged, I find it initially obnoxious. Then I realize that they are probably insecure and feel a little sorry for them.” |