Advanced Placement: An Exemplary Honors Model

Abstract

This article, examining honors and Advanced Placement Courses, is the second in a series reporting on the Richardson Study, a national investigation of the educational opportunities available to able learners, being conducted by the Sid W. Richardson Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to conducting a national survey and visiting schools throughout the country, I gathered information for the article by inviting six people actively involved with honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses to meet with my committee and me to discuss these options from their respective vantage points. Working with us in Fort Worth on September 21 and 22, 1982 were Jewell Bindrup, Director of Gifted/Talented Programs for the Utah Department of Education; Steven Brown, Director of Academic Enrichment Programs for the Madison Elementary School District in Phoenix, Arizona; Robert Crawford, Director of College Counseling at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts; Dennis Day, teacher at Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas; Marie Laine, teacher at O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth, Texas; and Irwin Spear, Professor of Biological Science at the University of Texas at Austin. We sought diversity in selecting the programs for consideration. O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth, with a student population of over 80% black, bears little resemblance to the high school in affluent Highland Park and even less to schools like Andover that “train the country's elite in the prep tradition, providing top education for top dollar” (Williams, et. al., 1981). The Utah Department of Education represents a statewide effort to implement AP programs; the University of Texas, Austin, is engaged in training teachers in AP methods and curricula; and the Madison Elementary School District in Phoenix is developing a Junior AP program — a project that may become a part of the College Board's official program. Ideas and information flowed freely during two days of spirited discussions. This article reflects many of the thoughts shared and the recommendations generated. — J.C.