Advanced Placement Courses Are Not for Everyone

Abstract

A FEW YEARS BACK I attempted, with the noblest intentions, to more than double the number of sections and students in my Advanced Placement United States history course, a logical thing to do considering the increasing demand for this class. At the time I had thought that this would increase student performance by raising the level of expectations for all. Instead, I got a lesson in the law of diminishing returns. I teach in The Center for International Commerce (CIC) magnet at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. CIC is a magnet for motivated students who want an enriched curriculum with a focus not only on business but also on foreign language and a global slant on history and social sciences. The school has another magnet, PACE (see the preceding article in this issue). Both programs have approximately 700 students, recruit from throughout the Long Beach Unified School District, and offer AP courses. PACE students are usually selected from the top ten percent of the school district's students, while those in CIC are selected from the top thirty percent. Presently, the PACE program offers twentythree AP courses while CIC offers three; CIC gives two sections of AP United States history, and PACE six. There are no AP courses specially