Swampscott board concerned over AP class cuts

SWAMPSCOTT – Swampscott High School Principal Layne Millington and Superintendent Lynne Celli defended a 22-percent growth in advanced placement “seats” but three fewer courses at the high school next year, despite some school committee members questioning whether the few teachers trained to teach the courses and student’s low “pass rates” justified adding more courses.”What are we weighing?” asked Celli at their committee’s meeting Wednesday evening. “Are we weighing the number of students listed in the paper for passing the test or the experience of having the rigor of a college-level course?”Advanced placement (AP) courses are basically college-level courses in a specific subject area that are offered nationwide to high school students, according to the College Board, which administers the program.In addition to receiving quarterly grades for their work, all students in AP classes take an end-of-the-year exam. Graded on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the highest and a 3 being the passing grade), many colleges allow students who score a 4 or 5 on the exam to receive college credit for introductory courses.The discussion was prompted by parent complaints about three courses being canceled, said committee member Jaren Landen, who noted that last-minute cancellations made it difficult for students to plan their high school careers.Millington told the school committee that the high school this year offered 174 “seats” in advanced-placement classes in subjects ranging from psychology to French literature. Despite the three courses – AP Government, AP Environmental Science and AP Physics – being cut due to low enrollment, Millington told the school committee the school will offer 211 seats next year.Many students take more than one AP class and the school offered 12 AP courses this year, according to the high school’s website.But the discussion turned to the value of offering the courses themselves, when Millington also noted that most students this year and in past years scored a 2 or a 3. Committee member Laurier Beaupre said that this is below the score results of neighboring communities, according to the latest information available from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.Celli and Millington attributed the scores to few Swampscott teachers being trained in teaching the courses. Millington estimated that three teachers have undergone a week-long training program on how to teach a specific AP course.School Committee member Jaren Landen said that this made “it very difficult to justify the courses.”Beaupre concurred.”You can’t offer a credible AP program at any level if nobody has the training,” he said. “What is a parent going to say – if their child gets a 2 on the exam – when they find out the teacher wasn’t trained to teach (the course)?”In response to the initial concerns about the canceled courses, Millington also noted that the school participates in a program where students can take AP courses online, and the Harvard Extension High School also offers AP courses for students, although he said it would cost parents approximately $550.Millington also said that students could also take independent studies. (Any student can register to take the AP exam, even if they haven’t taken an AP course, according to the College Board.Concerning the AP courses’ effectiveness, Celli agreed that teachers should be trained but noted that it would be costly. Millington estimated that training alone costs more than $1,800 and the district also must pay for the teacher’s travel, and a week’s worth of accommodations and meals. She and Millington also said that the school had to allocate increased resources to reducing class sizes in freshmen classes to improve “foundational learning.””We have students coming in who are not as well prepared as they could be,” Millington said.Celli and Millington most stressed, however, that test results shouldn’t be the only measure of a class’ worth.”Many students take a qualit