WHY FOR-CREDIT CLASSES HAVE BECOME NO-CREDIT CLASSES The MN state college system (community colleges, state colleges, technical colleges, and the U of M) have stopped awarding credit for Algebra and Geometry that are prerequisites for Trigonometry, Calculus, and higher level courses. The college-level English composition courses generally known as "Freshman English" recently became non-credit courses. I believe that the chemistry and biology 1001 courses have also become non-credit courses. The reason that students who attend the public college system in MN no longer get credit for taking those courses in college is that courses with about the same content are offered to students in Minnesota High Schools, including high schools without accredited AP and IB programs.
The MN Department of Education and the big city school districts (Mpls and St. Paul) do not publish data on Educational outcomes by program. However, it is a fact that there are courses in subjects like Algebra and Geometry that cover a lot less ground than their college level equivalents, but do satisfy high school graduation requirements. If anyone in a position to know tells you differently they are liars. For several decades at least, the MN Department of Education has had fairly clear standards for the curriculum in grades 1-12. Many districts regarded the standards as minimum standards for courses taken by nearly all students. The big city school districts (Mpls and St Paul) other districts offered courses for students designated as gifted and talented that met or exceeded the standards, but courses offered to the rest of the student population were watered down to varying degrees. There were no minimum or basic standards. One of the big projects that accompanied the Profiles of Learning was the development of minimum standards for K-12 curricula that are aligned to the Minnesota Basic Standards Tests. The Minneapolis School District developed a curriculum guide aligned to the content of the Minnesota Basic Standards Tests. Pass rates on the first try for 8th graders in many MN school districts exceeded 90% the first year that it was given, while the first try pass rate in Minneapolis was around thirty something per cent and was eventually boosted to around 40%. AP & IB PROGRAMS I don't dispute the assertion made by at least a couple of mpls issues list members that there are high school courses that cover more ground than their college equivalents, including AP and IB accredited classes offered by the Minneapolis Public Schools. And, for the sake of argument, I will concede that the Minneapolis School District may have AP and IB accredited classes that are at least a bit more rigorous than comparable courses taken by the general student population in all other districts. However, I am quite certain that there are courses in math and other subjects that are taken by the general student population in some districts which meet or exceed minimum requirements for Advanced Placement accreditation. Minimum standards for International Baccalaureate accreditation are quite high, and it is my understanding that the curriculum is generally not aligned to the content tested in Advanced Placement exams. The IB program is widely regarded as the gold standard for college preparatory programs. It is looked to as a model by curriculum development committees, especially the world history courses, which are more consistent with a multi-cultural approach than traditional college prep history courses (in the US). I think it is entirely possible for the general student population in a public school system to receive the kind of education necessary to prepare them for IB accredited classes in high school. I think it is possible for classes taken by the general student population to be quite similar in content to IB accredited classes. I think that can even happen in the Minneapolis Public Schools. However, the people who run the schools and others in and outside of the school community either don't believe it can happen (so why try?) or simply don't want it to happen. -Doug Mann, King Field Educationright.tripod.com TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
