Getting a head start through Advanced Placement courses
Located 150 miles north of Boise, the tiny town of Riggins, Idaho is world famous for its fishing and rafting. But, with its remote location and its sparse population (just 410), it’s not the easiest place to recruit teachers or offer a variety of rigorous coursework.
It may seem unlikely, then, that half of the Riggins High School senior class is taking not only core classes, but Advanced Placement™ and dual credit courses.
“Our school can’t afford teachers that can teach advance classes,” said Dustin Rinker, a Riggins High School senior. “The only way for us to compete with other students [from bigger schools] is to be able to take these classes online.”
Idaho Digital Learning
Through Idaho Digital Learning, students like Rinker have access to an urban education in their rural communities. Among its 165 course offerings, Idaho Digital Learning provides nearly 30 AP and dual credit courses. It’s not so much the volume of classes, but rather the distances in which those classes are offered that really makes an impact.
“We don’t have the option of sending kids across town to a college campus and we don’t have the resources to add AP teachers to our staff,” said Jan Barany, Riggins online site coordinator.
Like Riggins, many Idaho school districts are in rural or remote areas of the state, places where finding and retaining faculty is difficult…places where budgets are tight…places where offering an advanced curriculum is impractical, if not impossible.
Supply and demand
According to The International Association for K-12 Online Learning, “…more than 40% of our nation’s high schools — particularly those serving low-income, minority, and rural youth — [do] not offer AP courses…[and] nearly 70% of schools and districts are looking to online learning to offer Advanced Placement or college-level courses.” http://www.inacol.org/research/docs/iNACOL_NowMorethanEver-lr.pdf
While those are national statistics, they certainly resonate in Idaho. In the past two years, alone, Idaho Digital Learning’s AP and dual credit course enrollment increased by nearly 285%.
In his report on “Access and Equity in Online Classes and Virtual Schools”, Raymond Rose writes, “Virtual programs that focus on Advanced Placement courses are doing so because the program sponsors and creators recognize that not all segments of the student population have the same advantage when it comes to being accepted into competitive colleges.” http://www.inacol.org/research/docs/NACOL_EquityAccess.pdf
Idaho offerings
In Idaho, both Advanced Placement™ and dual credit courses give high school students a head start on a post-secondary education through the potential of earning college credits. Those in AP courses prepare for a one-time, year-end exam; a critical test as many universities award college credit based on the results of the AP exam.
With dual credit courses, students enroll both at their high school and with one of IDLA’s partner universities or colleges. If successful in the course, students will simultaneously receive high school credit and college credit.
The effort pays off
For students willing to put in the extra effort, the academic rewards can be great, as listed in the new book, AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program.
• AP science courses have on average more experienced teachers and better integrated lab work than regular science courses.
• High school students who take AP science courses are more likely to earn science degrees in college.
• Students who pass an AP science test and then take the same introductory course in college do better than students who have not passed AP.
• Awarding bonus grade points to students who take honors or AP coursework in high schools is supported by the fact that they earn higher grades in college science courses.
Teachers’ top tips
As the name suggests, Advanced Placement (and dual credit) courses are advanced and rigorous. The AP courses are reviewed and approved by College Board whereas the dual credit courses meet Idaho college/university standards and are reviewed and approved by the Idaho credit-granting institution. But, those who teach the classes stress, it requires discipline to achieve student success. “I would say organization and self-discipline are the keys to student success,” says Beverly Fransen, Idaho Digital Learning Academy English 101 and 102 teacher.
Final thoughts
Dustin Rinker hasn’t decided on a major, nor on a school, “I’m visiting Carroll College [in Montana] today,” he said excitedly. Regardless of his choice, Rinker will go into his first year of post-secondary school with an incredible 30 credits of AP and dual credit courses already on his college transcript. A small town student with a big advantage.
Donna Hutchison, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Idaho Digital Learning Academy
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
