Earlier this semester many Advanced Placement students were upset to find that if they didn’t finish the first semester with B or higher they were now being told they were not allowed to participate in the final AP exam. Similarly many Juniors at Hazelwood West High School were not given the opportunity to take their school-provided ACT.
Although the district pays for AP tests and nothing is coming out of pocket for the students, they are still understandably upset. They dedicated countless time and effort to the classes and their larger workloads. The increased difficulty is all so these students have a chance to earn college credit. Now that the tests are no longer available to some students, many feel as if they shouldn’t have to finish out the rest of the year in the AP classes. However, with the news coming halfway into the second semester, it is too late for class changes and they are now preparing for something irrelevant to them.
Similarly, during the school-provided ACT, many students were surprised to find they were not on the list to take the test. Instead, they would have to schedule their own ACT on a Saturday. After asking multiple juniors, many say they were unaware of the new conditions set in place by the school.
After looking at both of these scenarios, it seems nearly impossible to deny that the school is trying to better scores by turning away students they deem as less capable. It also becomes harder to refute when you take into consideration that schools with better test scores get more funding from the district.
Funding is a crucial part of education and it can greatly improve the experience of students and teachers alike. However, as a student, I’m disappointed that some are not given the same chances as others based on a semester grade. Especially when you take into account that some people can just be poor test-takers as much as they can be great test-takers and subpar students. Needless to say, if funding is more important than equal opportunity, then selective testing is the correct choice.
