Does Advanced Placement Meet the Needs of our Gifted Students?

The Advantages and Disadvantages for Gifted Students enrolled in AP Classes

Advanced placement courses are now an integral part of secondary education for gifted students. In many cases, AP classes are the only available courses for gifted students at the secondary level. These classes are also hard for gifted students to avoid because they are expected by many universities as admission criteria (Gallagher, 2009, p.286). This post aims to explore the ways that AP classes are meeting the needs of gifted students and how they fall short.

AP could be more adequate if acceleration was combined with advanced instruction and meaningful strategies of enrichment for gifted students

Advantages of AP for Gifted Students

Gifted students tend to believe that AP classes are the best “fit” for them because for the first time, they feel as if their academic needs and interests are being met. A research study by Hertberg-Davis and Callahan (2008) found that the gifted students in AP feel that the workload is challenging requires them to think, which they prefer over busy work (p.202). For many high school students around the country, AP classes are the only ones that challenge them academically. AP courses also provide gifted students acceleration, learning above grade level, which is a key component is educating the gifted.

Gifted students in this same study also believed they were receiving the best education by the best teachers their school had to offer. While there were some “easy” AP teachers, most students still felt that they were in the most optimal learning environment in the school. This learning environment includes being surrounded by like-minded students who are also motivated to succeed (Hertberg-Davis & Callahan, 2008, p. 204). Students involved in AP classes also will receive higher GPA weighting allowing them to stand out among their peers. Finally, and believed to be one of the most important advantages, students can earn college credit by getting a score of three or higher on their AP Exam. This allows students to save money later, and potentially complete their university studies quicker.

Disadvantages of AP for Gifted Students

While there are many advantages to these courses, there are many ways AP classes fall short in meeting the needs of gifted students. The first would be that AP courses are designed for traditional college classes and many teachers do not use best practices for gifted students (Gallagher, 2009, p. 287). Many teachers in AP classes use the lecture format to convey information to students. Many teachers choose this method of teaching because they are required to cover a lot of material in short amount of time before the AP Exam. “In AP courses, learning equates with exposure to content, not with making meaning out of in-depth consideration of ideas” (Hertberg-Davis, Callahan, & Kyburg, 2006). Students who feel that the style of lecture cannot adequately meet their needs drop out of their AP classes.

AP Classes also have a large course load with a lot of work and learning taking place outside of the traditional classroom. Many gifted students can handle this, but others cannot. However, the students who can handle it also experience a feeling of being rushed and overwhelmed (Hertberg-Davis & Callahan, 2008, p.202). This can lead to stress and anxiety, which in turn can hinder a student’s performance in these classes. It also can lead to preventing students from getting enough sleep and having an active social life (Hertberg-Davis & Callahan, 2008, p. 203). Many students from all different background and cultures are identified as gifted; however, minorities are underrepresented in AP courses. While we have seen a rise in minority enrollment over the past couple of years, the scores on the exams have not (meaning many or most of these students fail to get a three or higher on the final exam (Plucker & Callahan, 2014, p. 56).

Personal Reflection

I have been teaching AP students for two years, and gifted students for six. I have always loved teaching gifted students because as a teacher I felt I could always take things further. I feel as though gifted students can teach me new things while we explore new ideas together. Before teaching AP classes, I felt that I had more freedom with my students to enrich their knowledge and go deeper into concepts that interested them. Enrichment and creativity are two best practices of gifted education that lack in current AP courses. I feel the burden of preparing my students for a final exam and rushing through content to make sure they are exposed to all material they could be tested. I feel that College Board and AP curriculum developers need to find a balance between college expectations of material and creative enrichment. I also know that AP courses are not specifically designed for gifted students; therefore, College Board is not required to tailor their curriculum to the gifted. However, I agree with Gallagher when he closes his article by saying that AP could be more adequate if acceleration was combined with advanced instruction and meaning strategies for enrichment for gifted students (Gallagher, 2009, p. 287).

Improvements and Recommendations for AP

The ideas listed below come from the Hertberg-Davis Articles (referenced at the bottom of the page) as improvements to be made to AP courses to more accurately meet the needs of gifted students.

• Decrease the amount of content and increase the amount of depth

• Provide Pre-AP courses for minority students, or struggling students who want to be successful in AP to bridge the gap and broaden recruitment

• Provide AP teachers with strategies on how to best teach gifted students

• Provide AP teachers with education on the nature and needs of the gifted learner

• Provide AP teachers with training on differentiating instruction to meet the needs of ALL students

• Explore other options for gifted students besides AP and offer them at the secondary level

College Board has begun two new AP courses, AP Seminar and AP Research. These courses are not content dependent and are used to teach students how to explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of individual interest. Students will design, plan, and conduct a year-long research based investigation to address a research question or solve a problem. Students can use the knowledge gained from these courses is all other coursework. I believe these classes are a step in the right direction towards creating an alternative for gifted students other than traditional AP content courses.

References

Gallagher, S. A. (2009). Myth 19: Is advanced placement an adequate program for gifted students? The Gifted Child Quarterly, 53(4), 286-288.

Hertberg-Davis, H., & Callahan, C. M. (2008). A narrow escape: Gifted students' perceptions of advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 52(3), 199-216.

Hertberg-Davis, H., Callahan, C. M., & Kyburg, R. M. (2006). Advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs: A “fit” for gifted learners? (RM06222). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.

Plucker, J. A., & Callahan C. M. (2014). Critical issues and practices in gifted education (2nd ed.). (pp. 47-63). Wako, TX: Prufrock Press Inc.