At what expense?

Delaware Valley School District has started the elimination of Advanced Level courses, placing more students in Advanced Placement courses. Although one would think this is a good thing, in retrospect it will create an environment that fosters educational mediocrity. It is regression towards the mean in the truest sense of that which takes place in a classroom environment. This policy will harness those students who have the potential to excel. By combining levels, those who supposedly know best are creating roadblocks that will prevent our Advanced Placement students from excelling in an environment free of obstacles. This policy is flawed and it’s flawed for all the wrong reasons. If educational success is now measured by the number of students taking the AP course and not by the actual score on an AP exam, we have done an injustice to those students who trust us to provide for them the best possible education that they can receive. In addition, we have placed a tremendous amount of pressure on those students and their parents who desire a comprehensive education without the pressure of Advanced Placement courses. In turn, we have placed our teachers in a terrible situation by having to teach an Advanced Placement curriculum to a class that is not at Advanced Level ability. I see it; the teachers who have confided in me see it, why is it that our Board of Education refuses to see it? At what expense will we look good on paper and fail our students? Sherri Edelman Milford