The divide between regular and advanced classes is up for debate at MHS, as students have different opinions about how the curriculum, instruction, and classroom management vary between these two types of classes. Students and faculty expressed their views on the matter and described their experiences at MHS.
“[The] curriculum and the instructions surrounding AP classes is not dictated by teachers,” Principal Francis Rojas said in a Zoom interview. “It’s dictated by the College Board and designed from the AP curriculum. That’s why they get the grade bump, because it is designed to be very different, and almost like college-level instruction. Honors classes are typically designed by the department. The general curriculum is more directed towards high school graduation standards, so that’s based on state standards. I wouldn’t say it is a division; I would say it is by design,” Rojas said.
Junior Jasmine Nguyen spoke about her personal experiences with the difference between regular and advanced classes at MHS. “I think it’s pretty big. I took an advanced English class in freshman year and transferred, but the next year … I took normal English, and I saw that it was much easier. I think maybe it is way too big, and there should be some in-between,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen described the varying workloads from the different levels of classes. “I think for advanced classes, the workload has to be a little bit harder because it helps prepare you, even though we complain about it all the time. I think we need the workload because for the AP classes when there’s an AP exam, you need to be prepared. [For regular classes] it’s very minimal, which is good because it balances out with the advanced classes with more work.”
Another MHS Student, Junior Fardin Haque, in a Zoom interview, explained his views on the teaching methods conducted in the different classes. “While the teachers do vary, the teachers have no control over [the curriculum] because it’s the curriculum that differs in between advanced and normal classes. So I feel like the teachers don’t have a difference in it. But of course, the stress is going to feel different, or like the workload you have on yourself is going to feel different because the curriculum is different,” Haque explained.
Haque further explained his opinion on the amount of learning done between advanced and regular classes and how the curriculum is a core reason for the divide. “I think advanced classes teach a sufficient amount for the AP test at the end. So, of course, they’re going to give you an adequate amount because you will need to score well on that test. And normal classes don’t have that opportunity, so I think normal classes kind of lack the amount of workload or curriculum you can learn in a year because there’s no objective in a normal classroom; it’s just going to the next level,” Haque added.
When asked if the current testing methods are accurately assessing his knowledge, Haque explained, “A lot of teachers I’ve noticed during online [school] are trying to cut down the time limit on tests to prevent cheating. I mean it makes sense from a teacher standpoint, but at the same time, I feel like that’s not giving us enough content to test on. So I know a lot of my teachers are only testing on certain lessons [instead of a] whole chapter by giving a chapter test. Maybe I didn’t study for one unit. And I wasn’t being tested on it, so it looks like I was pretty good at that unit, but in reality, I probably wasn’t, and that could either hurt me on the AP test because AP test is also in a similar fashion, where they only cherry-pick certain aspects of what you learned in a one-year class, which covers several more topics.”
Junior Melina Thomas, inputted her opinion and spoke about the different teaching styles and atmosphere in regular classes and advanced classes. “I think it’s because [AP classes] are more meant to be like a college-level course, and for normal classes, teaching and grading is way more lenient,” Thomas said in a Zoom interview. “The advantages of the AP classes are that teachers are more strict, and they treat us like a college student. So we tend to listen to them more. And [in regular classes], it’s good because they just give a bunch of homework for some of our classes,” Thomas explained.
Thomas further elaborated on teaching styles and explained the teacher’s contribution to the curriculum. “I think for AP classes, it is much more self-study and self-motivation, and for regular classes, they teach you, and it’s up to the teachers on how they teach you,” Thomas said.
Another student, Junior Shanaya Ishi Malik explained how student and teacher participation is conducted in the differing classes. “I feel like when you’re in advanced classes, the teachers expect you to participate more. So to make you participate more, compared to regular classes, they have more in-class discussions or randomly call on you. This one teacher I know does this number generator, and then she calls on you based on what your number is in the classes,” Malik said.
Malik also discussed the difficulty of catching up if she missed a week of school and elaborated on how a student would catch up with the class. “If I missed a week of school, if it were a regular class, I probably wouldn’t mind that much. I would just make it up. But then I feel like if you miss an advanced class for a week, then the only way to make that up is to probably hold a lot of calls or something with that teacher because you can’t make up for it otherwise,” Malik explained.
Overall, the students and faculty of MHS have many opinions on the matter of the divide between regular and advanced classes.