By: Vivan Tsang
Two new AP classes will be available for MHS students to take during the 2019-2020 school year, according to Assistant Principal Jennifer Hutchison. It was possible to add ‘AP Computer Science A’ and ‘AP Chinese’ due to an increase in class enrollment and demand, Hutchinson said.
The process for implementing a new AP Class depends on multiple factors including student interest, availability of teachers who can teach the class, and financial reasons, Hutchison said. The class also needs to fit in the master schedule, she added.
“The class itself has to go through a process with our own Curriculum Policy Council (CPC) in Milpitas Unified School District, where the teacher presents what it is they’re going to teach with their syllabus and the expected outcomes,” Hutchison said. “It gets approval through that committee. It has to go through A – G requirements for UC and CSU’s which is a whole another process with submitting the syllabus and making sure it’s aligned to what they college would expect us to be teaching and College Board.”
One hundred and six students came in seeking pre-approval signatures for the AP Computer Science Course without any advertisement from the school, Math Teacher Charles Castleman, who will be teaching the class next year, said. The idea of the class was brought up last year, but this year the discussion is about implementing it, Castleman said.
“I think it’s important that we’re offering this class especially being in Silicon Valley being close to a lot of these tech companies and by offering this class at a high school where tuition is free and admission is public,” Castleman said. “ It’s very important for equity to allow students who may have difficulty going to college for financial reasons to be able to take a class like this in high school that gives so many career opportunities.”
This is the third year that MHS has attempted to offer AP Chinese, according to Chinese Teacher Martha Kang. With a total of 54 students who signed up to take the class, she expects to be able to teach two sections next year, Kang said.
“I collect students’ data to show that people want to take it and then we have to show [the district] which textbook we can adopt,” Kang said. “ We also have to show the current course description [in order to get the class approved].”
Due to the popularity of the AP Chinese exam, only students who take the AP Chinese Course at MHS will be able to sign up for the AP Chinese exam at MHS, Kang said. Each student should take the prerequisite Chinese 3 course before taking the AP Chinese class, she added.
Castleman expects the demand for AP Computer Science at MHS to continue to rise, he said. There has been discussion around the fact that if the class is successful, MHS would continue to offer more and more sections as the years go by, Castleman said.