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The Rapid Development of Advanced Placement Course in the American University is Very Worrying A survey of

admin2013-07-08  62
问题             The Rapid Development of Advanced Placement Course
                in the American University is Very Worrying
    A survey of teachers of Advanced Placement courses in American high schools has found that more than half are concerned that the program’s effectiveness is being threatened as districts loosen restrictions on who can take AP courses and as students flock to them to polish their resumes.
    The study, by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, noted the sharp growth in the AP program’s popularity. The number of high school students who took at least one college-level AP course increased by 45 percent, from 2004 to 2008.
    The number of AP exams those students took—with hopes, in part, of gaining exemption from some college class work, depending on how well they scored— increased by 50 percent.
    The study found that the teachers were generally satisfied with the program’s quality. But when they were asked to explain the growing attraction of AP classes and tests, 90 percent attributed it largely to more students who want their college applications to look better. Only 32 percent attribute AP growth to more students who want to be challenged at a higher academic level.
    And according to the study, it is not just the students who are motivated in that way. The researchers also noted teachers’ concerns about high schools’ seeking " to enhance their reputation by showcasing AP". For example, the study found that 75 percent of teachers believed that school administrators were expanding AP courses " to improve their school’s ranking and reputation".
    That the democratization of the AP curriculum has sometimes come at a price was evident in the response of teachers when they were asked if their students were ready and able to handle the work in such courses. More than half said they believed that "too many students overestimate their abilities and are in over their heads". Even more teachers said that "parents push their children into AP classes when they really don’t belong there".
    Fifty-two percent said such courses should be open only to students who could demonstrate that they could handle the work.
    Michael J. Petrilli, a vice President at the Fordham Institute, said he detected a tension within the results, given teachers’ hopes that a generally good program would not be weakened by making it too accessible. In that respect, the findings support Fordham’s general position that the nation’s current focus on raising basic skills sometimes neglects a need for the continued growth and challenging of high-achieving students.
    Trevor Packer, a vice president of the College Board, said he welcomed the report as a means of further illuminating the push pull between "equity and excellence". "We certainly see situations in which AP is provided in classrooms where students haven’t received adequate preparation and got low scores on the exams," Mr. Packer said. "In other situations, though, we see schools providing double the number of seats in AP classrooms they did several years ago, and the average exam scores have increased."
According to the great majority of the teachers surveyed, students often signed up for AP courses to______.
选项 A、improve their academic levels
B、challenge themselves
C、polish their college applications
D、do less class work in college
答案C
解析 事实细节题。由题干中的students often signed up for A．P．courses定位到第四段第二句可知，90％的教师认为AP课程和AP考试越来越受学生欢迎主要是因为学生希望他们的大学申请看起来更漂亮。因此[C]“让他们的大学申请锦上添花”与文中提到的原因相符。[A]“提高学习层次／学术水平”和[B]“挑战自我”不是学生修AP课程的主因，只是32％的教师的看法，与题干中great majority“大多数”不一致，故排除；[D]“上大学后少上些课”，这是一些学生参加AP考试的原因，而不是学生修AP课程的原因，故排除。
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