Over the ten years of Fordham's modern existence, we have panned vigorously for gold--curricular gold. This quest has frequently left us disappointed, as our reviews of state standards have consistently shown that expectations for American primary and secondary students are typically weak and watered down. This has been especially the case with high schools. Recently, however, there has been a proliferation in high school students taking courses offering rigorous pre-college curricula. In particular, enrollment in the Advanced Placement (AP) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) programs have skyrocketed. Fordham's latest report, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate: Do They Deserve Gold Star Status?, by Sheila Byrd, examines whether the reputation the programs have for academic excellence is truly deserved. Our expert reviewers looked at the four AP and IB courses most similar to the core content areas in American high schools—English, history, math, and science—and found that, in general, the courses do warrant praise. In a few cases, they deserve gold stars. 

See also the "In a Nutshell" brief of the report.

Policy Priority:
High Expectations
Topics:
High Achievers
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Sheila Byrd Carmichael is a former teacher, a classical school parent, and K–12 Academic Strategy Consultant. She is the managing principal of BlueByrd, LLC and a Senior Fellow at Great Minds.

Lucien Ellington is UC professor of Education at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Ellington teaches courses in social studies education and East Asian history, and is editor of Education About Asia.  He also has considerable experience with K-12 curricula, works with the Core Knowledge Foundation, and has evaluated and developed world history standards and materials for states as well as private…

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Eminent biologist Paul Gross is former head of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole and former provost of the University of Virginia.

Carol Jago has taught English in middle and high school in Santa Monica, California, for thirty-two years. She also directs the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA and edits the California Association of Teachers of English quarterly journal, California English. Ms. Jago is currently vice-president-elect of the National Council of Teachers of English.

Sheldon Stern

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