Kansas educators worry Common Core repeal could hurt AP classes, IB programs

In a third-floor classroom at Wichita North High School, Ed Morales and his students are discussing the American civil rights movement of the 1960s.

They listen to a scratchy recording of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Then they hear a snippet of Malcolm X imploring African-American churchgoers in Cleveland to “stop singing and start swinging.”

“I want to make sure you’re not getting caught up in terms like … equality, liberty, freedom. No,” Morales says, pounding his fist. “What did they want? They wanted the Civil Rights Act. They wanted the end of segregation. Get it?”

The Advanced Placement U.S. history class – one of several AP classes in jeopardy as part of a renewed legislative debate over Common Core standards – compares King’s peaceful protests to Malcolm X’s Black Nationalism. Then students read an excerpt from activist H. Rap Brown.

“Every time I walk into this class I feel so weak-minded, because you hand me one paper and I’m like, ‘This is my opinion,’ ” said junior Paola Ramirez. “Then you hand me another paper, and I’m like, ‘Oh. Nope. This one is.’ ”

Morales smiles.

“See how hard this can be?” he said. “Do you see? Once you start thinking about it, doesn’t it get interesting?”

AP classes are “not just about memorizing dates and facts,” Morales said. “It’s about being able to think about your past so that it will help you as you go forward in your life.”

Critics of a bill in the Kansas Legislature that seeks to repeal Common Core standards say the measure could affect and possibly even do away with some AP classes and International Baccalaureate programs.

House Bill 2292 would compel Kansas school districts to return to reading, math, science and other standards that were in place in 2010, before the state adopted its Common Core-inspired Kansas College and Career Ready Standards.

The measure – and another like it in the Kansas Senate – also calls for AP, IB and similar courses and tests to be aligned with the 2010 Kansas standards. Educators say that directive would be difficult, if not impossible, because such courses are modeled on national or international frameworks.

Lisa Huesers, a member of Kansans Against Common Core, said the bill is “not an attack on AP.” But she and others in her group don’t agree with recent changes to the course framework for AP U.S. history – commonly known as APUSH – which has been the focus of debate in several states.

“I’ve never had a problem with AP and think there are a lot of benefits to it,” said Huesers, a mother of five from Leawood. “But it’s disappointing to see the direction with APUSH. Now you’re thinking, what’s going to happen to the other (AP) courses?”

Walt Chappell, a former state school board member from Wichita, testified in favor of the House bill earlier this week but said he doesn’t agree with the parts that pertain to AP and IB classes.

“That is not the bill we planned to introduce,” Chappell said. “I testified for it because what we’re trying to do is get rid of the Common Core. … But AP has nothing to do with Common Core, and IB has nothing to do with Common Core.”

Even so, no deletions or amendments have yet been proposed, so opponents of the measure, including Wichita school district officials, say they’re watching it closely.

“We have to take it very seriously,” said John Allison, superintendent of Wichita schools.

“What comes out of committee eventually gets to the floor. And we’ve seen that if things get pushed to the floor and to votes, oftentimes there’s very little discussion at all,” he said. “What comes out of committee may become law … and our families, our students are the ones who live with the consequences.”

Ready for college

Advanced Placement, a program created by the College Board, offers college-level classes and exams to high school students. Many universities award course credit to students who obtain high scores on the year-end tests, so the classes are popular with students preparing for college.

Wichita and other area high schools offer dozens of AP classes, including English language and composition, literature, chemistry, calculus, art history and foreign languages.

The International Baccalaureate program at East High and at Campus High School in the Haysville district, meanwhile, is an internationally recognized college-prep curriculum that features rigorous coursework, independent research and community service. To earn an IB diploma, students must follow a prescribed course of study, sit for examinations and fulfill additional requirements of the program, which is governed by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

Allison said rolling back state standards to 2010 would have “a significant impact,” both logistically and financially, on Wichita and other districts. Doing away with AP or IB classes because of concerns that those standards are out of step with Kansas values, he added, is “just ridiculous.”

“That jeopardizes what schools have worked the past several years on,” Allison said. “When you look at AP courses, IB courses, those are college-rigor courses. So you’re giving students an opportunity to stretch themselves and to be challenged.

“For some students, that’s a necessity if we want them to really be college- and career-ready.”

AP history concerns

AP U.S. history, in particular, has been the focus of debate recently in several states, including Texas, Colorado and Georgia. Critics have said the course framework focuses on negative aspects of the country’s history and portrays America not as an exceptional nation, but just another place where the rich and powerful rule and oppress.

Last week, the Oklahoma State House of Representatives’ Education Committee passed a bill that would defund the current AP U.S. history course framework and replace it with a curriculum deemed more pro-American by the bill’s sponsor.

If the Kansas proposal is approved, schools could continue to offer AP courses. But to offer a course labeled “AP,” a school must agree to meet the expectations set for those courses. Teachers submit their syllabi to the College Board, which determines whether they align with the framework and reflect college-level instruction.

Morales, who teaches honors and AP U.S. history, said he thinks much of the criticism is misguided.

“What I want my kids to know by the time they leave my class has not changed,” he said. “I’ve been teaching AP for years and years. They’ve redesigned the exams and all that, but … it really hasn’t changed very much.

“I think the people that would vote to do away with AP haven’t been in an AP classroom in a long time, if ever.”

Huesers, who opposes the new history framework and Common Core, said that’s not true.

“I have a child who took AP classes and benefited,” she said. But changes to the AP history course have “caused it to be out of alignment” with Kansas values and the previous standards, she said.

“I’ve looked at them, I’ve read numerous articles about it, and I do have concerns,” Huesers said. “I’ve never seen this kind of pushback happening, but … this is the first time we’ve seen such a dramatic change in the classroom.”

Some Wichita parents whose children take AP and IB classes have organized e-mail campaigns, urging representatives to carefully consider the potential impact of the current proposal.

Aaron Santry, an East High School parent, said he had heard previous arguments against Common Core but was “flabbergasted” to learn that the current proposal could endanger the Advanced Placement and IB curriculum. His oldest son, a student at Wichita State University, graduated from East’s IB program last year; his younger son is a freshman at East.

“From what I understand, it could decimate AP and IB, and I can’t imagine anyone wants that,” Santry said. “I sent an e-mail to every state senator, saying I’m a big supporter of IB and AP programs, and I’d like to see this bill fail.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 9:16 AM with the headline "Kansas educators worry Common Core repeal could hurt AP classes, IB programs."