AP Lang Class Dissolves, Honors English Class Created in Its Place

By Danielle Tobb ’17

Five weeks into the 2015-2016 school year, the school administrative team made the decision to dissolve Lynnette Evans’ AP English Language and Composition class and create an Honors English 11 class in its place.

AP Lang can prove to be a very difficult class after just a few days. The class involves written essays, rhetorical examination and analytical thinking. This school year specifically, a handful of students struggled with the class immensely. As a result, these students’ grades suffered and their desire to transfer into the Honors English 11 class became apparent after only a few days.

Since the Honors English 11 classes were already maxed to capacity, the school had no choice but to create another class, according to the head of the Counseling Department Elizabeth Al-Atrash.

One female junior that dropped AP Lang this year described how she believed AP Lang was going to be difficult, but not to the high degree that she experienced during her first weeks in the course. Her counselor explained that the Honors English 11 classes were filled to capacity, thus giving her no choice but to stay in the class. After much persistence on behalf of parents and students, the additional Honors 11 class was created. Samantha Ager teaches this new class, while Evans is now teaching an English 9 course to replace the AP Lang class.

Al-Atrash explains how approximately 15-20 students were able to switch into the new Honors course after its creation. These students are spread out in different classes, but a majority are in Ager’s class.

As for those originally in the AP Lang class that was dissolved, students had to change their schedules more than a month into the school year and scrambled to catch up in the new classes they were put in.

“Of [Evans’] class of 16, I received six students. Even though they have been here for a few weeks now, I still find them getting confused at references I make,” said AP Lang teacher Beth Dibler. “Because English teachers did not do class recommendations last year, I believe many students signed up without a clear concept of what the class would be like. Also, many students sign[ed] up believing they can try the class for a week or two and then move to Honors 11 if need be. That move was not an option this year.”

In order to switch out of an AP class, a student must show that he or she has tried to get help from a teacher or tutor. After the student proves that he/she sincerely tried in the class, a meeting with the student’s counselor, teacher and parent ensues. The students struggling in AP Lang showed sufficient evidence of trying their best.

Assistant Principal Karen Rose, the school’s “Master Scheduler,” uses an online system that puts students in classes. She explains that the school switched to use “My MCPS Scheduler” instead of having students select classes on a paper form. The process of putting students’ schedules together online is much more efficient than doing so manually, according to Rose.

Schedule changes are much more flexible in the spring and Principal Bill Gregory soon after decides, based on the initial number of students signed up for a class, how many teachers and classes need to be created in order to accommodate each student. When students decide they want to switch a class a month into the school year, they are often unable to do so since there may be only a certain number of classes created for the students that already signed up in the beginning of the process.