Plan Would Boost Access to AP Courses

Lawmakers on Wednesday retooled the governor’s plan to increase high school students’ access to Advanced Placement college courses, improving chances for some of the neediest high schools to qualify for $20 million in grants.

But many other schools probably would fall short, particularly in urban areas.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, for instance, at least 10 large high schools could miss out on the enriched courses, which give students a significant advantage in admission to competitive colleges.

Those schools tend to have “between 99% and 100% minority student populations--they are the lowest-income schools,” said Mark Rosenbaum, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “They are precisely the schools that a program for providing access to rigorous college preparatory programs should be aimed at.”

Nonetheless, Rosenbaum said progress on the governor’s bill raises its grade “from an F to a C+.”

The ACLU filed suit against the state last year, alleging that poor Advanced Placement offerings at Inglewood High essentially shut minority students out of the running for colleges such as UC Berkeley and UCLA.

Though the inequity has long been bemoaned in education circles, Gov. Gray Davis raised public awareness by incorporating it into his latest education reforms.

His pending legislation, heard by the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday--SB 1504 by Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier)--gives top priority for grants to schools with three or fewer Advanced Placement courses.

Next in line would be schools that offer no Advanced Placement math and science courses, send few students to college and have large numbers of low-income students.

Wednesday’s key amendment extends the three-or-fewer test to each track at multitrack high schools--which essentially run two or more schools in staggered sessions to accommodate more students.

In Los Angeles Unified, that change improved qualifying chances for eight multitrack schools, ranging from Fremont High to Belmont High.

But the ACLU maintains that unless the size of high schools is also considered, some of the largest campuses might never qualify.

Among those is Bell Senior High, which offers 10 Advanced Placement courses, including four in math and science. But when those offerings are spread over 4,600 students, that means just over two course options for every thousand students.

Among others unlikely to qualify are Dorsey High, Washington Prep, Los Angeles High and Manual Arts.

The ACLU has proposed a formula that would create a ratio threshold of three, or preferably four, courses per 1,000 students.

Pressed by members of the education committee, Escutia agreed to negotiate that alternative with the Davis administration before the legislation gets its next hearing.

In other changes Wednesday, the bill now:

* Limits the number of high schools served to 400.

* Adds a fourth year to the grants, beginning with $20,000 the first year and tapering off to $5,000.

* Develops a pre-Advanced Placement program at middle schools that feed into the high schools.

Teachers, administrators and civil rights attorneys say the $20 million will not be nearly enough to do the job right. The ACLU has estimated at least a $70-million price tag, pointing out that students in underfunded Advanced Placement programs tend to fail the course exam.

The state needs to “help students pass the test so the rigor is meaningful for them,” said Sen. Dede Alpert (D-Coronado), the education committee chairwoman.

Interim Education Secretary Sue Burr said the administration may be willing to consider extra funding if necessary.

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Schools Left Out

Changes in the governor’s plan to increase Advanced Placement course offerings still leave out some of the largest urban high schools. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, at least 10 schools would remain unlikely to qualify for the $20 million in AP development grants.

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AP courses per

School AP courses 1,000 students

Banning High 7 2.2

Bell High 10 2.2

Dorsey High 5 2.6

Gardena High 8 2.6

Locke High 6 2.7

Los Angeles High 10 2.5

Manual Arts High 10 2.5

Marshall High 10 2.3

San Fernando High 10 2.3

San Pedro High 8 2.5

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Sources: DataQuest and Department of Education, 1998-99