higher (weighted) GPA or being awarded prestigious college scholarships, being placed in any of these academic pathways is often coveted and highly competitive.
Why Do Your Child’s Courses Matter?
Unlike other courses where a student, in consultation with a school counselor, self-selects his/her courses based upon his/her diploma track, honors, pre-AP, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses often have rigid criteria for admission. These classes are often smaller in size, more autonomous in nature, driven by complex and sophisticated reading material and taught by the best teachers in the school—some of whom hold advanced degrees in their content areas.
In other words, these courses are intended to provide its students with an educational setting on par with their intellectual ability. This sounds optimal for ALL students, so why are some students excluded from these courses?
The Student Selection Process
Often, students are recommended for gifted programs, in particular, based upon their IQ test results, standardized test scores and/or the recommendations of their teachers and/or counselors. Although the process is often considered a form of