By Michael Beeli
Staff Writer
The California Common Core Standards Initiative is redesigning the exams and, consequently, the curriculums of numerous Advanced Placement classes at Mira Costa, according to Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale. These changes may initially be disruptive to students and teachers, but they ultimately move AP education in the right direction to better prepare students for the future.
Common Core Standards are aiming to move away from “traditional” education through various teaching alternatives that focus on preparing students for multiple choice tests. The initiative’s goal is to transition relatively outdated methods so they push for increased critical thinking and multifaceted problem-solving skills instead.
According to Costa Vice Principal Deborah Hofreiter, the three AP courses that have been changed most significantly are Chemistry, European History and United States History. These courses all required a redesigned curriculum with new text books and a new emphasis on critical thinking and specialized skills, providing a more realistic model of college-level courses.
According to Hofreiter, as of the 2014-15 school year, the AP Chemistry test was changed significantly to be more greatly based on analysis of experimental situations, rather than solely learning equations and facts through the textbook and worksheets.
In order to compensate for these new changes, the class began to have a new lab every week. The new class procedure helps better connect students with their studies in a more hands-on way, which more effectively encourages interactive learning in the classroom rather than only having to learn straight from the book.
AP European History teacher Annie Choi stated that as of the 2015-16 school year, the European History exam reduced the number of multiple choice questions from 80 to 55 and the free response questions count to one, adding four short answer responses instead.
The reconstruction follows a similar path of the new AP U.S. History test format in which U.S. History teacher Steve Singiser said was shifted to a more skills-based approach that focuses more on overall ideas. The changes will prove beneficial to students who prefer learning large concepts over specific facts, giving them a more thorough understanding of the material overall.
The redesigned courses are proving to be ultimately more valuable. Choi and Singiser both stressed that the restructuring of the examinations causes them to focus on thematic or overreaching topics and their interconnected significance as a whole as opposed to teaching their students to memorize facts. These changes will benefit students because they won’t have to spend additional time studying insignificant material.
In addition, these new alterations will benefit teachers because there is now a greater chance that teachers will find their courses more engaging as their curriculum will require more emphasis on applicable skills. As outlined in the Common Core State Standards Initiative, the changes also demand more from teachers; however, it better ensures that teachers are truly invested into their teaching, providing a more beneficial experience for students as a whole.
Common Core Standards Initiative is reworking AP curriculums in a manner which more effectively prepares students for the future.
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