School board to require all AP students to take exam

By Mike Berger

Enthusiastic about the ever-increasing amount of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses at Canton High School, the School Committee last week approved a course of studies that will require AP students to take an AP administered exam.

Those students who cannot afford the $89 cost per exam will be able to apply for a financial waiver and the committee is willing to pay for the exam.

Under the current policy, students can choose whether or not to take the AP test, but all AP students must take a teacher-prepared final exam, although seniors can be exempted if they have an average of A- or better.

School Superintendent Jeff Granatino said with more AP course offerings in the CHS curriculum, there has been a 22 percent increase in the number of AP exams taken compared to a year ago, with 172 students taking one exam, 105 students taking two or more tests, and 60 students taking three or more.

CHS Principal Derek Folan said that while he is pleased that more students are taking AP courses, the goal is to see more progress on the results of the tests.

Folan also announced plans to add new elective courses next year, including AP Physics I, Robotics, Library Technology, Exploring Technology Design, Mandarin II, and Critical Thinking. He also hopes to add more business world offerings in the near future.

Folan also updated the committee on his plans to implement the recommendations made by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in its 10-year accreditation report issued last spring. Folan said the library is now open to all students before and after school, and the CHS tennis courts are slated for repairs. The more challenging task, he said, is to develop school-wide analytic rubrics for use in assessing the school’s learning expectations.

See page 6 of this week’s Canton Citizen for more School Department news.

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