Dear Donna,
I was happy we had an opportunity to talk earlier this week to address some of the questions about our high school program.
Concerning AP classes, we have not reduced, nor are there plans to reduce, our AP offerings. However, as our total student population gets smaller, it may to make sense to examine creative scheduling strategies – perhaps combining some classes, or offering some classes on alternating years. The data shows, however, that over the last five years, the number of students taking AP exams has increased from 69 in 2003 to 114 in 2007, with a corresponding increase in the number of students receiving Advanced Placement College Credit. (Last year we had 5 National Merit Semi-finalists and 1 Finalist.)
As for the scheduling issues, we are aware of only one student who was closed out of an AP class this summer. This student was in many other high level classes. Again, a smaller high school program naturally results in a tighter, less flexible master schedule with a greater likelihood of single course offerings. We believe this challenge is offset by the many advantages of attending a small school!
Although the state and federal (No Child Left Behind) accountability/testing programs have highlighted in recent years the need to provide intervention to struggling students, this does not need to be at the expense of meeting the needs of our academically talented students. We need to do both.
We also talked about the need to make sure the good news about Finneytown gets into the local press. Shawn Maus, our Communications Coordinator, sends 5 – 7 items per week out to the media. All of the news items that appear on our website are sent to them. It is solely their choice what to print.
I hope this response is helpful. Please let me know if you have additional questions, and let me know that you received this email. I would be happy to speak with anyone who has individual concerns. Your support in helping to facilitate good communication is greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
Randy
Randall B. Parsons
Superintendent
Finneytown Local School District
8916 Fontainebleau Terrace
Cincinnati, Ohio 45231
(513) 728-3703
rparsons@finneytown.org
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