College Courses for High School Students

SUNDAY NEWS May 11 Special: "Don't make gifted students wait for college courses"

WATCHDOG: Kudos to retired teacher Dorothy Saunders for her "In My Opinion" rebuttal to the earlier opinion piece by Francis J. Bremer, Chair of the Millersville University History Department, objecting to the teaching of college courses in history to high performing high school students in their senior year.

We predict that any standardized test given to both MU freshman history students and to International Baccalaureate program seniors at J. P McCaskey on average would place McCaskey students on a par or ahead. Why? Because successful IB candidates qualify to attend the best schools in the country. MU has to draw its students from a much broader population.

Many youngsters lose interest in school and drop out or avoid college because they have been under challenged. The sooner gifted students move ahead, the more time they will have later for advanced classes, to independently pursue academic interests, and for part time employment.

A half century ago, the Ford Foundation sponsored brilliant students who would enter college early by skipping the junior and senior years of high school. The students could readily perform the academic work but were not as socially mature as their classmates. Providing college level courses at the high school level was found to be a better solution.