Some students take the difficult advanced placement courses and exams without adequate reading and writing skills, Piscitelli said. Students should be taught reading comprehension, study skills and effective writing long before they sit down in an advanced placement class, Piscitelli said. Students in Linda Holley's advanced placement U.S. history class at Jackson high last semester said the class was far more difficult than any they had ever taken. They weren't prepared for the amount of required reading and the intensity of the in-class discussions that require students to think about the causes and ramifications of history. Passing the advanced placement exam is not required to pass the class.
Many states require the students to pay the exam fees themselves.
After being shut out with her 29 advanced placement students last year, Holley said she regrouped. She worked harder to reach the students through hands-on projects and by coming to class dressed in period costumes that bring history to life. Holley also took advice from Piscitelli, who shared teaching methods and helped the students prepare for the grueling three-part exam that includes essay writing not found on many high school tests. Holley, a 27-year teacher, has tried the past two years to improve her advanced placement teaching methods. But she said there are problems with the Duval County advanced placement program.