![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
A few days ago College Board announced that it was cutting the Latin Literature exam. See the article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040303925.html. I posted this reply at the article site:
***
The dropping of the Latin Literature exam, which includes a combination of Cicero, Horace, Ovid, and/or Catullus, is a tremendous mistake, leaving Latin students with one single option: Vergil. This will be devastating to Latin programs nationwide as well as impacting universities which receive our students in the long run. College Board makes it sound like the courses are "unpopular." Hardly that.
First consider that Latin competes with other foreign languages, making the numbers of anything but Spanish look small in comparison. But note that the Latin Literature exam has more takers than the French Literature exam.
Second, it takes great effort and discipline to stick with Latin or ANY language for enough years to take an AP exam, and many Latin students take TWO exams (one in 4th year, one in 5th year). MANY other AP courses do not have the YEARS of requirements that the language exams have.
A more effective reduction in spending would be on the elimination of the syllabus requirement that has been fraught with inconsistencies on the College Board evaluation side. (For example, refusing and accepting identical syllabi submitted by the same teacher teaching at two different schools.)
Numbers are being manipulated for propaganda purposes; enrollments are growing in Latin.
The fact remains, though, that if there isn't an AP Latin Literature exam, we will lose these students who want the higher GPA credits because getting into college is that competitive. And yet, according to the TCA Survey of College Admissions Counselors, universities give the most consideration to students who have taken 4 or more years of a language because it demonstrates discipline, dedication, and a true desire to learn.
The petition at http://eclassics.ning.com is growing fast; professors and secondary teachers are organizing to aggressively attack this problem. The American Philological Association, the American Classical League, and other classics organizations will not be taking this one lying down.
No question, College Board has made a mistake.
***
The dropping of the Latin Literature exam, which includes a combination of Cicero, Horace, Ovid, and/or Catullus, is a tremendous mistake, leaving Latin students with one single option: Vergil. This will be devastating to Latin programs nationwide as well as impacting universities which receive our students in the long run. College Board makes it sound like the courses are "unpopular." Hardly that.
First consider that Latin competes with other foreign languages, making the numbers of anything but Spanish look small in comparison. But note that the Latin Literature exam has more takers than the French Literature exam.
Second, it takes great effort and discipline to stick with Latin or ANY language for enough years to take an AP exam, and many Latin students take TWO exams (one in 4th year, one in 5th year). MANY other AP courses do not have the YEARS of requirements that the language exams have.
A more effective reduction in spending would be on the elimination of the syllabus requirement that has been fraught with inconsistencies on the College Board evaluation side. (For example, refusing and accepting identical syllabi submitted by the same teacher teaching at two different schools.)
Numbers are being manipulated for propaganda purposes; enrollments are growing in Latin.
The fact remains, though, that if there isn't an AP Latin Literature exam, we will lose these students who want the higher GPA credits because getting into college is that competitive. And yet, according to the TCA Survey of College Admissions Counselors, universities give the most consideration to students who have taken 4 or more years of a language because it demonstrates discipline, dedication, and a true desire to learn.
The petition at http://eclassics.ning.com is growing fast; professors and secondary teachers are organizing to aggressively attack this problem. The American Philological Association, the American Classical League, and other classics organizations will not be taking this one lying down.
No question, College Board has made a mistake.
Tags:
