Do AP classes and honors classes impact the achievement gap between students with and without learning disabilities?

High school is a constant battlefield to the top. In today’s high schools, advanced placement and honors classes are courses that students strive to take in order to give themselves a challenge, and also to give themselves a leg up when applying for colleges. These classes can be great for students that are high achieving, as they give students a new rigor to a subject and ask for higher thinking. AP classes allow for a chance to receive college credit if a student chooses that path, so it helps them prepare for college level course work. All these aspects of AP classes are wonderful, though there is quite a few flaws of advanced placement and honors classes. Through AP class requirements, it could potentially widen the achievement gap between high achieving students, and students with learning disabilities.

Because advanced placement classes are given its name, they are what students believe are exclusively for “advanced” students. Based just off of a title alone, students who do have learning disabilities can feel discouraged from even considering taking advanced placement classes. New data from the National Center for Learning Disabilities states that, “Students who receive IDEA services make up 12 percent of all high school students but are only 2 percent of students enrolled in an AP course” (Peters paragraph 2). This is a shockingly low percentage of students with learning disabilities that are enrolled within AP classes. The gap of students with and without learning challenges within advanced placement classes brings up questions of whether students with learning disabilities are being supported in wanting to take these classes, and if teachers are accommodating for students if they do so choose to take on the task of an AP course.

When looking at personal accounts, unfortunately many students have been either discouraged from taking AP/honors classes if they have an IEP, or they are told they will not be allowed accommodations with AP or honors classes (Accommodations pp1). Yes, AP classes are hard and rigorous, though with accommodations that are introduced in Individual Education Plans that the majority of students with disabilities have, students should be able to succeed in an AP class. Not being allowed accommodations further discourages students with learning disabilities from taking advanced classes, which continues to widen the achievement gap between students with and without disabilities.

Taking a further look into how AP and honors classes widen the achievement gap, it is known that teachers that teach AP classes are either more experienced or have taken an AP certification/workshop (Howell 1). This being said, students within AP classes will be getting an education from more experienced teachers, and students in general education classes will receive education from potentially newer and less experienced teachers. Because of this differentiation, it can change the quality of learning within the classroom, and create more of an achievement gap between the high achieving students and the students with learning disabilities that are encouraged to remain in general education classrooms.

In conclusion, AP classes provide rigor and a chance to receive college credit for students who take AP classes, but students with IEP’s and learning disabilities might not have access to this rigor and college credit as easily. This unfortunately widens achievement gap between all students.

Work Cited:

“Accommodations and Advanced Placement Classes.” PAVE, Washington PAVE, 2017. Accessed 13 Feb.2018.

Howell, Nikki. “How to Get Certified to Teach AP Courses.” Career Trend, Leaf Group Media, 5 July2017. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.

Peters, Daniel B. “Gifted+Learning Disabled = No Desk for You, Says New Study.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 31Mar. 2014. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.