AHS ’14-’15 Science and Mathematics Course Changes

JOSEPH NEY-JUN
Staff Writer

Alhambra High School’s science and mathematics courses have faced some adjustments for the 2014-2015 school year.
The AP Biology class, taught by Jennie Malonek, was cut because not enough students were in the class. A class requires a minimum number of 26 students so that it is not dissolved. Malonek’s AP Biology class did not meet this requirement after a number of students transferred out of the class.

AP Biology is now offered as a ninth period, and it is a self-study course. The students meet on Wednesdays after school to work, where Malonek provides direction.

The new ninth period class does add to the student’s total GPA, but is not weighted like other AP classes. At the end of the school year, the students may still take the AP Biology exam.

“While I do understand that it was necessary to cancel the AP Biology class, I think things could have been planned better. We were informed very suddenly, had few options in choosing our new classes and have had very few new students. On the plus side, we were able to enroll in an independent study course, so at least the students who are dedicated are given an opportunity to learn the material,” senior Aya Jishi said.

A new Environmental Science class was formed to hold the excess of students who wanted the class. The students from AP Biology were placed in the class as well; however, the number of students is too low to qualify as a full class, with only nineteen students.

The AP Physics program has also seen changes. According to College Board, the National Resource Council conducted a study on the former AP Physics programs throughout the country and concluded that many important topics were being covered lightly. To correct this issue, they recommended that the course be split into two years so that students could gain a deeper understanding of physics.

The first year, AP Physics 1, does not require students to have taken the regular physics course beforehand. According to College Board, the AP Physics 1 will cover the equivalent of one semester of college level content. The second year, AP Physics 2, will cover the next semester of content. Two new AP Exams have been created, one for each year, of AP Physics.

In the Math Department, Elementary Calculus was removed, and students that had signed up for it were placed into Calculus AB. The Calculus class also had an enrollment issue, with only 23 students applying.

“I will fight to have elementary calculus in the curriculum next year,” Alhambra Math Department Chair, Paul Stein said. “If students want to take a class, they should not make the decision based on the teacher and other factors, but how much they want to take it. Class cuts were a school and district decision, but it ultimately depends on the interest that the students express in a class, that is the final decision.”