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Should we pay teens to take advanced high school courses?
Filed under: Teens, Day Care & Education
High school students participating in a pilot program in South Dakota get this deal: pass an advanced placement (AP) exam, and earn 100 bucks.The program, supported by a grant from the National Science and Math Initiative, is designed to let rural students take AP classes (which earn college credit) online. Smaller schools aren't able to offer the classes as part of their regular curriculum, but students can tap into the material through an online course. Those electing to participate in the program will take the courses outside of regular school hours and in addition to their other academic responsibilities.
Proponents of the program hope that it will spark an interest in math, science and English for some of the students -- a spark that will lead them to high-demand careers in engineering, research, healthcare, and education.
There is no doubt that the program has excellent goals, but there is some question whether the cash for passing the exam is a good idea. Should we promote learning for learning's sake, or even for the sake of getting into a better college? Or is it fair to reward teens for academic excellence? On a more practical note, is the cash even necessary, since the program is likely to attract the most motivated students anyway?
What are your thoughts on paying students for outstanding performance?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-24-2008 @ 11:37AM
Marcia said...Well that's crap if they do! I had to pay $75 to TAKE my AP tests.
Reply
3-24-2008 @ 12:03PM
Mihir said...bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad idea.
did i mention i don't like this idea?
kids already get a reward for academic acheivement. they learn something!
look, i'm all for sparking an interest in math and science. i'm a complete math and science geek, so my kids should look out :) however, providing a momentary reward like $100 isn't the way to go about doing it.
how about showing kids how fun and interesting math and science can be? give them a lifelong interest in it, not just the brief period it takes to spend the money.
how about this: if they pass, $100 goes towards an account which can be used for college (full or part-time) tuition. kids that elect not to go to college, get the money outright.
like Nicole asks, and i agree, it will be the more motivated kids that will take part in this anyway.
Reply
3-24-2008 @ 1:03PM
Ethel said...For rural kids who are at a very high DISADVANTAGE, this is awesome. AP courses in the sciences and maths should always be encouraged, always, especially in a nation of science and math adverse sissies. To take an AP course for someone not close to a campus that can accommodate them is quite a challenge and a feat, but will truly benefit them and us when they are in college. I will tell you trying your hand at college chem in the midst of folks with AP credits is daunting at the very least, and overwhelming when one comes from a relatively rural setting.
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3-24-2008 @ 2:01PM
ikate said...I had to pay the $75 bucks to TAKE the test to get the credit. And as I was the third child and my brother blew it for me, I had to personally pay that money (I took 3 courses, so 3 tests). That's a lot of weekends of babysitting to get the credit.
I say that if they are offering this, it should go to ALL students. Why should kids in schools that offer AP classes pay while kids that can take the course on-line don't? Sounds strange to me.
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3-24-2008 @ 2:34PM
isisaquaria said...I think to intent was there, but it came out as a bad idea--though I am not sure how to fix it....
Those students who do these classes are usually more motivated to start with and by taking these classes are going to have a wider range of possible grants or scholarships...so the money is saved in the long run.
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3-24-2008 @ 4:49PM
Meagan said...I'm not sure this is as bad as it sounds.
Since they only pay kids who "pass" the AP test it's not like they're paying them to do work. I don't know about all of you, but most adults I know wouldn't work for an entire year on the chance of getting paid later. Seems even less likely in teens. It's more like a bonus for working hard. But the bonus IS enough incentive that it might convince more kids to give up some of their valuable free time to take the class in the first place. It might be different if these kids could take the classes in place of their normal schedule, but they have to take them in addition.
Question though: What's a "pass?" 3? 4?
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3-25-2008 @ 1:35PM
Marcia said...I think they should just wave the exam fees and forget about paying the kids anything. Like myself and ikate said, we had to pay $75 a pop to take our tests. I only ended up taking 2 of mine because I didn't want to spend the money on the rest. My parents aren't rich so I also had to save up my own money and use that.
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