Students respond to schools’ high expectations

By Ralph Plagman

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In his Feb. 1 column, Todd Dorman wrote: “Imagine having a full-court, wide-open, months-long process aimed at

creating schools that families would flock

to… .” He was offering an alternative to closing schools and a response to students leaving Cedar Rapids schools via “open enrollment.”

Dorman's strategy is exactly the thinking that drives our three large Cedar Rapids high schools. That “full-court, wide-open, months-long process” is precisely why our high schools lead the other 379 Iowa high schools on all of the lists of America's best high schools. Whether it is rankings by Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, the Washington Post, or the University of Iowa, Washington and Kennedy are nearly always the top two Iowa high schools. For example, on the UI's Belin-Blank Center's list of Iowa's top high schools, Washington has been ranked first for four years, and Kennedy ranks second.

Our plan has been adopted by many Iowa high schools. Two decades ago, Cedar Rapids high school administrators saw that the Advanced Placement Program (college courses taught in high school) was becoming the “gold standard” of rigorous high school curriculum in America.

AP courses provide the best model available for teacher accountability. For example, AP teachers must submit their syllabi to the AP program for approval before using the AP brand. AP students take end-of-course exams that are scored by national panels of professors and AP teachers. The exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5 with 3 or higher considered passing. Students receiving a 3 or higher are considered to have successfully completed a college course. Principals review individual student scores and averages for all of their AP teachers.

AP courses are available in 27 content areas. The three Cedar Rapids high schools offer every AP course except for Latin. No other Iowa high schools offer that many.

More than 80 percent of Cedar Rapids graduates enter college after high school graduation, and AP courses prepare them to be successful. About 70 percent of our grads complete AP classes, and many enter college with a year of college credit already earned.

A rising tide raises all ships, and that is exactly what AP does for high schools. Expectations are also high in the courses that lead to AP, and that climate of high expectations ripples throughout the school.

Our high schools have ramped up opportunities for students in other ways, too. Project Lead the Way is a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) initiative that offers college credit for courses that focus on engineering careers. Jefferson is a statewide leader in Project Lead the Way.

Cedar Rapids high schools offer seven world languages - Spanish, French, German and Japanese at all three. Washington is the only Iowa high school that offers Arabic and Russian. Kennedy is the only Iowa school offering Chinese.

Although we raised graduation requirements a few years ago (four years of English and three years of math, science and social sciences are now required), all three Cedar Rapids high schools offer medallions to students who complete four years of math, science and world languages.

Our students have responded to our high expectations in record numbers as they strive to earn the medallions. The Cedar Rapids Community School District has in place a “full-court, wide-open, months-long” process to offer to our students the very best high schools in Iowa!

Ralph Plagman is principal at Cedar Rapids Washington High School. Comments: RPlagman@cr.k12.ia.us