<p>"Following the end of the 2008-09 academic year, there will be no AP courses or exams in Italian, Latin literature, French literature, and computer science AB, said officials at the College Board, the New York City-based nonprofit organization that owns the AP brand."</p>
<p>What do you guys think of this? What subject is next?</p>
<p>I'm actually glad about this because not that many people even took these classes so now the Collegeboard can focus on other subjects.</p>
<p>That's AWFUL! I'm barely escaping the Latin lit one; I have that class now, and am doing vergil next year. If there were only 1 Latin AP class... I'd have nothing to fill my schedule! Eek that's just awful. And italian isn't covered by any other AP exam... </p>
<p>I'm glad they won't be cutting any subject for the next five years, but this seriously sucks. I hadn't known they were cutting subjects at all, but they say they've been doing so already before this, just not so many at once. I'd be ultra disappointed if, in 5 years, it was I who came along and found that my favorite subject is no longer AP.</p>
<p>This is very sad, but unfortunately, we all know that money drives everything. I am not affected by this, but I sympathize with those who are affected. I believe the last time CollegeBoard cut an AP course was German Literature. If they cut German Language, I would be really angry. I am taking German Language next year! Good thing for the promise they won't cut any for the next five years.</p>
<p>Why why whyyy would they drop AP Latin Lit? More and more people are taking it every year! Ahhh I love Latin... why are they doing this? Latin Lit was my favorite class junior year...</p>
<p>College Board is not for profit, but the company can't go into debt financing a program that doesn't have sufficient demand. Thus, they are placing more resources into more popular programs. </p>
<p>I feel terrible for supporting College Board's decision, though.</p>
<p>I feel terrible for US HS education when thinking about the long-term influence this decision would have on the pursuit of students and schools.</p>
<p>^ If the tests are not that popular, then I doubt it will have a huge effect on anything. But I still feel bad for anyone that planned to take any of those tests in the future.</p>
<p>Oh, thank god. I thought it was Latin: VERGIL.
Good idea, Latin Lit is absolutely pointless.
It applies a rigid and structured curriculum on an entire body of literature.</p>
<p>The loss of French is a ****ing tragedy, though.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Wow I was gonna take AP Comp Sci AB next year.
[/quote]
You still can!</p>
<p>
[quote] "Following the end of the 2008-09 academic year, there will be no AP courses or exams in Italian, Latin literature, French literature, and computer science AB, said officials at the College Board, the New York City-based nonprofit organization that owns the AP brand."
<p>
[quote]
Mr. Packer said the decision was made principally because of demographic considerations.</p>
<p>Only a tiny fraction of the members of underrepresented minority groups who take AP exams take the tests in one of those four affected subject areas, he said.</p>
<p>The College Board has made it a priority to reach such students, including those who are African- American and Hispanic.
[/quote]
So, basically, they're cancelling these APs because not enough minorities take them? That sounds like BS to me; not at all fair to the non-minorities who still have a right to take these tests.</p>
<p>kwu, maybe you did not have had a good teacher...? Latin Lit is an AMAZING class if the teacher is able to work other poems into the syllabus/make the class good despite the strict curriculum. We did Catullus/Ovid, which was a fabulous combination. I can't believe that future generations of Latin students will have to suffer through the Aeneid instead of reading Catullus, Horace, Ovid, etc...</p>
<p>Why Italian? It's barely even started! It won't be over budget in the future. They might as well get rid of Japanese, Chinese, etc. and not even bother with Russian.</p>
<p>I can see the others--they have too few people taking them, but they're not as new as Italian.</p>
<p>Hopefully this will make way for new exams--like AP linguistics, or AP anthropology.</p>