Students, Interested in Thinking Seriously About Global Issues?

Farmington school officials have been considering for months what excellence in education and preparation for college will mean going forward. As an early result of the discussion, Farmington High School will participate in a two-year pilot of the Cambridge Pre-University program from the University of Cambridge International Examinations.

An informational meeting will be held tonight to explain the program and offer students the opportunity to sign up for the 2011-2013 period.

The UK-based Cambridge Pre-University program commends itself as being “genuinely interesting” to both students and teachers and is offered in a variety of subjects that may be taken individually or cumulatively to earn a complete diploma.

Fifty-seven U.S. colleges and universities (including Boston University, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, M.I.T., Stanford and Yale - click here for full list) welcome applications from students who have taken Cambridge Pre-U courses and exams and many are in the process of reviewing how to award college credit for them.

Farmington High School plans to offer the two-year pilot of the Global Perspectives course. In its first year, students look at ethics, economics, environment, technology, politics and culture and are given three assessments. The second year, each student will design an independent research project developing analysis of one of the course topics. The year culminates in a 4,500-word report - the year’s only assessment.

The course will be offered as a social studies/English equivalent, with students receiving one credit in English and in social studies for each year of participation. A social studies teacher and an English teacher will work as a team with library media specialists to teach the course. The teachers will undergo a three-day training on the program in June.

Restoring the fun of teaching and allowing for great teachers to really engage their students is another claim of the Cambridge program. With just one examination at then end of a two-year period, it also reduces the focus on testing at a time when educators are rethinking teaching to the test and memorization.

The day before the Board of Education’s second look at the Cambridge Pre-U program, The New York Times published an article criticizing the current state of Advanced Placement courses and announcing they would be revamped for 2013.

The article says some colleges have stopped awarding credit for certain AP classes and others have complained that the classes prepare students for the AP test, not for college-level work.

As Farmington has explored its options for high school offerings, the district has looked at the Cambridge Pre-U program, the International Baccalaureate program and the new Advanced Placement courses.

Farmington High School Principal Tim Breslin emphasized that participation in the pilot doesn’t imply a commitment to the Cambridge program.

“The school district's intent in piloting the Cambridge Pre-University Global Perspectives Course was not to express dissatisfaction with Advanced Placement courses. Adopting this pilot is simply part of the work we are doing to find the most effective means for our students to achieve the skills, attitudes, and dispositions that will help the flourish throughout their lives,” Breslin said. He added that the high school currently offers 17 AP courses and is looking forward to seeing how they will be revised.

For the Cambridge Pre-U pilot, the district will be part of a consortium of six schools. Farmington High School was invited to participate last year, but took a cautious approach, choosing to do more research and begin next year instead.

“Tim [Breslin]’s visited schools and observed sessions on the program,” said Superintendent Kathleen Greider at last week’s board meeting. “We’ve tried to look at it comprehensively to see if this was something we wanted to do.”

The Board of Education voted unanimously to go forward with the pilot.

“I don’t know where this will lead us but I think it’s a pretty safe, solid choice for us to make now,” Breslin said.

Greider agreed. “I think it’s a very exciting pilot for us and we’re very glad that we were invited.”

Tonight’s meeting will be at 7  at the high school. Only 24 to 26 students will be admitted to the program and they will be selected by lottery.

“We are hopeful we won’t get just students who are traditional honor students, but students are interested in this kind of work,” Breslin said.