At GHS
Parent rallies for AP computer course



GUILDERLAND — The mother of a Guilderland High School sophomore is disappointed her son won’t be able to take an Advanced Placement class in computer programming next year.
"He loved the computer programming class that he was taking this year and decided that he wanted to follow that path into college and possibly as a career," writes Thea Reed in a letter to the Enterprise editor this week.

The high school offers dozens of college-level Advanced Placement and Syracuse University Project Advance courses.
"Would I like to offer the course"" Superintendent Gregory Aidala asked himself, answering, "Yes, but it needs to be cost-effective. There should 10 or more students in the class; 20 would be better."

Aidala told The Enterprise, "We would like to be all things to all people, but sometimes you can’t be."

As part of the budget-building process, he explained, the district gets projections for different course enrollments in the upcoming year.
"In late January, seven students were signed up," he said, for Advanced Placement Computer Programming.

The College Board offers 35 AP courses and exams across 20 subject areas, allowing high-school students to qualify for credits at many colleges and universities.
Aidala described the AP computer-programming course as a "singleton," meaning it is only offered once during the day, unlike courses, such as United States History, that are offered in many sections.

Because the course is a singleton, he said, although seven students had expressed interest, perhaps only five would actually be able to fit it into their schedules.
The high school offers Computer Programming 1 and Computer Programming 2 — each semester courses, Aidala said. "The next step is AP."We have offered AP Computer Programming before. This may be something we would offer every other year."
If this were the case, Reed’s son might be accommodated in his senior year, Aidala said. "My hope is we’ll offer it next year if the numbers are higher."

In the meantime, Aidala said, Reed’s son could meet with his guidance counselor and discuss other options such as taking a Principles of Engineering course being offered next year.
Reed says that other options "were not at all equivalent nor acceptable."
In her letter, Reed also writes, "With Tech Valley in our own backyard and Albany Nanotech at the University at Albany just a few miles away, we should be capitalizing on these resources."

Aidala said that Guilderland hopes to establish a relationship with the University at Albany, but the university’s president has had to cancel several scheduled meetings with Guilderland representatives.
"In general," Aidala said, "when we’re not able to offer a course, we’re willing to look at options at UAlbany or Union College."
He also said, "There’s been a great deal of discussion about Tech Valley High School." That is slated to open for the 2007-08 school year, Aidala said, and the district would pay a fee to BOCES (Board Of Cooperative Educational Services) for Guilderland students interested in technology to attend.

Asked what it would take to get the AP Computer Programming course re-instated for next year, Aidala said that the recently passed $79 million budget has an unassigned teaching position; the course would take two-tenths of a position.
"If we had 10 or more students, we’d give it serious consideration," he said, adding, "We’re sensitive to costs."
Aidala thinks it is unlikely, though, that there would be a sudden groundswell of interest in the course. Referring to the high school’s math and science supervisor, he said, "I asked Mike Piscitelli to see if he could drum up more business and work with the guidance counselors"to try to raise students’ awareness, to take the course."
Reed ends her letter with a challenge: "I strongly urge the community and the administration to make whatever accommodations necessary to re-instate this course. As a forward-thinking school district, we should be aggressively marketing technology courses, not just making a feeble attempt to look like we are technologically savvy."