Arkansas Will Pay Up To $1,000 Cash To Kids Who Pass AP Computer Science A Exam

theodp writes: The State of Arkansas will be handing out cash to high school students who pass an Advanced Placement test in computer science. "The purpose of the incentive program is to increase the number of qualifying scores (3, 4, or 5) on Advanced Placement Computer Science A exams," explained a press release for the Arkansas Advanced Placement Computer Science A Incentive Program (only 87 Arkansas public school students passed the AP CS A exam in 2016, according to College Board data). Gov. Asa Hutchinson added, "The Arkansas Department of Education's incentive for high scores on the AP Computer Science A exam is a terrific way to reward our students for their hard work in school. The real payoff for their hard work, of course, is when they show their excellent transcripts to potential employers who offer good salaries for their skills." The tiered monetary awards call for public school students receiving a top score of 5 on the AP CS A exam to receive $1,000, with another $250 going to their schools. Scores of 4 will earn students $750 and schools $150, while a score of 3 will result in a $250 payday for students and $50 for their schools. The program evokes memories of the College Board's Google-funded AP STEM Access program, which rewarded AP STEM teachers with a $100 DonorsChoose.org gift card for each student who received a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam. DonorsChoose.org credits were also offered later by tech-bankrolled Code.org and Google to teachers who got their students coding.

Comments

Translation

[Anonymous Coward]

Translation we want our kids to move to California.

Re: Translation

[SuperKendall]

I've been to Arkansas a few times, and I've been to California a lot (not just SF or the valley, but all over the state).

Although neither would be my first choice, I would pick Arkansas over California.

If people really wanted to leave Arkansas for some kind of backwater state, they would...

or....

[zlives]

you could just fucking pay the teachers to teach and not pass a fucking test.

Re:or....

[rmdingler]

Wouldn't it be great if we lived in a society that valued teachers above all professions, or shite, at least above coaches? The best of the best would teach the next generation, and it would be an honor to do so.

We're not as advanced as we like to believe, as evidenced by how earlier, more primitive societies valued healers high enough within their social hierarchies that it was unnecessary to gouge the patients for the life-saving treatments they administered.

Maybe, we just have our priorities all assed up...

Re:or....

[AHuxley]

Look at part of the USA that have invested a lot in "teachers", "students", "computers", "text books", "new computers", "robot kits"..."more computers"...
All that spending per state, city, student per decade would have been expected to have produced generations of the very computer ready "average" students.
Then another generation of results get published and governments, charities, foundations move in with more grants, funding to try and fix education again.
Every year and decade better results are expected given all the new funding, support, advances in computer education, new code to teach with and help with education.
A generation of educators should reflect on what the USA did right in the 1950-1980's with computer, calculator and math education.
Test for the best students and teach them maths.
Help the best students apply for science scholarships based on merit to a top US university. Then learn "computers" at university given years of good maths education.
The USA gets to educate its very best and US gets top graduates with real computer and math skills.
The result is a person who is ready for work and any changes in computer languages, code given they have been educated to a good standard.
Stop spreading limited educational funding over an entire generation. Fund the best students after they pass some math tests.
Some students may want to become doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, take up some vocational education, try music or arts, sports.

Re: or....

[kenh]

Maybe, we just have our priorities all assed up...

Do you know who it is that insists we view teachers as interchangeable cogs, refusing to allow incentive or merit pay structures?

The teachers unions.

The teachers unions fight against merit pay, performance bonuses, or other mechanisms that might help schools to identify not only teachers that excel in their fields, but might also point out those that are failing to teach/inspire their students.

Iâ(TM)ve lived in a school district where the kindergarten teachers, because of time in job, earned over $85K/year, double what a starting teacher earns - that community valued their teachers, I dare say.

Said it before and I'll say it again

[rsilvergun]

bring back the jobs and us parents will bring back our kids. End the H1-B program for a start and we'll talk. Until then all my kids are going into medical. Not that they're not trying to bring in cheap labor there too, but the Doctor's Union (aka the AMA, yes, it's a Union) knows better than too allow too much of that crap.

What's not to understand

[rsilvergun]

Cheap tech workers brought here on H1-B visas are massively driving down wages in the tech sector. Yes, they're mostly Indian, but it would be the same thing if they were Chinese, African, or whatever nationality. They're only supposed to be brought here for jobs there are no Americans for, but I've seen numerous companies post adverts for H1-Bs specifically.

Given this trend I discouraged my kid from studying IT and encouraged them to go into medicine. This is a better route for them because the medical industry has a workers advocacy group (The American Medical Association) that functions as a Union and lobbies for policies that help keep their wages high.

Now, if my kid was a natural mathematical genius this wouldn't be an issue. But then my kid wouldn't really be going into IT, it'd really be a Math job that happens to use computers as tools to do the math. But that's a moot point. My kid isn't a math wiz and would have had to work really, really hard to make it in IT. So I encourage my kid to put that effort into something that's going to be more stable and pay better in the long run.

I've never understood why it is that when the rich do things in their economic best interests it's smart business but if the working class do it they're being petty, racists or nationalistic. I mean, I know why it happens (ruling elite own the media and they're pushing an anti-worker, pro-corporate right wing agenda) but I don't know why the working class falls for it so much. My grandpappy knew when he was getting screwed by his boss and he and his Union didn't take that shit.

It's not just about teaching

[rsilvergun]

being a teacher is fucking hard work. I know teachers and they put in 10-12 hour days. Those lesson plans don't write themselves. Even if your handed one you need to adapt it to the realities of your class. And those papers don't grade themselves. And summers off? Bullshit. The higher up teachers are busy getting more education and certs to try and get a raise so they can keep pace with inflation. The lower tier ones are working jobs over the summer to make ends meet. There's a few bums that take summers off but they're also the kinds of teachers that have high schoolers coloring in maps instead of learning.

Being a real teacher is fucking hard and it pays like shit. Good teachers do it because they like doing it, not because it's easy.

Re: It's not just about teaching

[serviscope_minor]

Teachera(TM)s dona(TM)t have it nearly as hard as they like to pretend they do.

You can't logic away the facts that getting and retaining good teachers is a real problem and that the US school level education system is not very good by first world standards.