A terrific advance for O'Connell Copiague High School

Talk about advanced placement. The Copiague school district, home of Walter G. O'Connell High School, has been named national small-district champion in expanding college-level achievement among students from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds.

O'Connell is about 40 percent Hispanic and 35 percent black, populations that tend to take advanced placement courses at far lower rates than white students. The College Board, which oversees those tests and awarded Copiague the honor, is trying to elevate minority participation and achievement with a variety of programs that encourage and prepare such students to take the courses. AP classes award college credit to any student who scores a 3 or better (on a scale of 5) on year-end tests.

Copiague has both increased the number of students taking these courses, and hiked average test scores, showing perhaps that many students who don't see themselves as AP material -- and whom some educators may not at first, either -- can surprise.

A similar lesson is being taught in Rockville Centre, where South Side High School requires all 11th-graders to take a challenging International Baccalaureate English course. Fully 80 percent go on to take IB English in 12th grade, when it is not required.

Students can be typecast as less talented for a number of reasons. It's wise to challenge them to see just how much they can achieve, rather than deciding for them, or letting them decide, that they can't.