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It sounds as though these are issues that are up to the
teacher, so that is how you handle it: "these are the
expectations the teacher has, this is what you need to do in
this course", etc.... students can either meet the
expectations, or leave the course. Although an AP course isn't
the same as a college course, it does have high (though not
impossible) expectations.

One discussion to have with the teacher and/or admin in terms
of fairness would be the question of whether the expectations
this year are comparable to expectations for the same course
in past years, or at other schools. If he has dramatically
increased the expectations to lower his class sizes and this
makes the course significantly different from in the past,
that could be an issue to address. But otherwise, the course
is meant to be rigorous, and grading and other aspects are
teacher discretion, so there's not much you can or should do
other than support the teacher's right to make those decisions.

Why does leaving THIS class mean that students cannot "be in
an AP-track for other courses"? For us enrollment in one AP
course has no impact whatsoever on enrollment in other AP
courses. For me that is one concern I have in your post... I
can see how that would be a problem, but it's not a problem
we'd have in my school, unless I'm misunderstanding the
situation.

On 9/25/13, HS Admin wrote:

> I am a secondary director for my content area, and am the

> primary evaluator for all of the teachers in my department.

> I have one teacher in my department who is essentially

> trying to force students out of his AP class because he

> feels his numbers are too high. All of these students were

> recommended for that level, and many of them aren't doing

> particularly well right now.

>

> I voiced this concern to him a couple of weeks ago, when I

> told him that he needed to provide more support to his

> students. I sent him some materials to use, gave some

> suggestions as to how to approach planning, etc., and he

> has hardly taken any of the advice so far. I am obviously

> following-up by observing and documenting evidence, but

> that hasn't made a huge effect so far.

>

> As it stands right now, I have had parents calling and

> complaining about this teacher, and students coming to

> speak to me about dropping the class. Our policy is that

> you can't drop a class without a parent conference, so that

> has been what I have been scheduling.

>

> How do I handle the conference when the parents come in? I

> clearly disagree with the teacher's approach (this is my

> first year in the position), but I obviously don't think it

> would be appropriate for me to say that in front of

> students or parents. Up to this point, I have asked

> students about their own study habits or how they are

> advocating for themselves in class, but I don't know if I

> am even handling that the right way. If students drop down

> to a lower level, they will not be in an AP-track for other

> courses, and I have been discouraging them from dropping.

>

> How do you handle parent meetings/complaints when you know

> they are justified?

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