Honors English to be removed in bid to close learning gap
Matilde Martinez-Navarrete, Staff Writer
In the fall of 2022, 9th and 10th grade English students will no longer have to choose between English Honors Prep and College Prep levels, for both levels will be combined. With this integration of both levels of English , Samo’s English Department intends to contribute to closing the learning gap between students from different backgrounds and to diversifying classrooms. This change has prompted some resistance from angered parents.
Many eighth and ninth-grade parents are concerned that this change will remove the higher-achieving opportunities that honors classes provide to their children. In protest, many sent emails to English teachers and administrators at Samo, as well as school board members, imploring for a reinstatement of the honors track. The electronic petitioning began Feb. 9 with an email from community member and SMMUSD parent Wendy Dembo; all emails sent afterward seemed to be modeled on the original..
“If you are trying to close the achievement gap by having all of the high achieving students leave SMMUSD, this is a great idea… By taking away the English Honors Program, many students will be hurt in that they will not have a higher standard to strive for… [and] will miss out on the best preparation for the English AP Program… [and] in their preparation for the English part of the SAT exam. Holding back the best students in the name of equity, and trying to narrow the achievement gap is unfair, and in itself, inequitable,” the letter read.
In reality, studies and data have shown that this change will benefit all students. According to the Education Resources Information Center, a digital library for educational research sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education, lower-achieving students benefit from the increased rigor, while higher-achieving students benefit from the increased diversity of classrooms.
Various schools across the nation have already made this change in an effort to close the learning gap between students of different economic backgrounds and provide equal access to AP English classes. Lincoln Middle School and John Adams Middle School, which most Samo students attended, both do not have an honors English track. Some neighboring private high schools including Crossroads, New Roads and Harvard-Westlake do not offer 9th and 10th grade honors English classes, and Culver City High School also plans to offer only one level of English next school year.
Samo’s 9th and 10th-grade enrollment data from 2019 and 2020 found that honors English classes contained a much larger population of students from a high socioeconomic status, while socio-economically disadvantaged students were mostly in English college prep classes. The data also showed that a much smaller percentage of English Language Learners and students from racial and ethnic minorities enrolled in honors English classes, as compared to the vast majority of white students.
In the fall of 2020, the English Department met in a series of Professional Development sessions to discuss suspected racial inequalities in the department. After examining qualitative and quantitative data and interviewing and surveying students and alumni, they came to the conclusion that de-tracking 9th and 10th grade English was a logical way to address the inequalities. The English Department wrote and shared an analysis with eight and ninth-grade parents detailing their process and studies.
“Tracking in our district has long sorted students into categories of aptitude and achievement… We know that bias and circumstances beyond a student’s control affect whether they are seen as ‘high achievers’ or ‘gifted’ or ‘honors…’ This can lead to stigmatizing students, limiting opportunities and isolating some students to the disadvantage of all students,” the report said.
Nathan Fulcher, an English teacher and English Department Chair at Samo, explains further.
“Many of us have always felt that our current two-track system is not accurately representing the diversity of our student body. This is a way to try to tap into something that we always claim is our biggest strength here at Samo: the diversity of students. We want to see that reflected in all of our classes,” Fulcher said.
However, lots of students that hoped to take the honors track are concerned that they won’t have the competitive aspect that honors classes provide on college applications. Emi Yamashiro-Hergert (’25) shares this sentiment.
“I understand both sides of the argument. I’m worried that the lack of an honors class on my transcript, when compared with students from schools with the option of an honors program, will mean I’ll be prioritized less in the admission process, but I am in full support of the goal of equity,” Yamashiro-Hergert said.
The English Department worked closely with college counselors throughout the process and took this into account. College Counselor Ernesto Flores assures that this will not be an issue.
“College admissions look at each school’s course offerings individually and take into consideration whether a student engages in the most rigorous course offerings available. Because Santa Monica High School will no longer offer an honors option for 9th and 10th grade, students’ competitiveness will not be jeopardized in any way,” Flores said.
The class will also offer challenge options for students who traditionally excel, such as opportunities during flex-time to receive extra prep for English AP courses. Additionally, all English teachers will have to teach at least one class of 9th or 10th graders so that the course will guide students to AP classes in their junior and senior years.
“To make sure that we have that vertical alignment so that all of our students are prepared for AP… all of our teachers will teach at least one 9th or 10th-grade course so that we’re all on the same page as a department and teachers know what trajectory leading up to 11th and 12th grade AP looks like,” Fulcher said.
Superintendent Ben Drati sent an email to eight and ninth-grade parents on Feb. 11 backing the switch. He shared a positive outlook and seemed hopeful for what the change would bring.
“We are pleased with this plan as it aligns with school and district goals to provide all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity and socioeconomic status, with equitable educational opportunities,” Drati said.
Rising freshmen and sophomores no longer choose whether to take honors English.