We need to increase choice and academic rigor

By Olivia G. Martinez

Entrance into four-year colleges and universities is getting more competitive every year. We need to increase the number of AP (Advanced Placement) courses we offer and increase the academic rigor for those students "in the middle" so that they are better prepared for college.

One way of doing this is by offering more choices to students and parents where they can be more challenged in a supportive environment. Programs such as Middle College, where students can earn an AA degree at the same time they are finishing their high school courses, and the new International Baccalaureate Progarm at Sequoia are two programs that provide such an option. In addition, our new High Tech High, scheduled to open in the near future, will provide an option for those students who want a different, work-oriented atmosphere in a challenging, technology-based environment.

In order to increase the rigor of our coursework for those students "in the middle", we need to make sure they have the basic skills and preparation required for success in more challenging classes. We are beginning to tackle this by improving our communication and articulation with the middle schools that graduate their students to our high schools. Identifying those that need remedial help before they arrive, providing "catch up" classes in summer school before they begin the 9th grade and improved planning for such students is a start. Our new content standards will make this kind of assessment much easier.

Finally, we need to raise our expectations for students. This is something that is easy to say but difficult to do when you have 35 students with different levels of preparation, facing you each day as a teacher. Therefore, we need to provide the "tools" and create the kind of environment - in an era of declining resources - to support our teachers toward this end. We can do this by building on the creative resources and talents of our exiting teaching staff who know where the challenges lie.