In ninth-grade English, before the current unleveled pilot course was launched, 70% of students took honors. Courses that enroll 70% of the student population are resolutely heterogeneous. Opponents of the current proposal to eliminate English honors and college prep courses are, therefore, either disingenuous or misinformed when they claim to oppose heterogeneous grouping. What they’re defending in the current system is social sorting.
Before we de-leveled ninth-grade social studies in 2019, I taught both honors and standard versions of our world history course. I taught bright students in standard and struggling students in honors. Their level placement reflected lots of factors, but in many cases, none of those factors were aptitude for or current ability in the subject.
Proponents of honors classes in ninth-grade at Brookline High School should feel free to advocate for them. Understand, though, that if you’re serious about that proposal, you’ll need to empower the district administration to populate those classes in a meaningful and equitable way, which in turn would require giving disappointing news to many parents. Good luck with that.
Gary Shiffman
Former BHS parent
Former BHS Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator