Freshman Curriculum

The priorities of the district’s strategic plan include increasing access to rigorous curriculum and eliminating race, socioeconomic status, and other social factors as predictors of student success. In 2022-2023, to increase access to rigorous coursework for all students, the high school launched a restructured curriculum for freshman core classes. The college prep level has been eliminated, and freshmen will take honors level classes for English, science, and history.

Background

Board Presentations

Oct. 14, 2021: Click here to view the presentation to the Board of Education. The Board is expected to vote on whether to approve the restructuring at its regular meeting on Oct. 28, 2021.
April 8, 2021: Click here to view the presentation made to the Board of Education.
Feb. 25, 2021: Click here to view the presentation made to the Board of Education.
Nov. 19, 2020: Click here to view the presentation made to the Board of Education.
Feb. 27, 2020: The administration and Faculty Senate presented this joint statement to the Board of Education.

Community Meetings

Oct. 26, 2021
- Click here to see the recording of our community webinar to explain and answer questions about the restructuring.
- Click here to see the slide deck from the webinar.
Oct. 2, 3 & 9, 2019
- Click here to download a PDF of the presentation, which contains some revisions for clarity.
- Click here to view the video of the Oct. 9, 2019 presentation.
Sept. 18, 2019
- Click here to download a PDF of the presentation.
- Click here to view the video of the Sept. 18, 2019 presentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Oct. 2021: To see answers to frequently asked questions, click here.
Fall 2019: To see questions that were asked at our four community meetings, click here.

Additional Resources

A collection of studies and research

A collection of studies and research

A summary of research related to tracking is also available in this presentation from Nov. 19, 2020.
"Accelerating Mathematics Achievement Using Heterogeneous Grouping"
- By Carol Corbett Burris, Jay P. Heubert, and Henry M. Levin, American Educational Research Journal, Spring 2006. Longitudinal study on providing accelerated mathematics curriculum to all 8th graders in a diverse suburban school district. Performance of high-achieving students showed no statistical difference when compared to their previous homogeneously grouped classes. Additionally, scores on placement and Advanced Placement tests improved over time.
"Accountability, Rigor, and Detracking: Achievement Effects of Embracing a Challenging Curriculum as a Universal Good for All Students"
- By Carol Corbett Burris, Teachers College Record, March 2008.
"Alternative Approaches to the Politics of Detracking"
- By Kevin Welner and Carol Corbett Burris, Theory Into Practice, Winter 2006
“Choosing Tracks: ‘Freedom of Choice’ in Detracking Schools”
- By Susan Yonezawa, Amy Stuart Wells, and Irene Serna, American Educational Research Journal, Spring 2002.
“Detracked--and Going Strong”
- By Peter Bavis, Phi Delta Kappan, Nov. 28, 2016. Highlights detracking Evanston Township High School. Positive outcomes include noticeable gain on ACT scores across all demographic groups.
"Detracking: The Social Construction of Ability, Cultural Politics, and Resistance to Reform"
- By Jeannie Oakes, Amy Stuart Wells, Makeba Jones, and Amanda Datnow, Teachers College Record, Spring 1997.
"Does Educational Tracking Affect Performance and Inequality? Differences-in-Differences Evidence Across Countries"
- By Eric A. Hanushek and Ludger Wößmann, National Bureau of Economic Research, February 2005. Analysis of different tracking arrangements in 20 international institutions. Results suggest tracking is linked to lower overall performance and increase in inequity.
"Four Decades of Research on the Effects of Detracking Reform: Where Do We Stand? A Systematic Review of the Evidence"
- By Ning Rui, Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2009. Meta-analysis of 15 studies found that detracking consistently demonstrated positive effects on low-ability achievement with no measureable effects on average- to high-ability student achievement.
Guidance from the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
"Honoring All Learners: The Case for Embedded Honors in Heterogeneous English Language Arts Classrooms"
- By David Nurenberg, English Education, October 2016.
“Matchmaking: The Dynamics of High School Tracking”
- By Jeannie Oakes and Gretchen Guiton, American Educational Research Journal, Spring 1995. Cornerstone article in detracking literature. Three-year longitudinal study of detracking in 10 racially and socio-economically diverse high schools. Found that detracking efforts confront and should attend to assumptions about power, control, and legitimacy in schools that manifest in how students are viewed as learners.
“Readiness for College: The Role of Noncognitive Factors and Context”
- By Jenny Nagaoka, Camille A. Farrington, Melissa Roderick, Elaine Allensworth, Tasha Seneca Keyes, David W. Johnson, and Nicole O. Beechum, VUE, Fall 2013.
"Sustained Inquiry in Education: Lessons from Skill Grouping and Class Size"
- By Frederick Mosteller, Richard J. Light, and Jason A. Sachs, Harvard Educational Review, Winter 1996. Analysis of literature found lack of available evidence to support current form of tracking in U.S. schools.
"Tracking Detracking: Sorting through the Dilemmas and Possibilities of Detracking in Practice"
- By Beth C. Rubin and Pedro A. Noguera, Equity & Excellence in Education, 2004.
"Whole-School Detracking: A Strategy for Equity and Excellence"
- By Doris Alvarez and Hugh Mehan, Theory Into Practice, Winter 2006.