April 13, 2022
Dear Patrick Henry High School Learning Community,
We are proud of the work taking place at Henry to support the district goal of decreasing stratification while increasing student access to course offerings. The purpose of this FAQ is to provide community members with details and rationale behind the changes taking place in 2022-23. Hopefully this FAQ will help to clarify some of the misconceptions being shared via social media.
Please use the links in the FAQ Overview (see below) to navigate the FAQ document.
As a faculty, we ground ourselves daily in our vision that every student will graduate with integrity, purpose and options. As a district, we embrace and promote inclusive learning environments. I can assure you we are creating an inclusive welcoming environment at Henry where all students will grow and thrive in all the courses we offer and be prepared for the day after high school in college or career.
Most sincerely,
Michelle Irwin
Principal
We are eliminating the 11th grade English and history Honors courses. This change will bring our English and history course offerings into alignment with what is currently offered at PHHS in 9th, 10th and 12th grade.
English course offerings PRIOR to 2021-22
English course offerings 2021-22
English course offerings in 2022-23
History course offerings PRIOR to 2021-22
History course offerings 2021-22
History course offerings 2022-23
Science course offerings PRIOR to 2021-22
Science course offerings 2021-22
Science course offerings 2022-23
All students will have the opportunity to enroll in college-prep or Advanced Placement course offerings.
Our course adjustments will:
Honors and college prep courses follow the same scope and sequence. Offering two types of courses consisting of the same curriculum is redundant. Most teachers who teach both courses use similar lessons, curriculum and texts. The changes will help with our ongoing work to streamline course offerings at PHHS. Please see the course descriptions section of this document for a description of offerings.
The alignment of our 11th grade humanities course offerings to our other grade levels will provide a rigorous educational experience for all students at Henry because we believe opportunity should always precede student achievement.
View an informational letter from Dr. Richison, SDUSD High School Area Superintendent regarding this topic.
Please review the slidedeck presented to the SGT meeting. The reduction in stratification will increase student access to rigorous learning opportunities. All students will have access to college-prep and Advanced Placement course offerings.
The inequities illustrated in the slidedeck referenced above are not due to a lack of communication regarding course offerings or families who do not value education. Our goal is to have students from all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds represented in our courses. A variety of factors including access to education, adult bias, and a person’s self-generated identity contribute to the inequities we currently experience.
For the purpose of this FAQ, math, science, history and English courses are considered core courses.
A student scheduled in a weighted course earns an additional grade point average (GPA) point for each weighted course. For example, a standard A earns 4.0 GPA points. A weighted A earns 5.0 GPA points. Weighted courses are offered in 10th through 12th grade only. Weighted courses in 9th grade do not exist in SDUSD. The only weighted courses we offer at PHHS are Advanced Placement, Honors and Mesa College courses.
College prep courses are aligned to Common Core grade level standards and award A-G graduation credit. No college prep courses have been eliminated.
The SDUSD course offering structure is the result of decades of changes and adjustments based upon various philosophical beliefs. A patchwork of intertwined course offerings have developed over time.
The English course sequence is a good example of this concept. College Prep English was offered at all grade levels. In addition, a GATE variant was offered in 9th grade, an Advanced variant was offered in 10th grade, an Honors and Advanced Placement variants were offered in 11th grade, and an Advanced Placement variant was offered in 12th grade. Please review the rational section of the FAQ to understand why we are addressing this situation.
In general, course offerings are associated with five separate categories.
Advanced offerings of 9th grade English and science courses and 10th grade science and history courses.
Yes.
Students need three years of Social Studies/History to meet the SDUSD A-G graduation requirements. History courses begin in 10th grade at every SDUSD high school.
This concern is rooted in the misconception that college-prep courses lack the rigor required to prepare students for college and that some people don’t want to learn. Humans possess the desire for self-improvement. The challenge is developing educational experiences that meet the individual needs of our learners. Segregating students into separate classes following the same scope and sequence will not automatically increase student engagement.
Students and parents must be aware of the rigorous curriculum and have a clear understanding that taking an AP course could have an impact on a student's academic load, athletics, work schedule, or other outside-of-school commitments. Feelings of anxiety and stress are real and should be addressed immediately. Honors and advanced courses were never designed to serve as a solution for students who were experiencing anxiety around their educational journey. We encourage students to reach out to their counselor for assistance.
Some fear we are attempting to meet diversity requirements by lowering the playing field for students. We will continue to offer an extensive range of Advanced Placement courses and encourage all students to enroll in them. Our goal is to lift all students up, increase access, and provide opportunities for all students at PHHS.
We will continue to honor student choice by providing unweighted and weighted course offerings. SDUSD does not offer 9th and 10th grade Advanced Placement English course offerings, but our English classes meet the SDUSD GATE Model B threshold of 25% GATE identified students and our teachers use a variety of GATE strategies when working with students.
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) is a humanities-based program. Math and science courses are not offered in the San Diego Unified School District. SDUSD defines GATE as;
“GATE students score in the ability range greater or equal to two standard deviations above the mean, high academic achievement, and show characteristics of Gifted students. Measures currently used generally show advanced comprehension, a faster pace of learning, and an ability to handle greater depth and complexity in their learning.”
Students qualify for placement in GATE based upon their performance on a single assessment administered in 2nd grade. A qualifying score on the CogAt test (mostly non-verbal reasoning and quantitative skills) is required. The district recently introduced: SBAC scores and points for IEPs, 504s, ELs, low-income, student relocation (e.g. military) into the criteria but even with the additional factors taken into consideration, 83.3% of a child’s identification is based upon their performance on the district assessment. Students meeting district criteria were eligible for re-testing in 5th grade.
No. Students enrolled in SDUSD after 5th grade are not eligible for GATE testing. Students with intelligence assessments administered by other districts can request identification.
GATE Cluster and GATE Seminar course offerings exist primarily in elementary and middle school. The only GATE course officially offered at PHHS was 9th grade English. Historically the number of GATE Cluster and Seminar identified students of our incoming classes ranged between 42%-45%. Therefore, our courses were in alignment with the SDUSD GATE Model B. GATE identification was used for placement in the legacy 10th grade Advanced English and history courses.
Students who are GATE identified will thrive in all of our college prep courses. The district definition of GATE includes the following statement:
“These students need challenges by changing the regular curriculum through pace or presentation. They require program differentiation of core subjects in content, process or product in order to realize their learning potential.”
GATE identified students will benefit socially and academically from being enrolled in classes with similar academic strengths, but didn’t have an opportunity to take the GATE assessment in elementary school.
Our teachers use a variety of GATE strategies such as Socratic Seminars, Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Reasoning, and exploration of depth and complexity in curricular areas to support each student’s point of learning.
No. We will continue to offer a variety of Honors Courses such as Pre-Calculus, Spanish 7-8, Computer Science, Graphic Design, Principles of Engineering and Architecture and Design.
Yes. All our courses meet A-G graduation requirements.
No. There is no reference to this statement in our course catalog. Our honors and college prep courses follow the same scope and sequence and cover the same common core state standards. Here is the link to our course catalog: https://sites.google.com/sandi.net/inquire-2022-2023/how-to-use-inquire?authuser=0
No adjustments have been made to the Advanced Placement course offerings at PHHS. PHHS has some of the most AP courses available within SDUSD.
AP classes are created in the master schedule based on demand and numbers of students selecting the courses in the spring articulation process. We do not expect challenges with access to AP courses.
We will continue to offer Honors Pre-Calculus, Spanish 7-8, Computer Science, Graphic Design Principles of Engineering and Architecture and Design. We also offer several Mesa College courses which allow students to earn college credit and weighted credit.
No. The PHHS Course Catalog states the following:
“Eligibility for advanced placement classes is based on a variety of factors. We encourage students to take AP classes but to also find balance in their schedule. Students taking multiple advanced placement courses are strongly encouraged to carefully evaluate the total workload they are choosing.”
Contrary to popular belief, honors and advanced courses were not created for the purpose of preparing students for success in AP courses. Students taking AP classes should expect to engage in tasks beyond current grade level standards and explore the skills addressed in the subsequent grade level standards. Students must demonstrate the ability to work independently and read additional texts at a higher level of difficulty.
We encourage students to follow these seven tips for academic success:
Source: National Society of High School Scholars
Students have found success with Advanced Placement classes by:
Source: US News & World Report
The only weighted courses offered at PHHS are Advanced Placement, Honors, and Mesa College courses.
Advanced courses are not weighted courses. Students who successfully complete the course do not earn a weighted grade or college credit.
The Integrated Math 1-2-3 sequence is defined by the San Diego Unified School District. GATE, Honors, Advanced Placement, and Mesa College equivalents of this course do not exist. The curriculum associated with the Advanced Integrated Math 1-2-3 sequence is embedded with Precalculus therefore the Advanced Integrated Math 1-2-3 curriculum is a different course than Integrated Math 1-2-3.