Ending honors classes punishes student success
Recently, Troy School District eliminated its honors course offerings in science and English. They are not alone, detracking, or getting rid of specialized tracks for talented students, is spreading across the nation as an increasing number of schools remove honors, Advanced Placement and other advanced course offerings.
It’s not just Troy, and it is not just in Michigan: Leading the charge to detrack are some of America’s top school districts (see Palo Alto, Brookline and Cambridge). These schools are not trying to cut costs; rather, the goal is to promote educational equity — assuring not just equal opportunity, but equal results. This assault on meritocracy punishes student success and, if left unhindered, will come for universities.
Supporters of detracking argue that a single mixed-ability class will adequately address the needs of students, and those who succeed will have the opportunity for upper level courses down the road. In the meantime, they will be exposed to a greater diversity of talent, becoming more inclusive individuals. However, it doesn’t always work: In reality, high-performing kids are repurposed to informally tutor their classmates. They become bored and unmotivated – by eighth grade [according to the Fordham Institute], many of them are no longer academically high-achieving.
In contrast, surrounding talented students with other top performers enhances academic achievement and boosts motivation. These students often learn at a faster pace and can forgo up to 40%-50% of standard classroom material without sacrificing understanding. But in detracked classrooms, they are forced to repeat concepts they already mastered. This is particularly troubling for the youngest students. Instead of being challenged, they are left to misinterpret their intelligence as a personal shortcoming rather than a systemic failure to meet their needs.
The consequences of detracking follow students into college. Students with advanced academic preparation begin college at an advantage over their peers. Take just one example: Michigan Math. The notoriously difficult MATH 115 (introductory calculus) can be skipped with a perfect score of five on the AP Calculus exam. Yet earning that score typically requires years of accelerated coursework. Case in point, 17% of high schools do not offer calculus at all.
This brings us to the most compelling argument for detracking. Supporters claim that advanced classes perpetuate racial and economic disparities. This was especially true in New York City, as Black and Hispanic students constituted a mere 16% of the city’s prestigious Gifted and Talented Program. However, instead of eliminating the program, New York City expanded it, offering universal testing free of cost. The tests are administered in kindergarten through third grade, and measure innate academic ability instead of just academic achievement. This way, students without advanced preparation are not significantly disadvantaged. This serves as a nationwide model for tackling educational disparities without punishing top performers.
New York City shows us that we can combat disparities in education without punishing student success. In that spirit, schools should expand advanced and accelerated course offerings at every level. Of course, not every district has the resources of America’s largest city, but there are less expensive alternatives that, while not fixing the problem, offer accelerated course options at a diminished cost. For instance, expanding relationships with local community colleges offering dual enrollment credits.
In fairness, this hardly matters in college. The trivial debates of high school are behind us, and we now find ourselves within an academic meritocracy. This is partially true – the University will probably not be removing advanced coursework anytime soon – but it is naive to assume that college is independent from primary and secondary education. The preparedness of students entering college directly affects the quality of student engagement, the depth of classroom discussions and the sophistication of instruction. Ann Arbor should not be the first place where students face legitimate academic challenges.
This is to say that detracking is not just a set of policies, but an ideology. Inherent to detracking is the idea that individual distinctions are obstacles to be worked around – the child struggling to stay awake because class is too easy should just help another student. If we do not celebrate and reward success from an early age, it becomes difficult to suddenly become driven to succeed in college. Detracking might formally end at the high school gates, but the ideology underpinning it follows students to college. If we want to remain the “Leaders and Best,” we have to put our foot down.
Jack Verrill is a student at the University of Michigan. This article was originally published in The Michigan Daily and is posted here with permission from Jack Verrill.
Like most of the pictures on TeensParentsTeachers, the picture posted with this article is courtesy of a free download from Pixabay.com.