This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Piedmont High Adds 11th-Grade Honors English Course

School board approves new 'rigorous' offering Wednesday.

The Piedmont school board Wednesday night unanimously approved a rigorous honors English course for juniors. 

High school principal Randy Booker said Honors English 5-6 will support “students who are eager for rigor and depth” and enhance transcripts in the “competitive college environment.”

He praised the high school site council for its work in debating the course, for “fierce and candid conversation, but also a safe conversation.”

Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The course will have the following prerequisites: 

  • An A or A-minus in freshman and sophomore English;
  • Scoring 5 out of 6 on the sophomore writing assessment;
  • Passing an entry test for vocabulary and reading comprehension;
  • Getting recommendations from previous English teachers.

Board member Ray Gadbois encouraged “students and parents to think about whether they’re ready for this course,” not just take it to help in the college admission process. He expressed concern about the trend for “hyper-competitiveness” in college preparation.

Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mary Kelly, a parent who served on the English Language Arts Curriculum Council, commended the skill of administrators in leading the process. “I felt like I had a thorough chance to offer my opinion on every detail along the way,” she said. “I felt respected.”

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?