Science and Social Science Curricula Allow Flexibility Within Students’ Schedules

ELLEN LI
News Editor

AHSʼ administration continuously makes decisions that affects the schoolʼs curricula. Changes are made where deemed necessary, and this school year has been no exception.
This year, the Science Department has blended its Honors Biology classes with its regular classes. Students can still earn honors credits on their transcripts by completing two out of the three options listed below.
For one of the criteria, students must receive at least an 85 percent or higher in their regular class. They could also complete and present a biology research project each quarter. The last alternative would be for students to demonstrate Honors competency on the Biology CST test by earning a Proficient or Advanced score.
If Biology students successfully complete two out of three of these options, then they can receive honors credits.
“These changes were made to improve the quality and rigor of science education at Alhambra High School,” Science Department Chair Daniel Hyke said.
Starting next year, freshmen will only be allowed to take three years of science at most, starting in either ninth or tenth grade.
In the social sciences, Classical Ages has been eliminated due to budget cuts, so freshmen will be able to take World History, but not AP World History.
“Iʼm fine with having World History this year, but it means that I donʼt get to take Biology,” freshman Kristie Sham said. ʻ[…] I wish that freshmen could take WHAP because we donʼt have that option now.”
However, the students who have completed World History their freshmen year will not be allowed to take U.S. History or AP U.S. History sophomore year. This change was made in order to make schedules more rigorous for freshmen, and to open up room in their schedules for the following year. Currently, about seventy freshmen are enrolled in the class.
“ The goal is to get [freshmen] more core classes,” Social Science Department Chair Javier Gutierrez said. “In their sophomore year, freshmen get hit with [core classes], it will allow them extra fl exibility by having them [take] World History now.”
Another major change in the school curriculum is how teachers are now trying to link curricula together across different subjects, especially in the English and Social Science departments. Traditionally, schools are designed to keep divisions between subjects so it has been difficult for teachers to coordinate curricula and find overlaps.
In the 2014-2015 school year, Californiaʼs academic state standards are going to be replaced with national standards, which will be geared more towards writing and English. This change infl uenced the making of this decision, and standards between English and other departments will be closely linked.
“There is overlap between disciplines, and it doesnʼt serve students well to keep them separate,” Gutierrez said. “This will allow students [to understand] a more global view of society and prepare them for life beyond high school.”