A Student Vision for Berkeley High School’s Academic Program

We the members of the Berkeley High School Student Senate would like to articulate our vision for Berkeley High School’s ninth grade program and academic curriculum. Our vision addresses the following student concerns that are neglected in the administration’s proposed plan.

• That Berkeley High School will permanently lose numerous elective sections in subsequent school years. That these losses may cripple the African American Studies, Orchestra, Jazz, Art, Drama, and Dance Programs. And that they will rob students of control of our own academic programs.
• That the Identity Ethnic Studies course produced negative effects within the student body including: addition to the feelings of victimization, oppression, and disempowerment of students of color, furtherance of “white guilt,” and villainization of white students; increases in the antagonistic attitudes between students of different ethnicities possibly leading to verbal and physical confrontations. Further the Identity Ethnic Studies course is used as a forum by some teachers to advocate their personal ideologies, and often to engage in activities approaching political indoctrination. Additionally Identity Ethnic Studies removes many of the benefits of our middle schools’ strong emphasis in diversity, multiculturalism, and tolerance. The proposed change in name to Freshman Seminar and proposed revision of curriculum do not address the negative impacts of this course on Berkeley High School.
• That California is considering implementing a statewide-standardized test in biology for sophomore students, and hence Berkeley High School may be required to make biology a sophomore year course. That without background knowledge of chemistry students would be less successful in a sophomore year biology course, and that it would be extraordinarily difficult for students to take an Advanced Placement Biology course without such background knowledge.
• That given the prevalence of obesity and malnutrition among high school students, Berkeley High School students should be exposed to nutritional science as well as the personal and medical implications of diet.
• That the Freshman Physical Education course was an unnecessary constraint, especially for students who would otherwise complete their Physical Education requirement through outside athletic or dance activities, and further that it was a misuse of scarce resources to provide classes for the aforementioned students.
• That the Berkeley High School English Program left students deficient in the knowledge of and ability to use: writing skills and techniques, rhetorical strategies, and basic mechanical and grammatical rules.

We have designed the following plan that addresses the issues stated above and creates a rigorous and academically challenging ninth grade program that reflects Berkeley’s commitment to tolerance, diversity, and multiculturalism.

• The History course progression and graduation should be changed as follows: World History in the 9th grade, American History in the 10thgrade, American Government and Economics in the 11th grade, and one semester of a History elective in the 12th grade, with Identity Ethnic Studies eliminated. Students who have already taken a two-semester Identity Ethnic Studies course would not be required to complete a one semester History elective.
• The English course progression and graduation requirements should be changed as follows World Literature in the 9th grade, American Literature in the 10thgrade, a Course in Writing and Composition (described later) in the 11th grade, and two semesters of English electives in the 12th grade.
• The English and History courses in both the 9th and 10th grade should be cored to provide for curricular integration. If possible core teachers should be given common preparation periods.
• In place of the Identity Ethnic Studies course, a one-semester course in health, nutrition, and introductory chemistry, should be required for all freshmen. It should aid students in developing research, presentation, and information technology skills. It should also develop critical thinking and reasoning skills necessary in more advanced courses. This course would meet the state-standards for health education and prepare students with the knowledge of chemistry needed to enter biology in their sophomore year. It would compliment the nutrition educations provided in Berkeley Middle Schools through nutritional science. Teachers should be careful not to stigmatize, or embarrass students when discussing health and sexuality issues. This course would be cored with the freshmen World Literature and World History courses to form a robust and rigorous freshman core program.
• The freshman Physical Education course requirement should be discontinued. Students should be encouraged to complete their physical education requirements through after school athletics and dance.
• The proposed Writing and Composition Course would initially be a merger of the current single semester Writing and single semester Composition courses, which fulfill the University of California English (b) requirements, until a new yearlong course could be designed and submitted to the Board of Education and the University of California for approval and fulfillment of the (b) requirement. The AP Language and Composition course would be offered to juniors and fulfill the Writing and Composition requirement. The AP Language and Composition course would be open to all students, with a special effort directed toward the inclusion of minority students.

This proposal is only designed to affect the graduation requirements at Berkeley High School. We intend that the graduation requirements, course progression, and curricula of other Berkeley Public Schools be left as is.