Same class for all freshman

Incoming freshman at Long Beach High School will all be taught the same English Language Arts curriculum instead of being separated into Regents and honors programs next year.

"We wanted to put students on the path to take more rigorous classes," said Dr. Vincent Butera, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

Butera added that administrators found that a large majority of students were opting to take the honors curriculum, and many moved on to the Advance Placement English course as juniors.

Butera said the honors-for-all curriculum will have activities that cater to students of all ability levels, including those who struggle and those who excel. For example, he said, students will have a variety of books in to choose from, but will have the same assignments.

He went on to say that classroom size would be downsized to about 20 students and two teachers would conduct lessons, allowing for more individual attention.

"We want to build in more time for teachers to confer and meet in small groups [of students]," said ELA Director Joshua Anisansel, adding that students will receive feedback in a more timely manner, and they would be pushed out of their comfort zone. Students who struggle with the work will be give extra attention.

With the International Baccalaureate program also being implemented next year, Butera said the move to a single ELA curriculum will prepare students who want to enter the I.B. program, which offers rigorous classes in English.

Parents have criticized the program at previous Board of Education meetings, claiming that a one-size-fits-all curriculum would not benefit students. Many have said that top-performing students would not realize their potential if they share a class with those of varying skill levels.

"What is expected of our kids will not decrease," said Butera.

Judy McParland, a parent of an incoming freshman, said that while she is unsure whether the program will work, she believes in giving it a try. "From there, they can place people accordingly," McParland said, adding that she thinks her son will fare well in a heterogeneous setting.

The district considered implementing a heterogeneous curriculum in the social studies department as well, but decided to wait and see how students do with the change in their ELA classes first. The district already has a heterogeneous program in the sixth grade at the middle school, and will present a public report on it at a school board meeting on May 25.

Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.