Friday, April 30, 2010
By Emma Rosenbaum
Calender Editor
On April 17, the English Department administered its new application system for accelerated and honors classes. This recent decision will have a positive effect on the program for years to come.
Before this alteration to the entrance procedure, freshman English teachers recommended students who wanted to take accelerated English their sophomore year. Teacher recommendations are based on current and past grades in English, STAR scores in English and a business letter written by students to their future English teacher.
This year, students were required to participate in a timed writing in order to be in honors or accelerated English classes. The essay was an analysis of a short story passage and was graded by members of the English Department.
The clear bias of the previous system is that the freshman English teachers have preexisting relationships with their students. Although this would help teachers know whether or not specific students are actively interested in English, positive relationships with teachers do not necessarily ensure academic preparedness as negative ones do not necessarily exclude it.
Having a board of teachers analyze students’ efforts in an essay has the impartiality that the previous method lacked. This new addition to the regimen is solely work-based, with no relationships involved.
Teacher recommendations are still used to decide whether or not a student may enter the program, so if a teacher sees true potential in a student who excels in English, that teacher’s opinion is still taken into consideration.
The new policy for admission into accelerated English also tests an ability exclusively relevant to the program’s curriculum Timed essays test how a student works under added pressure. An understanding of how to write a timed writing in a fashion that allows for a clear and complete message is necessary for success in the class.
The business letter, which was the only window into a student’s writing skills before, does not show how well a student works with added stress because the student has several weeks to finish it.
Additionally, students had the option of getting help with the letter through peer-editing or working with a parent or tutor. They could fine tune their work.
This new method is better because it benefits the most people. The students who do not participate as much in class or who have not maintained the best of relationships with their teacher can rely on the board of teachers’ vote on their essays.
The students who have demonstrated a strong interest in English to their teachers can enter the program because the recommendation is still a factor.
The only people this method does not benefit are the people that aren’t actually interested in English. But they do not belong in an accelerated English course anyway.
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