Rachel Flores’ classroom is a pretty lively place. Reproductions
of work from famous Latin artists and flags representative of the
Spanish-speaking world adorn the walls, and students chatter back
and forth across the classroom in Spanish
– often correcting each other’s grammar or pronunciation at the
same time.
Rachel Flores’ classroom is a pretty lively place. Reproductions of work from famous Latin artists and flags representative of the Spanish-speaking world adorn the walls, and students chatter back and forth across the classroom in Spanish – often correcting each other’s grammar or pronunciation at the same time.
Flores teaches Spanish 1S and 2S, special courses designed for students who grew up speaking the language with their families but maybe never received formal lessons. Not only are these students learning to mind their Ps and Qs around their relatives, but the course also is often an introduction to Advanced Placement and honors-level classes where Latino students are traditionally underrepresented, which is exactly where San Benito High School educators want them.
“It’s a major goal of the school,” said Cindy Cordova, SBHS’ director of educational services. “We want to see all of our students involved in those programs, and we have some really wonderful teachers encouraging students and putting together information for their families.”
AP courses are designed to introduce high school students to college-level work. Students learn in a fast-paced, highly independent environment and take a standardized exam at the end of the year. The test is graded on a scale from one to five, five being the highest, and students with a score of three or better are considered passing. Most universities will grant students college credit for the course if they pass the exam, but some institutions require a grade of four or five in order to receive credit. The courses are popular among college-bound students because a passing grade could potentially save them hundreds of dollars when they attend university. Last year SBHS began allowing students who did not take a given AP class to tackle the exam anyway and dropped prerequisites to enrolling in AP courses, hoping that “open access” would encourage students to take a chance on more difficult material.
Honors or “A” courses cover the same standards as conventional classes, but at a much faster pace with more in-depth study. Students typically do not receive university credit, but they do receive a grade bump on their GPA, and a good grade in an honors class reflects well on students when they apply to college.
Latinos are the third-largest ethnic group of students taking AP tests, after caucasians and Asian-Americans, and are the largest group of students taking Spanish language and literature AP tests, according to the College Board.
“I look around my classroom and its about half and half – half of the students started with Spanish I their freshman year and the other half come from the Spanish-speakers class,” said Pat Adams, who teaches AP Spanish Language. “And about half are Latino and half are white. That’s something I try to celebrate – the fact that we have such a great mix, and it’s pretty representative of the school.”
Adams says he has 30 students enrolled in his Spanish language class, and more than 150 students are in Flores’ Spanish-speakers’ class.
“We’re filled to capacity,” she said. “I’ve had students come to me who tried to get into the class, but it was full.”
Spanish literature has somewhat smaller numbers, but is considered to be a much more rigorous course. The course is conducted entirely in Spanish and students are supposed to have the same mastery of the works studied as students in AP English literature.
“You might not understand what you’re reading the first time; you have to go back and read it a few more times,” said junior Sandra Yerena, a Spanish lit. student. “But once you get into it its pretty cool.”
Last year 68 students took the Spanish Language AP test, and 78 percent of them passed. Flores recommends that several of her advanced students take the exam as well as the AP students, and many of those students are the ones who move on to Spanish lit. Thirteen students took the Spanish lit. exam last year, 62 percent of whom passed.
“There’s no reason these students can’t pass the AP tests,” Flores said. “It’s their native language … but I don’t know how many of them realize the value of being bilingual until they’re older.”
Many students said that passing the Spanish AP test encouraged them to try their hand at other higher-level courses.
“Once I passed the Spanish AP test, I just said, ‘Yeah, why not?’ when it was time to sign up for classes again,” said Christian Mercado, a senior and Spanish lit. student.
Not lost on the students is the value of passing as many AP courses as possible.
“I want those college credits because it will help me after high school,” said Yaret Simentel, a senior who is taking the Spanish speakers’ class. “And I want to be able to communicate with my parents better – now I go home and correct them when they talk.”
Several students reported, however, seeing a discrepancy in the number of white and Latino students in their advanced classes.
“That’s what happened in my (AP) stats class,” said Jose Medina, a recent SBHS graduate who is now attending San Jose State University. “I looked around on the first day and it was like, ‘Whoa.’ It was me and two others (Latino students.) But it didn’t become an issue. I felt more like it was a big accomplishment.”
Other students said switching into honors and AP classes distanced them from peers they had become friends with over the course of their high school experience.
“This is my first year taking AP, and the kids in English are the ones who have been taking English A since they were freshman,” Yerena said. “So I don’t see anybody from my regular classes and I don’t know anyone.”
All of the students said they wished more Latino students would try advanced classes, and hoped that the school would advertise advanced and AP offerings.
“I think a lot of it has to do with your parents,” said Sinai Vaca, a Spanish speakers student. “They encourage you to do well in you regular classes but they don’t really encourage you to go beyond that; maybe they don’t even know about it, so the school should help.”
Teachers emphasized the importance of that encouragement in the classroom every day.
“I have a wonderful group of students,” Adams said. “And it’s really important that they know they’re able to succeed – that’s what we tell them every day: ‘Si se puede,’ you can do it.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or ds****@fr***********.com.
