In order to be better aligned with the state curriculum, San
Benito High School officials are reworking the social science
department’s course offerings.
Normally at SBHS, freshmen take world history, sophomores enroll
in U.S. history, juniors sign up for economics and seniors learn
U.S. government. The state’s content standards are different
– there is no requirement for freshmen, world history is taught
in 10th grade, U.S. history in 11th grade and government and
economics are covered in 12th grade.
In order to be better aligned with the state curriculum, San Benito High School officials are reworking the social science department’s course offerings.
Normally at SBHS, freshmen take world history, sophomores enroll in U.S. history, juniors sign up for economics and seniors learn U.S. government. The state’s content standards are different – there is no requirement for freshmen, world history is taught in 10th grade, U.S. history in 11th grade and government and economics are covered in 12th grade.
Because of the state standards, SBHS students are being tested on information they may have taken more than a year ago, said Tom Whitwam, social science division chair. For instance, the state assessments test students on economics their senior year when they took the class their junior year.
“That being said, our kids do surprisingly well (on the tests),” Whitwam said.
The state standards were adopted in 1999. The big push for the curriculum change does come from the standardized testing, Whitwam said. The school has also been dinged in the past for not being aligned with the state when reviewed by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges for accreditation.
“During the program quality review, they (WASC members) felt that if we re-aligned, there would be a better chance of the students showing what they really know in the content areas,” said Superintendent Jean Burns Slater.
The social science division is still in the brainstorming and researching stages of the change, but one thing everyone agrees on is giving students more choices and flexibility.
Since there is no social science requirement for freshmen, officials are looking at combining topics like study skills, note taking, researching and geography into a course – something that’s “appropriately challenging,” said Chuck Schallhorn, a social science division teacher.
“We want to keep ninth-grade rigorous – we want to provide some rigor to keep them in momentum for social studies,” Slater said.
There’s also potential for cross-curricular education, where classes in different subject areas work on projects. If SBHS’ social science division is aligned with the state standards, it will also be aligned with English. Students would take U.S. history at the same time they are taking American literature. While reading “Grapes of Wrath” in English class, students will be learning about the 1920s, Whitwam said.
Giving students more choices comes in the form of offering other types of classes students could take instead of, or in addition to, U.S. or world history – such as Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history, AP art history, sociology and religious studies.
“For a school as multi-ethnic as San Benito High School, I’m amazed we don’t have a course about multiculturalism,” Schallhorn said. “Something like sociology gives kids more opportunities.”
SBHS would still offer AP economics and government, but they would be electives and year-long courses compared to their semester-long counterparts.
While the change may take place as early as this fall, officials agree that it will be phased in, starting only with freshmen until classes before them have graduated.
For more information on the state’s content standards, visit www.cde.ca.gov/standards/.
