The Willow Glen Resident

Board looks at increasing graduation requirements

All district high school graduates would be eligible for state colleges

By Cecily Barnes

The San Jose Unified school board will vote Feb. 5 on whether to dramatically increase high school graduation requirements, which could include tacking on an extra year of math and science, two years of foreign language and two years in performing or visual arts.

If the plan is approved, all high school graduates in the district would be eligible to apply for state colleges.

Some parents and teachers fear the new standards might be too tough for struggling students and cause them to fail more classes or even drop out. But SJUSD Superintendent Linda Murray is optimistic about the proposal.

As it stands now, a student can graduate from any San Jose Unified high school, including Willow Glen High School, and lack the needed education to apply to schools in the UC or CSU systems. Only 225 units are required for graduation, with two years of math, two years of science and no foreign language.

Some universities require applicants to have 240 units, including three years of math, three years of science, two years of foreign language and one year of visual or performing arts.

Murray thinks more should be demanded of high school students so that they may succeed in the world after graduation. Times have changed, Murray explains, and what is expected of 18-year-olds has changed, too.

"This answers the national concern that our students are not being prepared well for the 21st-century workplace," Murray said. "Jobs now require a much higher level of skills than ever was true in the past. In Silicon Valley we are on the leading edge of industry, and therefore the workplace needs are at very high levels. We don't want companies to go outside of our communities to get workers. We want to prepare our students well to enter the jobs that are available."

Proponents of the proposal say that not only will it better prepare students for the job market, but the foreign language and fine arts requirements will create well-rounded students who'll have more options after they graduate.

"What I want for all my students when they graduate from Willow Glen High School is that they have every option open to them. These requirements mean that every student is at least eligible for universities," said Patrick Day, principal of Willow Glen High School. "Students will still need to get the necessary grade, but it opens up that option to them."

Murray also argues that the foreign language requirement will help students be more competitive not just in this country, but internationally.

"We believe having fluency in more than one language will be a much desired asset," Murray said.

Certain parents and educators, however, have expressed concern that the more stringent requirements might be a recipe for failure for those students already struggling with their academics.

They worry that if students fail the harder classes, they might lose confidence in their abilities and end up leaving school. Critics also fear that students who fail classes will have little chance to catch up.

"I don't think we've thoroughly looked at the ramifications of what this will do for the kids who are borderline and I'm concerned," said Susan Votaw, principal at Broadway High School. "I think there's going to be some big ramifications. ... I think we'll have fewer graduates."

Starting earlier

Proponents of the plan respond that vast support networks will accompany the tougher workload to make sure students are able to be successful. A more extensive summer school program will be available, and parents will receive an annual notice about their child's academic status. In addition, educators and administrators are looking at beginning the preparation for high school in the earlier grades.

"We're examining backing up the rigor into middle schools and elementary schools, to prepare our students better for high school," said SJUSD spokeswoman Maureen Munroe. "We're looking at a required reading program for sixth-graders, and at expanding language offered in earlier grades. We have math task forces looking at the whole math curriculum and the preparation that each grade will provide for the next."

Increasing math, science and foreign language requirements means more textbooks, teachers and classrooms. Administrators have projected this will cost the district some $1,764,000. Since increased graduation requirements are not state-mandated, the state is not offering funding. Hence, the money would be squeezed from the district's existing budget.

"If the state does change its requirements during the early period when we are doing this, undoubtedly there will come some funding," Munroe said. "But at present we have no new money that will be paying for this, so what we will be doing is reprioritizing the budget."

Superintendent Murray optimistically projects that reprioritizing the budget doesn't necessarily mean that other programs will lose funding.

"We're in a good economy, and we're getting more money from the state for cost-of-living increases. The projection is that we'll continue to get more revenues," Murray said. "As that money comes to us, we need to be sure that it's going to the new standards."

Science laboratories will cost the most to build. However, the district has some time, since the graduation requirements wouldn't be increased until the freshmen of 1998 become juniors.

"We don't see the big crunch coming in the first year," Murray said. "The big crunch will come within the next couple of years, when more kids are taking math and science."

If the SJUSD approves the increased requirements, it will be the first district in Santa Clara County to do so, Munroe said.

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