Debate has surrounded the recent vote by Morgan Hill School
District trustees to add a mandatory ninth grade social studies
credit to high school graduation requirements, with some parents
complaining the students will be left with little choice for
electives, and some teachers saying students still have plenty of
room for choice.
Debate has surrounded the recent vote by Morgan Hill School District trustees to add a mandatory ninth grade social studies credit to high school graduation requirements, with some parents complaining the students will be left with little choice for electives, and some teachers saying students still have plenty of room for choice.
In an editorial in the Dec. 9 edition, The Times argued in favor of students and their parents having more choice and more control over their children’s educations. We still think that’s the way it should be and that a fourth year of social studies should not have been required.
The decision by trustees did not come easily. After prolonged discussion, the extra year was approved in a 4-3 vote.
But what we didn’t know until pointed out by Superintendent Carolyn McKennan and Sobrato Principal Rich Knapp that there actually are four sets of graduation requirements: one for admission to the state university system; a second that is “recommended” by the universities, notably UC; the third by the state Board of Education and the fourth by the Morgan Hill School District.
McKennan and Knapp point out that the state requirements are not in line with University of California admissions, and the packet handed out by high school counselors does show that UC/CSU requires two years of social studies – world history and U.S. history or government, while the state requires three years – world history, U.S. history plus two semester-long courses of civics and economics.
State requirements also list geography standards, but do not show it as a separate course or another year.
Why are the university requirements less than what the state requires? This is something our School Board trustees, through the California School Boards Association, our teachers, through the California Teacher’s Union, and our superintendent, through the Association of California School Administrators, should lobby to change. There are plainly too many sets of requirements.
Regardless of what other states might require, California’s state universities must serve California students first, and therefore must require what the state requires for high school graduation.
If the argument by the Board of Regents for the universities is that the requirements are lower to accommodate students from other states, then we are doing California students a disservice. It only makes sense to have one set of requirements for students in the state to have to worry about meeting.
Knapp also points out that the secondary school counseling ratio to students in Morgan Hill secondary schools is approximately 700:1. This means students almost certainly will not receive adequate guidance from the high school staff about admissions and graduation requirements. It will up to the students, their parents and possibly even a mentor for the student to come up with an action plan for their educational career.
While many parents may be actively involved from the time a student goes to middle school in planning their path through secondary, many parents are not, for various reasons. Most students and their parents do not have a clear direction in mind in seventh or eighth or even ninth grade, and Knapp contends, the requirements help to insure students get what they need to meet state requirements.
The ultimate solution, of course, would be to restore the seventh period to the high schools. We realize, however, that the financial climate – both state and local – makes this next to impossible right now. But we think it is a solution that should be kept simmering on the back burner, because it would allow students more flexibility in both meeting the requirements (all four sets, if they wish) and in exploring electives to hone skills already enjoyed or learn they enjoy something new.
The school board will revisit its decision to require four years of social studies at its next regular meeting, Monday at 7 p.m. in the District Office, 15600 Concord Circle. We urge those with views on the graduation requirements, either in support of the earlier decision or opposed to it, to attend the meeting and speak out. Trustees need to hear from parents on this.
And perhaps if voices are heard at the state level, by State Board of Education trustees and university regents, the idea of creating one set of graduation requirements for the state would become a reality.
