Upfront EDUCATION
Proposal nixed for single lane of Paly frosh English Plan to put all ninth-graders in advanced English classes questioned by board, parents
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alo Alto school district officials have withdrawn their recommendation to offer a single freshman English lane at Palo Alto High School — rather than two lanes — after the proposal was met with resistance from school board members and many parents. Paly English Department chair Shirley Tokheim said Monday that the proposal — a pilot program that teachers had been preparing for 18 months — has been stricken from the Board of Education’s tentative agenda for Feb. 25. “As you can imagine, we are extremely disappointed and upset at the news,” Tokheim said. Paly Principal Kim Diorio wrote a message to parents Tuesday saying that two lanes of freshman English will be offered this fall, as they have been in the past. Diorio previously had supported the proposed change, telling the board Jan. 28 the plan would address “structural inequalities that exist in our system.” Superintendent Kevin Skelly said he withdrew the proposal after community members raised concerns, persuading him that “there’s additional work that needs to be done by the English Department over at Paly. “Much of that additional work is recognized by the staff at Paly ... and the decision was made that this was not the right
by Chris Kenrick time to implement a change,” Skelly said. Currently, second-semester eighth-graders are given the choice whether to take the yearlong “English 9” or “English 9 Accelerated” — called English 9A. But teachers said there’s little rhyme or reason as to which students choose which lane — a high percentage of students choosing the “regular lane” have scored “proficient” or “advanced” on standardized English tests, suggesting an aptitude for the more challenging class. And yet, Diorio told the board Jan. 28, freshmen who chose regular-lane English begin to “self-identify as being in the dummy class — they see themselves right off the bat as not being as smart as their peers.” The freshman choice for the regular lane also makes students less likely to take honors or Advanced Placement English or U.S. History later in high school, English teachers said. Teachers, with backing from the district office, proposed that English 9A be offered as the single choice for Paly freshmen starting this fall. “We believe all high-achieving students who enter Paly ... should receive rigorous instruction and benefit from the high expectations of an accelerated English course,” Associate Superintendent for Educational Services
Charles Young said in his Jan. 28 proposal to the board. “We believe any struggling students, with appropriate supports, will also benefit from this rigorous coursework.” The “small number of students” who need additional help would get it through tutorials, extra programs and classes, which, in some cases, would be “co-taught” by a special education teacher, the recommendation stated. The teachers said other highperforming high schools in the area — including Los Altos, Mountain View, Saratoga, Monte Vista and Lynbrook — have unlaned freshman English, and in most cases, unlaned sophomore English as well. At Gunn High School, freshman English is laned. Four of the five school board members and several parents expressed skepticism about the proposal when it was presented Jan. 28, while other parents and one of the board spoke in support. Board members said they’d been flooded with emails about the proposed change, and all but Heidi Emberling indicated they were not prepared to vote for it. They questioned whether the teachers’ plan offered enough “specific scaffolding” and intensive extra help for regular-lane stuV Ì Õi`Ê Ê«>}iÊ£Ó)
Leigh Anne Tuohy is the inspirational keynote speaker on February 20th at Sacred Heart Preparatory in Atherton. General admission tickets include a wine and cheese reception with live music beginning at 6:15. A book signing will follow Leigh Anne’s 7:15 presentation. Proceeds from this event will provide tuition assistance funds for low- income families whose children attend St. Elizabeth Seton School in Palo Alto. Tickets: brownpapertickets.com/event/512334 Ad donated as a community service by Palo Alto Weekly
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