Menlo Introduces New Honors Classes, Phasing Out APs

by JACOB REICH

Menlo’s administration is currently looking at places where they can further revitalize the curriculum with dynamic, engaging, challenging courses that meet the school’s goals, according to Upper School Director John Schafer. These goals include relevance of course material, a variety of modes of assessment, and skill development.

The curriculum at Menlo is constantly evolving as new courses are added and existing classes are changed. Advanced Placement courses have strict guidelines and tests that teachers must follow, which frequently prevent teachers from using alternative assessment formats. The administration’s decision to keep specific AP classes is also influenced by which courses can be replaced with more suitable honors courses. This decision has sparked a divide, with some students and teachers advocating for the retention of APs and others supporting the decision to remove many of them.

The College Board website explains that the AP program consists of college-level courses and exams available to high schoolers. AP classes can help students stand out, earn college credit and save money. When a course has the AP label, it has been through the course audit process. Each time a school adds a new teacher to teach an AP class or adds a new AP course, teachers must submit their syllabus and then, if the course is authorized, teachers are granted access to AP resources. This process ensures that the course meets the school’s requirements.

According to Schafer, Menlo is choosing to discontinue many APs as they do not align with the school’s goals for an effective curriculum. Menlo plans to remove some AP classes and replace them with honors classes, which will be designed to be just as challenging as AP classes while still providing the same GPA boost of 0.5. Not all AP classes will be phased out. However, Schafer confirmed that, while Menlo may have its method for calculating GPA, the colleges that students apply to may recalculate to fairly assess all students. “It doesn’t really matter how we calculate a GPA because colleges calculate it the way they want to,” Schafer said.

Upper School Science Department Chair Jamie Formato sees an advantage in phasing out AP classes. “The reasoning behind [the decision to discontinue APs] is that we have the space and time to develop more exciting curricular options. The College Board AP program is highly scripted and presents a lot of constraints on teachers, and we feel like we have more exciting things to offer than an AP,” Formato said.

Similarly to Formato, English teacher Oscar King, who teaches AP English Language and Composition, sees the removal of many APs as an opportunity to improve courses. “As far as moving away from APs is concerned, the department and I are excited to design an English curriculum for our students that is guided not by the College Board — a non-profit organization — but by Menlo’s core academic values, including interdisciplinary exploration, student

Staffillustration:SophieFang

Faculty Attend the 2022 People of Color Conference in San Antonio

by ABIGAIL BECKER

For over 30 years, the National Association of Independent Schools has hosted a People of Color Conference aimed at creating equity, providing a safe space for educators of color and assisting in justice-oriented professional development. In December 2022, 16 Menlo School staff members from seven departments attended the conference

What’s Inside?

located in San Antonio, Texas. According to data collected by Chief of Institutional Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Keith Wheeler on 13 of the 16 staff members who attended, 10 have attended PoCC for one to three years, two have attended for four to six years and one has attended for seven to 10 years. There were more than 7,800 people total who participated this past year, according to the PoCC website.

The event, which took place over the course of four days, included a variety of activities: seminars delivered by selected speakers, workshops, master classes and exhibits from companies advancing diversity and social justice. The Student Diversity Leadership Conference, which

The Coat of Arms Discusses: Affirmative Action occurred in tandem with PoCC, was aimed at supporting students of color. However, due to limited availability and a lottery system for selected schools, Menlo was unable to bring students in 2022.

Check out The Coat of Arms website!