The Mundelein High School (IL) board is revamping their curriculum in order to boost falling ACT and Prairie State Achievement Exam scores. The plan is labeled "controversial," but at first glance it's hard to see why it deserves that term:
The plan is designed to meet the educational standards set by the ACT so students are prepared when they take the test. Mundelein students will take as-of-yet-unspecified English, math, science and social science classes that better prepare them for the exam as well as the Prairie State Achievement Exam, a statewide standardized test...
Teachers will help the board and administration develop the specific classes. Students also will have to take more math and science classes than are currently required to graduate, according to the plan...
Ok, I'm still not seeing anything here that sounds "controversial" to me. Even the previous incarnation of the plan, which was opposed by parents, doesn't sound that extreme to me. One part that was dropped would have required some students to take remedial reading classes. Why would parents have opposed that, given that the only students who would have been placed in remedial reading classes would have been those who needed it?
Posted by kswygert at October 29, 2003 10:53 AM