"Honors for All" South Side High School in Rockville Centre? (2015)

[martinee]

I live in Chapel Hill, NC, and our school system is considering adopting the "honors classes for all" philosophy that is used at South Side High School. Since your school system will be held up as the shining example we should emulate, I would love to know how you like the system. I have read all the hype, but would love to know from parents, especially parents of gifted kids, how this system works for you and your kids. I would appreciate candid answers.

In an attempt to be "fair," our school district does not offer honors courses in sciences or social sciences, and many kids are bored out of their minds and not being adequately prepared for college and future science classes. The school boaard is currently deciding whether or not to offer honors courses, and favors the approach of offering "hybrid" courses (honors and regular in the same classroom) with the goal of "honors courses for all" by 2015. I am skeptical.

Do all students really succeed at honors courses at South Side High? What are the demographics like? Are the minority students there also low SES?

Our school system has tried "differentiation" within the classroom for more than ten years now at the elementary and middle school levels without adequate training and support, and the result has been that some students are bored and others are left behind. Our numbers have not improved with this strategy. You never know how it is going to be from one year to the next. The teachers are great, but they have a wide range to deal with.

Thanks!