Board OKs policy for applying school credits

May 18, 2005|by KAREN HANNA

The Washington County Board of Education voted to approve on second reading Tuesday night a policy that would give students the option of applying certain middle-school courses to their high-school requirements.

Students who receive the credit must apply their grades in those classes to their high school grade-point averages.

Vice president Jacqueline Fischer and board member W. Edward Forrest, who had raised objections to the policy in its various versions, voted against the new rules.

"My gut feeling is those students are doing work they should be doing anyway, and for them, it's a middle-school course," Forrest said.

The policy does not specify what courses would qualify for high school credit, but older versions included classes such as algebra, geometry and foreign language.

Fischer said she worried students would take harder courses in middle school in order to reduce their high-school loads. She said she believed students' SAT and future college performance might suffer if they no longer were exposed to the advanced courses.

"Even if they're not going on in math, it's still going to affect their SAT test, if they take it," Fischer said.

Older versions of the policy would not have offset the requirements of students entering high school with qualifying middle-school courses.

Board member Wayne Ridenour said he worried some students might be pushed too fast for courses they are not ready to take. He said he voted for the policy because so many parents and students had indicated they supported it.

Board member Bernadette Wagner said the school system must work to change "the culture of expectations."

"I see these kids saying, 'Ooo, I'm going take these in middle school, and I'm going to keep on going,'" Wagner said.

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