Combined honors classes were tested in a pilot program in the 2022-2023 school year in sophomore English classes, and now, both English 9 and 10 use combined classes. The “tragedy of 20 feet” is what led to the creation of English classes that combine Honors and college prep students.
“We (staff) talked a lot about the tragedy of 20 feet, how if I was only in the classroom 20 feet down the hall, I’d be getting an excellent education,” Principal Gregory Shelby said. “That’s what we keep trying to do is eliminate that idea of the tragedy of 20 feet, to have excellent education for all students.”
The idea behind the combined classes is to grant students equal access to educational opportunities. The difference between students lies in how they are graded. Students enrolled in regular English receive a standard rubric whereas honors students receive rubrics with additional requirements.
According to Shelby, honors students do not lose rigor from the curriculum, and non-honors get the opportunity to experience what an honors class is like and can decide to switch into the program on their own.
There are many factors that contribute to why a student may not choose to take an honors course, from one’s upbringing or their social environment, Shelby said. Additionally, socioeconomic and racial demographics can affect this decision, especially whether or not a student’s parents are college educated.
Shelby finds that these social influences can limit students from achieving what they are capable of as some choose to take classes solely because their friends are taking them, which may not be the best choice for them.
“I think that there’s so many people that are living up to their expectations of themselves rather than fulfilling their academic potential,” Shelby said. “And this (combined) system allows people to fulfill their academic potential rather than simply fit the norm of what’s expected of them and what is expected of them and their friends.”
Social influences have impacted education systems, so Shelby views the new classes as a way to create equity and justice in a system that has not seen it before. Whether students come from less affluent areas or come from communities of color, Shelby wants to see all students succeed.
“But when we see that (systemic inequity), I feel a moral obligation to address it and to try to work to create a system that is more fair and more equitable for all students,” Shleby said. “We’re trying to find ways to make it so that what elementary school you came from doesn’t affect your success level at Santa Clara High School.”
The combined classes were initially proposed by English teachers Courtney Hayes, Hannah Blue and Paige Cruz prior to the 2022-2023 school year. After a test year, the classes proved to be successful among tenth grade classes, with many students choosing to switch into Honors English.
Counselor Oscar Martinez is proud of students who have asked to switch levels as they felt confident about their decision, excited to challenge themselves academically.
“When they came to talk to me, it was like they knew what they wanted, like they were excited to want to switch,” Martinez said. “They weren’t afraid, they weren’t nervous, they weren’t questioning their decision. They saw their peers, and they wanted to challenge themselves.”
Martinez admires the idea of students being role models to each other in combined classes.
“We might have older adult role models. A lot of times we don’t give enough credit to our role models that are our peers,” Martinez said. “Being in a class with a peer who’s seeking a higher level course motivates you as a student, even though you’re not officially enrolled in that same specific course they are.”
SCUSD Secondary Education Director Matt Baldwin believes heterogeneous classes, or classes composed of students from various backgrounds, allows students to learn from each other and work together. He appreciates how these classes almost replicate environments outside of the classroom, where people from various backgrounds are able to interact, something students would not experience in divided classes.
“If we have more heterogeneous groupings and have more embedded honors opportunities, then that allows for students from diverse backgrounds and from different walks of life and different socioeconomic demographics and backgrounds to come together,” Baldwin said. “It cultivates more empathy and tolerance and open mindedness and all the things that we’re all going to experience once we leave school.”
Currently, SCHS is the only school in the district with combined classes, and Shelby hopes the school can lead the district into fostering more inclusive, equitable environments for all students.
“The schools around here are all pretty good. But we need to be excellent,” Shleby said. “I understand why what we’re doing is threatening to some people, and I respect that. I also am not going to let that stop us.”