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Three years ago, honors courses were eliminated from the Sequoia Union High School District, but the topic has resurfaced as parents prepare for the school board’s discussion on streamlining course offerings at the upcoming meeting on April 22.
SUHSD Students First is a parent group that is advocating for the return of honors and advanced standing classes. The elimination of honors classes for ninth graders, also known as detracking, was intended to boost academic performance and opportunities for less-advantaged students by encouraging students of all levels to work together.
The school district aimed to improve equity, cooperation and participation among students through “heterogeneous” or blended classrooms. Since honors courses were eliminated, the district reports that the number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams has grown by 52% since 2018.
Students First is preparing to step up to the podium for the board’s discussion in hopes that trustees will take a vote to reinstate honors classes. Since 2023, the group has gathered over 1,200 signatures from community members calling for the restoration of advanced courses.
“The idea of having a full range of courses available allows students to pace themselves at a level where they can challenge themselves as much as or as little as they want,” said Michael Dekshenieks, a parent with Students First. “By taking out the honors course track, you effectively strip out the middle, and that creates a big gap for service to all students.”
The district’s most extensive discussion on detracking occurred in September 2023, when staff explored the impact that heterogeneous classes would have on students of different academic backgrounds.
In December 2024, the district received an independent analysis by the Hanover Research Group, which highlighted some indicators that streamlining courses led to increased enrollment and improved performance in advanced tracks among historically underrepresented groups.
“Study after study, including longitudinal research tracking nearly 6,000 students, shows that students at every ability level learn more in heterogeneous settings than in tracked ones,” according to the district staff report.
Since schools reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, Dekshenieks said parents have observed that their ninth-grade children’s high school coursework is less rigorous than their middle school classes.
During last year’s Dec. 18 board meeting, parents expressed concerns that children with learning disabilities would not be able to access higher level courses without the middle ground of honors classes. One parent called it discriminatory.
“The leap to AP and the pacing of AP classes is too hard for (kids with learning disabilities),” said one parent during public comment. “By not offering honors classes, students can’t show colleges they can handle harder classes and can’t compete with students who are taking nothing but AP classes.”
Another public commenter highlighted that Carlmont High School, with a student body that is 40% white and 30% Asian, is the only campus within the district to offer advanced English classes to ninth graders.
“We are only providing AS English I in places where the population is predominantly white and Asian,” they said. “At M-A, Woodside and Sequoia, that opportunity is simply not available.”
On the board meeting agenda for this week, district officials noted that there have been requests for the restoration of honors classes for the next school year, saying that the “district and site administrative leadership continues to believe that a common ninth grade experience in core courses has significant merit, while acknowledging that there are community members who disagree.”
Students First claimed that the school district administration and board has “systematically avoided, for the last three years, to vote on this issue.”
“It became very clear to us as parents and members of the community that the decision to do this was made behind closed doors in a very non-transparent way, and it was self-justified by the members of the board and effectively a policy decision was made without the appropriate input of the community,” said Dekshenieks.
For years, parents have reached out to the district over the years to return to the discussion of restoring honors and advanced courses, but Dekshenieks said that it has been a “mired process” where other groups’ concerns, such as the closure of TIDE Academy, have taken precedence.
“We’re seeing a slow-rolling response to the issue,” he said.
At Wednesday’s board meeting, Superintendent Leach will be recommending the board acknowledge the years of analysis and community engagement about the current course offerings and affirm the district’s commitment to a common ninth-grade experience in core courses.
Leach also will suggest that the board direct staff continue monitoring student performances through reporting cycles and confirm that any changes to heterogeneous classes will only come as a result of the strategic planning process.
In a press release, Student First encouraged community members to attend the meeting to urge the school board to restore honors classes for next fall.
“Located in the heart of Silicon Valley and global innovation, SUHSD should lead the nation in providing equitable access to rigorous academic opportunities for every student,” the group wrote.
Starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, the school board meeting will be held online and in-person in the Birch Room at the Sequoia Union High School District office located at 480 James Ave. in Redwood City.
