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The Importance of the High School Curriculum
By David Hamilton, director of college counseling at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, MD
Over the next few months, high school students from Oregon to Florida to Arizona will start selecting their courses for the 2002–2003 academic year. One would think that students would devote quality time, effort, and energy to this endeavor as they shape their program of studies. Unfortunately, students often fall short and take the easy way out in terms of their class schedule. Given the trends of national grade inflation and pumped up standardized test scores due to the test prep industry, colleges may begin to pay closer attention to a variable that doesn’t change from year to year: the high school curriculum.
Clifford Adelman’s research with the U.S. Department of Education looked at a number of factors that contributed to the completion of an undergraduate degree. In Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor’s Degree, Adelman showed that the variable referred to as “academic intensity” is a third more likely than class rank or test scores to predict whether a student will go on to graduate. In short, a student’s high school program of studies is the most important factor in determining college graduation.
Additional research shows the importance of a strong curriculum in high school:
- Students who take more academic core courses tend to have higher grades.
- Students who take more academic core courses tend to have higher standardized test scores.
- Students who take more academic core courses tend to have a greater chance for financial success in the future.
As students begin to construct their schedules, the inevitable question arises: “Is it better to take the harder course and get the B, or take the easier course and get the A?” This is a trick question. The correct response is “Take the harder course and get the A.” This may seem like a trite response, but it is the truth. Admissions offices across the land that see an advanced program of studies (Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate) tend to expect advanced grades. Colleges and universities also expect each student to take the most challenging and appropriate level of classes available to them at their school.
So what courses should one focus on? First of all, a student must meet the minimum requirements for his/her school. The earlier a student can plan their program of studies for each and every year, the better he/she will be served. The following five areas usually define the academic core:
ENGLISH
The skills you learn from this discipline are fundamental lifelong skills. Focus on courses such as American literature, composition, English literature, creative writing, world literature, and others offered in the curriculum.
MATH
Whether you are a math person or not, it is vital to have a strong understanding of mathematical concepts. Our world of technology, international monetary funds, and paying taxes and bills demands our application of these analytical skills. Regardless of your school requirements, take as much math as you can. Start out with algebra and move on to geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, and calculus. Mr. Adelman’s research demonstrates that students who take calculus and other demanding math courses during high school graduate from college at very high rates.
SCIENCE
What is the relevance and importance of science? Look at the news on any given day. Headlines announce the latest on the human genome project, particle physics, chaos theory, and global warming. Schools will sequence their science courses in different ways, but the main goal is to take a science each and every year. Biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, anatomy, physiology, and environmental science all fall in this category.
SOCIAL STUDIES
It is vital to study the people, places, and events of the world. Recent developments in many parts of the world have their precedence hundreds of years ago. In order to possibly predict what may happen in the future, it is important to know what has happened in the past. Courses include geography, United States history, sociology, world history, government, anthropology, and economics.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES
The inability to converse in another language will hinder job advancement in the future. It may seem like a bold pronouncement, but two words make the case for this point: global economy. If a student takes the highest level of a language as a junior, he/she should try to take the next level at a local college or university the following year or even pick up a new foreign language during senior year.
If a student takes a course in each area every year over their four-year career in high school, a student will have 20 core academic units. Like high school graduation requirements, the above courses and guidelines are minimums for students. Given this base, they should then try to fill out the remainder of their schedule with other courses from the areas listed above.
Students need to keep in mind that this is one item that they have direct control over in the application process. The ability to determine one’s academic schedule each and every year resides with each high school student. Does one try to meet the minimum requirements or should one try to take a full, and quite possibly, challenging schedule? Consider this possible scenario: The admissions committee has ten applicants left—and the credentials virtually identical—but can only admit five. The difference in the applicants can be found in their program of studies. Half have 23 core units or more, while the other half has 18 or less. Who would you take? Given your answer, adjust your course schedule accordingly and work hard! Good luck!
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