Starting next school year, LZHS will no longer offer academic level courses. Students currently enrolled in academic level courses will be placed in college preparatory courses next year.
The District cited a desire to challenge students and the fact that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) does not recognize academic level classes as factors that went into the decision.
“As the District continually examines what best assists students in achieving the District’s mission, the district evaluates current practice to determine what our next steps are in the improvement process,” Jodi Wirt, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said in an email to Bear Facts. “The Common Core Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts, as well as the skills defined as 21st Century Skills clearly assert that each student attending Lake Zurich High School should be exposed to a challenging curricula and meet designated performance standards. The District believes that it is in the best interests of our students to prepare them to be college and career ready. Therefore, it no longer seems necessary to make the distinction between an academic and college prep level course.”
Along with the desire to challenge students, the high school was notified that academic level courses would not meet NCAA eligibility requirements. Some high schools require students in academic level courses to sign a waiver acknowledging that the NCAA will not recognize the class. For example, District 211 in neighboring Cook County label classes as NCAA core courses in their curriculum guide, available on their website.
LZHS, however, opted to stop offering such classes altogether. Students who are currently in academic level classes will be placed in college preparatory classes next year. Parents such as Maria Ruiz, whose daughter Emily is a sophomore in academic Geometry, were not happy with how LZHS notified them of the upcoming changes.
“[I wish they would’ve] at least given parents a head up that they were doing it. Just sending out a broad email across the board and sending home a letter usually isn’t enough for kids like Emily who do need the academic courses offered,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz says the District did not give parents enough time to say, “no, we don’t agree with it,” and her daughter, Emily, is nervous about the transition to college preparatory. Emily Ruiz was in academic math classes all throughout middle school and took college preparatory Algebra 1 her freshman year. She struggled throughout the year, Emily Ruiz said, and had to retake the course over the summer.
“This year, being in academic, it’s just so much easier to do and get through and get all my homework done. I’m worried [about next year] because I’d rather be in a class I’m going to do well in than try a lot harder and struggle more,” Ruiz said.
For students like Ruiz, moving to a higher level class may be intimidating, but the math department has been preparing for these changes. They will be offering an optional Geometry Strategies course to compliment the required Geometry course, according to Wirt.
“The math department is working hard to make the transition to the new program successful for students,” Jeff Bivin, math department chair, said in an email to Bear Facts. “The geometry curriculum is in the process of being completely rewritten, and the support class for geometry is being developed.”
Such efforts to accommodate students and address concerns like Ruiz’s about transitioning to college preparatory classes are a focus for the administration and teachers alike.
“Whenever there’s change it’s difficult to predict how things will go,” Stephanie Piggott, special education teacher, said. “However, I think that students seem to rise to the challenge in academics, so I have high hopes that this will be a good change for the students to rise to the challenge and receive the support they need to be successful.”