Courtney Mabeus, The Examiner
2007-03-27 07:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

Freshmen entering District of Columbia public high schools in the fall now will face four full years of math, English, science and social studies and be allowed to devise academic plans to graduate in between three and five years.

The changes, announced Monday by Superintendent Clifford Janey and Board of Education President Robert Bobb, represent the first major curriculum adjustment within DCPS in 15 years, officials said.

In order to graduate, students beginning high school in the 2007-08 academic year now must complete a written thesis on a subject of their choosing with a teacher who will advise them, spokeswoman Audrey Williams said.

In addition, students now will devise their own graduation plans upon entering ninth grade that will allow them to pick either a three-, four- or five-year track. To graduate in three years, students would have to earn all of their required credits in part by taking additional summer or evening courses. A five-year track would allow students to gain proficiency without fear of penalty in a “time frame they feel comfortable in,” Williams said.

Students will receive support from the schools beginning in elementary school with a new policy to end social promotion that would hold students back only at grades three, five, eight and 10. Under the plan, teachers and administrators will help identify children at risk for failure through early intervention, Janey said, adding, “we expect [supports] to continue at home.”

Monday’s announcement follows an October study that revealed only 9 percent of District high school students who go on to college graduate within five years — well below the national average of 23 percent.

The changes also come at a time of increased scrutiny over how well the District’s 142 schools are educating the city’s 52,000 students. There also has been a major dispute between school leaders and Mayor Adrian Fenty over who should lead them. The Council is expected to take its first of two votes on Fenty’s schools takeover legislation April 3. A majority of council members have expressed support for the bill.

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com