Tulsa Parents Challenge Change to High School Honors Program

Some parents of Tulsa Public Schools students are challenging a proposed change in the high school honors programs. The district says the change will assure excellence and fairness. Opponents say it

Thursday, February 17th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Some parents of Tulsa Public Schools students are challenging a proposed change in the high school honors programs. The district says the change will assure excellence and fairness. Opponents say it could derail their children's education.

What makes a high school honors class "honors?" The district says right now, there are no uniform standards for assessing that among the city's nine high schools. Most offer both honors classes and advanced Placement, or A-P courses like the one at Edison high School.

But when the district began analyzing its honors program three years ago, educators were disturbed by what they found. "There was no standardized curriculum,â€ said Tulsa Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. LaVerne Wimberley. â€œThe instruction and methodologies were weak. I tried to look at a program that we could all go to that would raise those standards of excellence and put everyone on a level playing field in terms of the courses that were being offered."

Wimberley proposes eliminating honors classes in favor of the Advanced Placement program, offered at the junior and senior levels. Several parents spoke out against the change at a forum Thursday, saying their children need high challenge classes in earlier years. "If they're going to raise all the classes to that level, then we won't have a problem,â€ said parent Wanda Satrom. â€œBut I don't know how they're going to accomplish that, and I don't know that they know how they're going to accomplish the program in question.â€

Parents also don't want to lose the so-called "weighted" five point grading system that boosts grade point average and class ranking. This is crucial for students competing for top colleges and scholarships. But some colleges say without uniform honors standards, it's harder to assess students fairly. "If you move to a standardized course of study that allows for some review across the board in an equal fashion, then it puts us on an equal playing field,â€said University of Tulsa Admissions Counselor Earl Johnson.

Wimberley says the district wants equality, accountability and excellence for all students through the AP program. But she is open to more discussion. "We're here to serve the needs of the children,â€ Wimberly said. â€œAnd if that's going to be a problem, I don't mind taking a second look."

The district hoped to implement the change this fall, but Wimberly says it may take more time to phase in the program. She'll make a presentation before the school board Tuesday night. The change does not require board approval.