Our school board, Bethel School District, is getting rid of advanced classes without anyone’s input. Our schools have the highest population of minorities and are using students to reach their graduation goals. Making students feeling like a statistic rather than a human trying to get a worthy education capable of growing and having a voice. 

Here are the classes that will be affected:

AVID, a college and career readiness class for disadvantaged kids and closes opportunity gaps.(Last class of students graduates in 2023 and has been cancel for further classes)
Advanced English 9, an advanced and faster paced English class for 9th graders. (Canceled since 2019-2020)
Advanced English 10, an advanced and faster paced English class for 10th graders. This class specifically prepares students for IB English. (Canceled since 2019-2020)
Algebra 1 for middle schoolers, middle schoolers are forced to do grade level classes and not feel challenged in their classes, increasing chances of students dropping out.
Algebra 2 as a normal class for students, has been threatened to turn into an IB Math 1 class. This makes it college level math when Algebra 2 is a class required by some universities such as Portland State University. 
Pre-Calculus as a normal class for students, it has been threatened to turn into an IB Math 2 and changed. IB Math 2 will resemble Pre-Calculus but will not be the same. It is a class for students who want to go beyond the required 3 credit math classes. The honors diploma has requirements of 4 math credits. Students will be expected to take classes they do not feel challenged in, increasing chances of students dropping out.
AP Calculus, one of the two AP classes WHS offers. This class allows students who want more college credit beyond IB Math and get more advanced math options. edits. Students won’t feel challenged in their classes, increasing chances of students dropping out.
The math curriculum change is unclear on how credits and how the curriculum will go. These math classes are essential to Chemistry and Physics, limiting the ability of students in those classes. 
Physics has been threatened, a class beneficial for students who want to be engineers. Without this, students can’t go into sciences or medical fields and entire career paths are cut off. If there aren't enough students taking the class, it may be taken away. 

A lot of students also take these classes with the intention of getting College Now credits. Which are credits for Lane Community College (the local community college). Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus College Now credits will be impacted by this, giving kids less of a chance to get started on their future earlier. 

This will have long term impacts on all of the students, this affects everyone. The school prioritizes graduation, and by getting rid of advanced classes, students are more likely to drop out or get in trouble from the lack of challenge. Students may feel like they are teaching the class around them instead of learning from it. Their “equity” argument is false, since research proves that POC students are less likely to enroll into advanced classes if they aren’t given the resources or accessibility. The best way to combat this is to have more advanced classes and make it easier for people to enroll. They are removing learning opportunities for students that want advanced classes.

We shouldn’t be left behind for the school’s priority in “equity” and high graduation rates.

With this information, I will give a speech to the school board with research and interviews!!