SCHOOLS

Central looking to increase course options

Posted

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District is working on a plan that would allow most students to take algebra and earth science in eighth grade, if they wish, according to Superintendent John DeTommaso.

Currently, only students assigned to the Honors track take these advanced courses. That’s about 40 percent of the eighth-grade classes at Grand Avenue and Merrick Avenue middle schools.

Starting with the current fourth grade, however, students who are assigned to the Regents track after elementary school will be given the opportunity to opt in to the Honors track for math and science, DeTommaso said. They will have to complete additional coursework in order to do so, while students originally assigned to the Honors track will not have to take the extra classes, he said. The additional coursework is intended to provide the instructional support that Regents students may need to work at the Honors level.

The superintendent stressed, though, that students need not opt in to the Honors track if they or their parents do not feel it would be in their best interests.

Successful completion of the Honors track allows students to take advanced classes such calculus and physics later in high school. Many colleges, DeTommaso noted, look favorably on such coursework.