0
0
There are some stereotypes about honors students, and some are not kind. However, with many NS students enrolled in honors math, honors English, or both, the stereotype of honors students being rare isn’t true.
While honors classes have the reputation for dealing with difficult curriculum and loading a student up with hours of homework, this isn’t always the case. Armed with this knowledge, students ask themselves what the purpose of an honors class is.
“The classes are usually the same as regular classes,” said junior Hannah Bartholomew. “We just go through units faster and study them more in depth.”
The English and math teachers that have the responsibility of teaching these honor classes have a different opinion.
However, are these subtle differences helping students?
According to the US Department of Education, the national average GPA of 2009 was a 3.0, and due to little fluctuation in previous years, it can be assumed that this is still a reasonable average.
Compared to this, honors students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or above in order to be enrolled in an honors class. This requirement pushes students to exceed the national average.
Regardless of the differences between honors and grade level classes and the students that take them, there continues to be a number of students that enroll in the class, all for various reasons.
According to a recent survey conducted at NS only 5% of students take honors classes simply to get into college algebra. This is due to honors math being a prerequisite for the class.
“I plan on taking [college algebra] because I think the career path I want to go on requires it,” said Bartholomew. “I might as well take it now so there’s one less thing to worry about when I get to college.”
8.8% of students are in honors classes because they enjoy the subject, a surprisingly low percentage. Another 20% of students are enrolled in honors classes because they’ve been told by someone, whether a counselor, teacher, or parent, that they should. An astounding 45% of students take honors classes for scholarship purposes.
This brings back up the original question: what is the purpose of honor classes, or do they only exist to get students scholarships?
“I think the only purpose of honors classes is to not hold back the kids that can learn faster,” said Bartholomew. “Of what I know, college don’t care if you were in honors classes or not.”
