BY RYAN MERARD
Many students nowadays feel that the courses they are taking are not important to the field of study they want to enter in college, or just not relevant to their life at all.
In Broward County, a minimum of four credits of English and four credits of math are mandatory for graduation. This means that, throughout all four years of high school, most students are required to take a math or English course to graduate. Additionally, to graduate, students have to take biology as well as two additional science classes.
Giving high school students more choices for course selection through their high school journey can help improve student engagement in the classroom, leading to students learning more and getting the most out of high school.
Many of these requirements restrict students from choosing more electives that they are interested in during their junior and senior year. While it seems that students are getting more education, placing higher standards on high schoolers could inspire negative effects such as higher dropout rates.
History has shown that placing more requirements on students can lead to an increased number of students who drop out before graduating with their high school diploma. According to Washington University in St. Louis, a study based on census data going back to the 1990s showed that the U.S. dropout rate rose to a high of 11.4 percent when students were required to take six math and science courses, compared with 8.6 percent for students who needed fewer math and science courses to graduate.
“Real learning thrives when students have real choices,” Huffington Post writer Blake Boles said. “Give high school students the same freedom as college students, and we’ll take education a step in the right direction.”
Giving high school students more choices for course selection through their high school journey can help improve student engagement in the classroom, leading to students learning more and getting the most out of high school.
For example, instead of having four years of English classes, perhaps schools can require students to take two years of English and then present more diverse literature-related electives, such as creative writing. Another solution could be having high school students take three math classes instead of four, and then electives that relate to math could be available, such as personal finances classes.
This way, schools can ensure that students get the necessary education needed for future careers or college while allowing them to take more classes that interest them at the same time. This can also make it so that the students that choose to strengthen their education with core classes do so, and the ones that do not can choose to take classes that are meaningful to them.
Electives like these can expose students to a variety of career fields that they might be interested in.
Electives are just as important as core classes are. They teach things that students would most likely not gain from an average math or science course and they help students get a well-rounded education. The best thing about electives is that they are chosen by the student so it matches their interests.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some of the fastest-growing occupations between now and 2026 are in the fields of renewable energy, technology, and healthcare. Many high schools have technology and healthcare electives such as coding and drafting among others.
Electives like these can expose students to a variety of career fields that they might be interested in. Conversely, electives can also help students eliminate possible college majors or career paths. A student could take a class in these fields and decide that they do not like the work or that the field doesn’t fit their skills and needs. By making this discovery earlier in life, students can avoid wasting money on unnecessary college courses or making a career move that they might later regret.
Although core classes are important to give youth the necessary education to succeed in life, electives are the classes that help students gain more information about topics they are interested in. Requiring that all students focus on core classes throughout high school may lead some to lose interest in their education. Instead, students should be allowed more flexibility when choosing their schedules because electives can be just as vital to their success.
Photo by Kayla Florenco
