3 FEATURE
OPINION
assault on dei
8 CENTERSPREAD
dear diary: shamrock shake
marching through time
MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 60, NO. 7
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
BY THE NUMBERS: removal of course prerequisites By Dhaeshna Booma, Jennifer Li, Aarav Vashisht & Lucas Zhang Staff Writers
Background FUSD’s recent course prerequisite policy aligns with CA’s broader educational reform efforts, specifically targeting inequitable course placement practices. The district has a history of implementing educational reforms, beginning with the implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 359, the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015, which established objective and transparent course placement procedures for students as early as 6th grade. In 2024, the district decided to eliminate several prerequisites for science and math courses, reducing them to recommendations to give students more flexible academic pathways. “This would provide students opportunities that would possibly lower stress levels for students who were previously stressed out to meet prerequisites to get into the next advanced level class,” Principal Amy Perez said. The district also sought better alignment with College Board recommendations to increase access to AP courses, many of which previously had grade prerequisites based on grades in previous math and science classes. The district’s policy for K-12 education mirrors broader state-level reforms in California’s community colleges. Assembly Bills (AB) 705 and 1705, passed in 2017 and 2022 respectively, eliminated traditional placement testing and remedial course requirements in higher education after data showed many students were incorrectly placed in remedial courses, creating barriers to academic progression. FUSD’s removal of course prerequisites aligns with AB 1705's goal of increasing access to advanced courses, providing more flexible pathways to success in STEM education. However, this change sparked debate regarding potential implications such as student unpreparedness and educational gaps due to missing foundational courses.
Potential limitations The shift of increased accessibility to higher-level STEM courses raises potential concerns over student readiness for rigorous honors and AP college-level content. While 26.6% of survey respondents remain opposed to course prerequisites, students who do not meet the recommended requirements for a course need to consider the potential challenges, as teachers have voiced concerns about student course readiness as more rigorous courses such as AP Calculus BC and PreCalculus Honors, which are built upon previous required math courses, including Algebra 2/Trigonometry and Geometry. “If someone got a C in Algebra 2/Trigonometry … it is difficult to make the jump [to an A] in Honors Pre-Calculus … [However], as long as the student is okay with putting in extra effort, the removal of prerequisites opens up a chance for students to sign up for courses they are interested in taking,” Math Teacher Mugdha Patil said. Specifically, some teachers worry that those who bypass academic pathways may face potential academic pressure, failing to meet the preparation level of each class, leading to increased mental stress and poor grades. “Greater accessibility, greater enrollment, greater opportunity for the educators to teach the courses, and greater opportunity for the students to enroll in courses and try out new subjects that they otherwise wouldn’t. So that’s a pro, but each pro comes with its own cons. Let’s say a student is not ready, then a lack of readiness will also create a potential gap in the knowledge they need for the course.” Science Teacher Sailakshmi Kumar said. Reflecting these concerns, 39.8% of survey respondents believe this policy change will harm MSJ and its learning environment. Despite removing course prerequisites, students who previously met existing prerequisites are given higher priority in course selection. This may mean that the prerequisites change will not significantly improve access, as currently popular courses, such as AP Physics C, are already unable to offer class spots to all interested students due to high demand. Some students, however, still support giving priority to students who meet prerequisites even though others question the equity of the policy. “[The students who meet the prerequisites] probably already set on that pathway and want to take that class … it is definitely important to prioritize those people rather than people who just want to take a higher course because they want another challenge,” Sophomore Viraj Walia said. Is it fair to give priority enrollment for students who met the old prerequisites?
Should courses have prerequisites?
80
60
0
42.0% 31.2%
26.8%
Yes
Maybe
No
Percentage of Responses
Percentage of Responses
80
20
20
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SMOKE SIGNAL
THE
40
10-11 9-12 GRAPHICS
March 21, 2025
During the 2025-26 school year course registration season, MSJ vice principals notified students of an impending change to the FUSD course catalog: all course prerequisites have been changed from requirements to just recommendations. To gain insight into the motivation behind this change and its implications for MSJ, theSmoke Signal conducted an online survey with 128 student responses over March 3-7 and interviewed faculty and students regarding the district-wide modification.
"It is maybe not the most equitable [policy], but the most equal standing that we can take on this. Students who've taken the hard courses before and been prepared with the prerequisites should definitely get a higher say, compared to those who maybe on a whim, just wanted to try out a harder course, because they've put in more work and more effort into the subject." — Junior Prahlad Vangeepuram Canchi
expected benefits
A key motivation for FUSD’s removal of course prerequisites is to improve equitable access to STEM education. FUSD has developed flexible academic pathways, allowing students to improve their initial math placement after sixth grade as opposed to being stuck out of the accelerated pathway should they not qualify for it initially. Rather than primarily using performance in previous courses to determine math placement, the district plans to use multiple objective measures in its assessment of students’ readiness for advanced courses in that subject for the upcoming academic year, including data from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), district benchmarks, and course grades, with mandatory checkpoints throughout the year. For students who need additional support for their math classes, expanded summer math academies for all incoming middle schoolers, rather than only eighth-graders, also give students options to increase enrollment in accelerated math courses, providing the same flexibility that the removal of prerequisites does to the math pathways. While these changes primarily affect STEM courses, other subjects like English and foreign language courses will remain unaffected by this new policy, as they traditionally have not had prerequisites. In alignment with students being prevented from taking a course due to prerequisites, FUSD reasons that the previous nature of its math pathways harmed equitable access to STEM courses, prompting a necessary revision. Additionally, the shift would increase access to AP courses, aiming to aid students in preparation for college-level STEM courses. In response to the administrative change, students and parents supporting the policy have argued that previous prerequisites for math courses, such as ending with a grade of at least 93% in Algebra 2/Trigonometry to take PreCalculus Honors, disproportionately limited opportunities for capable students. These course and grade requirements have stopped 37.5% of survey respondents from taking at least one course at MSJ, representing a concern that extends beyond math courses. The courses most students are prevented from taking are AP Calculus BC, AP Physics 1, AP Statistics, Accelerated Algebra 2/Trig/PreCalculus, and AP Physics C. “A lot of students have gotten bad grades in fundamental classes during their freshman and sophomore years, which has hindered them from taking more advanced courses later in their high school career, even if they have developed the skills to be ready for it,” a survey respondent said. Besides the direct effect of the change to the course selection process at FUSD, allowing students to take more rigorous courses encourages them to develop skills applicable in the future and build the decision-making skills required of them at the college level. The increased flexibility in students’ schedules provided by the new course catalog gives them an opportunity to truly think about which courses they can truly handle and whether those courses align with their interests. “Even if [a student] does not have an A, if they sign up for a more advanced course because they like the subject matter, there is no reason for them not to register for a more rigorous course in that subject,” Patil said.
76.1% 60
student actions
40 20 0
Yes
10.9%
13%
Maybe
No
Students debating whether to take the rigorous courses they now have access to due to the removal of prerequisites have access to support systems and resources directed toward helping them, including MSJ STEM Success and additional information sessions regarding the rigor for honors and AP courses available. GRAPHICS BY NEWS EDITOR CATHERINE QIN
ONLINE
THIS MONTH
www.thesmokesignal.org
SMOKIE PODCAST: FINDING YOUR POT OF GOLD With the theme of finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, this Smokie Podcast episode will be about discovering opportunities while sharing advice on achieve new goals.
MSJ RELAY FOR LIFE X MSJ SEROMED CANCER WORKSHOP On March 7 at 4-6 p.m. after school, the interclub Cancer Workshop included 10 interactive stations, with both informative and hands-on activities such as detecting cancer cells.
FOR MORE COVERAGE, VISIT www.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG