15 years ago, Riverdale eliminated its AP courses in a department-wide move to reduce pressure on the student body and give teachers the freedom to explore material beyond standardized testing. Two years ago, Riverdale’s Upper School removed the accelerated science track for freshmen and sophomores. Most recently, the Middle School cut the Honors Math program. These decisions reflect Riverdale’s commitment to reducing stress and academic competition to ensure a calmer school environment. 

Nevertheless, these cuts have prompted a variety of inquiries amongst the student body, centering around the same idea. How does a school like Riverdale ensure all students receive the same classroom opportunities while recognizing a variety of skill sets? From this question arises another, surrounding the formation of Riverdale’s humanities courses: Should there be a tiered system? The majority of the student body supported the proposition, but teachers disagreed.

The discussion-oriented format of Riverdale’s highly regarded humanities department has become a mainstay of its reputation as a school; students and teachers alike specify class discussions as being their favorite part of the subjects, primarily because of the diversity of opinions expressed. All three teachers the Riverdale Review interviewed think a tiered system would dilute the quality of class discourse by creating a division of ability. 

History teacher Dr. Antone notes that the varying levels of “academic enthusiasm” that exist in mixed classes lead to robust and fruitful discussion: “I think that group work raises your standards and that you lift each other up in a competitive way, or in an enthusiastic way. Enthusiasm spreads more enthusiasm.” Students concur with Dr. Antone’s assessment on the value of discussion, with an anonymous junior reporting, “The most important thing, to me, in a humanities class is the people. If people are eager to learn, participate, analyze, and read, then the class automatically becomes more enjoyable.”

While senior Jaivir Singh agrees that classroom culture is dependent on passionate students, he argues that those roles could be filled in all classes in a tiered system. He says students would take the places of the main contributors who were separated into a different tier, thereby encouraging enthusiasm in the classroom by compelling reserved students normally interrupted by confident peers to participate. As a result, the tiered system would encourage less engaged students, who otherwise relied on more confident students to fill the silence, to participate in discussions. 

Another issue teachers raised with the creation of a tiered system in humanities subjects is that it would heighten an already competitive, college-oriented culture. Dr. Antone, when prompted about the creation of a “fundamentals” course, said “I can see that being incredibly useful. I can also see that part of the issue is that the college process shapes a lot of these issues… [Some] might resist being in ‘Fundamentals of Writing’... because of the weight that it reflects on their college application”. 

Dr. Antone proposed a standard writing class beyond the English curriculum. He “would like more time spent writing in general. That could be in the form of an advanced writing class.” When polled, 42% of students said they would benefit from a slower humanities course that focused on skills like writing, annotating and analysis. If a sizable number of Riverdale students struggle with their writing and don’t take advantage of tools provided, such as the writing center, a course beyond the content-driven confines of a typical humanities class could be beneficial.

The final issue teachers brought up with the tiered system is that, while other core classes can be assessed more easily, a student’s ability in the humanities is difficult to quantify. As Dr. Honsberger put it, “There are students who have strengths and weaknesses in areas of growth across all of those things. Trying to create a tiered system [for history courses] ignores the way that history draws on some different thinking skills and kinds of writing and studying skills.” English teacher Mr. Andrew Kingsley grappled with similar questions. “What would an English honors course be measured by? Is it just the kids who write the best analytical paragraphs? English is so much more than just being able to do that,” he said. 

Unlike STEM or even Language subjects, the humanities courses are subjective and call on a diverse array of skills to work in conjunction; they can’t just be judged on test scores, or a set criteria. To assess skill levels, and thereby categorize students, often overlooks their areas of excellence, giving rise to questions surrounding the credibility of a tiered system in the first place. 

Another issue students raised with Riverdale’s humanities courses was the lack of standardization across them. While STEM subjects follow the same curriculum, with teachers meeting every cycle to discuss the progress of their class, the Humanities courses give the teachers more autonomy to teach what they feel is important. For example, some 9th grade classes will read Othello, while others won’t. The discrepancy in material covered in the same amount of time means that some classes are already inherently accelerated compared to others, but students aren’t placed into that class based on ability. This model often frustrates students, with one junior writing, “I think the English/CA/ILS curriculums should be more standardized so that different teachers teach the same material”. 

However, Dr. Honsberger supports teacher discretion, providing the example of Riverdale’s retired AP classes; “APs in particular [and standardized content] kind of limit what you can teach and there’s a reason that Riverdale moved away from that model; …it allows us a lot more flexibility to think about… the curriculum that we feel like can best serve our students and the goals that we have for kind of learning...”  

Moreover, senior Jaivir Singh points out that teachers who choose not to teach certain material often do so because they don’t feel it pertinent to the themes of the year or they don’t feel as though their specific expertise would lend itself to the subject.

Students at Riverdale receive one of the best educations in the country, but that’s not to say that the school has reached the pinnacle of the craft; there’s always room for improvement, and it is vital that the school hears the voice of its student body. An important note from Dr. Antone, who takes frequent shifts in the writing center, is that students underutilize the multitude of resources Riverdale provides for them. Furthermore, students passionate about specific topics not available in the set curriculum can partake in the robust elective offerings or pursue an independent study. Ultimately, the creation of a tiered structure in the humanities is one of many hypothetical solutions to the issues of standardization and skill diversity.