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The Board of Education voted Wednesday night to approve the latest incarnation of the Identity and Ethnic Studies (IES) program, Berkeley High’s most maligned class. The move came despite a call for ending IES from the student senate, which claimed it exacerbates racial tension on campus and costs students valuable electives. 

By a 4-2 margin, the board backed a new curriculum for IES—a full-year course mandated for all ninth-graders that combines health and ethnic studies. First year Principal Jim Slemp said that proposed reforms would answer critics who have charged for years the class was academic fluff that only satisfied the district’s penchant for political correctness. 

The vote was one of several Wednesday that will have lasting impacts on the high school. The board also approved a second small school to begin next fall and voiced support for a new attendance policy linking attendance to grades. Attendance and ninth-grade curriculum have long been Achilles heels for the school. In 2001, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, as part of the school’s accreditation process, listed both of them among Berkeley High’s top five problems. 

Boardmembers made clear that when it came to reforming IES, their support was more an act of faith in Slemp than a vote of confidence in the class. 

“There have been so many revamped versions of this class. It’s really hard for me to have any faith this will be better,” said Director Nancy Riddle. 

Student criticism of the class was more pointed.  

Student Director Bradley Johnson lodged a familiar charge, that instead of acclimating students to a diverse school, the class actually stokes racial tensions. He read an excerpt from a recommended text, “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh, aimed at white students who McIntosh believes are the beneficiaries of white skin privilege: “My schooling gave me no training in seeing myself as an oppressor.” 

“This is completely inappropriate in teaching students,” Johnson charged. “We need to make sure this type of indoctrination doesn’t happen. I’ve talked to students who have contemplated violent actions because of what’s discussed in the class.” 

Though IES has many critics, scheduling difficulties make it tough to dump. In 2000, the board voted to align social science classes with state standards and testing schedules. That meant pushing back World History to 10th grade, American History to 11th grade and Economics and Government to 12th grade, leaving a gaping hole for freshman and little opportunity for seniors to take social science electives. 

To fill the gap for freshman, the board combined a state-required semester of Health and board-required semester of Ethnic Studies into one full-year class, thus creating IES.  

Next year will be the first that the policy is fully implemented. Now with four mandated social science classes but no money to hire more teachers, the cash-strapped district must cut an estimated 23 elective classes, leaving students furious. Last week the student senate issued a counter proposal that would eliminate IES and restore the former order of social science classes, freeing up the senior year for electives. 

Slemp, however, said he favored keeping social science classes aligned to state standards and that a revised curriculum for IES could have merit. “Freshmen need a core academic piece and issues of identity and culture make a lot sense,” he said. 

Slemp’s plan couples IES with an English class, to be known jointly as Freshman Seminar, which he hopes will win UC accreditation. He calls for a more rigorous curriculum including an honors section, summer staff development time to train new teachers, and an independent review at the end of next school year. 

The board also backed Slemp’s attendance reform, which has raised student ire as well. 

After student absences last year cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funding, starting in September the district will lower the grades of chronically truant students. Under the new school procedure, five unexcused absences from a class during the 45-day report card period equals one full letter grade drop, with the provision that the lowest a student’s grade can be dropped due to attendance is D-minus. Excessive tardies will also result in grade drops. Appeals to grade drops will be allowed. 

To make sure that parents are given fair warning of their children’s transgressions, the school is organizing community volunteers to contact the parents of truant students. Currently, the district uses an automatic dialer, but Slemp acknowledged that students often pick up the phone or erase messages so parents are never alerted. 

Peter True, editor of the Berkeley Jacket, doubted the plan could solve the schools attendance woes. “Students are aware of the policy. They’ll just write down notes to get absences excused,” he said. “We don’t have signature experts.” 

In a less controversial decision, the board bestowed small school status on The Community Partnership program, formerly known as the Computer Academy. Community Partnership is the second program within Berkeley High to attain “small school” status, following Communications Arts and Sciences, which won board approval last year.  

By fall 2005, the school plans to split into one medium-sized school and five small schools, each of the small schools serving between 250 and 400 students. Other small schools are being planned that will focus on Visual and Performing Arts, Social Justice and Ecology and International Studies. 

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