My
name is Angie Hinojos Yusuf and I have 3 kids in the district. This is an
excerpt from a press release given to the Woodinville Weekly and Bothell
Reporter titled.
Northshore School District Challenge Program At
Risk
The Northshore School
District’s Junior High Challenge Program is a self-select honors program in
which students elect to work at a faster pace and are challenged with in-depth
material. The district is planning to remove this highly regarded program
despite almost 1000 signatures of support on the Save Our Challenge
petition.
Petition
organizers are sponsoring an information night titled “Why Elementary Parents
Should Care about Saving the Challenge Program” at Kenmore Public Library on
October 22nd at 7 p.m. Concerned parents and community members are encouraged
to attend.
Currently, NSD junior high students can
self-select one or more Challenge classes by simply checking a box upon
enrollment. The self-select nature of Challenge allows highly- motivated
students from a wide variety of academic and socio-economic backgrounds access
to rigorous classes that will prepare them for advanced AP and IB courses in
high school. Many types of students choose Challenge classes: Highly
motivated students with grit and perseverance, students who qualified for the
HiCap program in only one subject area, qualified in both but chose to stay in
their home schools or were unable to take the district’s tests. Students whose parents are unable to
transport them to a school across the district also opt-in to the Challenge
program offered at their home school.
The self-select Challenge
Program is about giving kids choices that set them up for
success. Eliminating this program would do an immense disservice to the full
range of students in our schools. Because any student can choose to take
advantage of the Challenge program, it is a model of equity and fairness.
But there is still time to
Save the Challenge program. Our school board will make the final decision on this
issue. We implore you to hear the words of support from almost 1000 community
members: Parents, students, grandparents and citizens who care about our kids.
Others who haven’t read our
petition and supporting comments should visit Save Our Challenge at Change.org.
Save Our Challenge petition at https://www.change.org/p/northshore-school-district-save-our-challenge
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