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Meeting Date:
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6/15/2021 - 7:00 PM
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Category:
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DISCUSSION / ACTION ITEMS
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Type:
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Action
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Subject:
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10.6 Approval of New 10-12, Equity-Focused Elective Courses
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Attachment Summary
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File Attachment:
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Quick Summary / Abstract:
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Staff will present new elective courses for consideration and approval.
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Background:
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The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) is committed to developing courses that provide students with a wide-range of opportunities to prepare students to “contribute and thrive in a changing world.” Our Board of Education encourages creating new courses and updating courses that are engaging to our students and prepare them for success in the 21st Century. These new courses include the California State Standards and support students in their pursuit of college and career readiness.
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Status
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As we strive to remain competitive in meeting student and parent/guardian requests for rigorous college preparatory coursework, career technical education, and elective opportunities that will prepare students for multiple options beyond high school, we collaborate closely with our high school teachers and administrators to keep our current courses updated and new courses prepared for Board approval.
Given our increasingly diverse constituency, our Board and District’s commitment to addressing issues of equity, and in response to direct appeals from young alumni and students of color to diversify our elective course offerings, these course have been developed. These upper grade elective courses are designed to increase exposure to multicultural works and writings by authors from various ethnic backgrounds, including those of historically marginalized cultures and to examine and explore cultural and social change and movements, as well as issues relative to cultural and ethnic identity, equity, and bias.
New Courses:
American Identities through Ethnic Literature
Through this course, students will explore the connection between ethnic identity, literature, and culture in the United States through works of fiction, autobiographies, poetry and song. Students will have the opportunity to read works by writers from various ethnic backgrounds including African American, Asian American, Latinx, and other American immigrants. Before exploring the literature, they will learn about critical literary theories. These literary theories will provide a foundation for examining the texts. Course topics include the notion of an American identity and an ethnic identity, race and ideology, immigrant experiences, and cultural encounters with others.
Ethnic Studies: America's Social Change
This course is a one semester elective course in social science in which students will examine the origins, nature, challenges and achievements of civil rights and social movements in America beginning in the 1940’s. Causes of some of these movements may be pre-1945. These movements represented the attempts to achieve equality for groups that were not recognized or accepted as full members of society, and they challenged established authority and attitudes. Major emphasis will be placed on extensive reading, writing, and primary sources.
Social Justice in Literature
Students will have an opportunity to carefully read and critically analyze a variety of non-fiction and fiction texts that focus on historical and current topics of social issues by authors of historically marginalized cultures. Students will emerge with a greater understanding of how various aspects of the human condition – class, race, gender identity, and sexual orientation – do not exist separately from each other but instead are woven together in a complex framework. Students will develop a working concept of social justice, helping them view systemic injustice and social inequality through an inclusive and dynamic lens. Student choice influences the content of the course, and the development of students’ perspectives is a primary goal. This course can satisfy either the 11th or 12th grade English course requirement.
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Fiscal Impact
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Instructional materials will be purchased from our District-established Instructional Materials budget using Local Control Funding Formula and Lottery funds.
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Superintendent's Recommendation:
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Approval of 10-12, New Equity-Focused Elective Courses
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Approvals:
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Recommended By:
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Signed By:
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Lori Rice - Board Secretary
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Signed By:
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Kelly Bowers, Ed.D. - Superintendent
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Vote Results:
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| Original Motion | | Member Emily Prusso Moved, Member Anne White seconded to approve the Original motion 'Approval of 10-12, New Equity-Focused Elective Courses'. Upon a Roll-Call Vote being taken, the vote was: Aye: 5 Nay: 0. | | The motion Carried 5 - 0 | | | | | Craig Bueno | Yes | | Anne White | Yes | | Emily Prusso | Yes | | Kristie Wang | Yes | | Yanira Guzman | Yes | |
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