Expand Success in Advanced Courses by Setting High Expectations for All

By Brennan LaBrie

The Main Idea:  

Teachers and school staff often create barriers to postsecondary opportunities by selectively recommending students for, and limiting access to, advanced courses. This practice disproportionally affects students from historically underserved communities, who are blocked from the classroom experience, learning skills, and college credit that can propel them to college and career success.  

An effective strategy to combat this issue is cultivating a school-wide culture of high expectations for all students – where staff push students to new heights and support them along the way. Hudson High School in Florida’s Pasco County Schools shows us how this can be done.  

The Issue: Gatekeeping Opportunity

Many teachers and counselors can inadvertently serve as gatekeepers to opportunity, according to EOS Partnership Director Lanise Stevenson. 

“With their best effort, they’re thinking that they’re helping students, by saying, ‘oh, this class may be too rigorous for you,’ but we help them to understand that this might be deficit thinking, that it might be setting low expectations for students,” Stevenson said.

This mindset, often stemming from preconceived ideas of which students belong in advanced courses, prevents students from reaching a potential they might not even know they possess. 

“We’ve partnered with over 900 high schools across the country, and when we ask students ‘what are your barriers to access to advanced courses?’ – adult encouragement is always the number one barrier,” said Paul DeAngelis, EOS Regional Partnership Development Director.

A common concern of school leaders is that opening access to advanced courses will reduce average test scores said Jacqueline Greer, VP of Partnerships at EOS. However, this is limited thinking, she said.  

“It’s a test – it’s not their future,” she said. “We know that by going into rigorous courses, they have a higher likelihood of going to school or going into the future that they want for themselves – so we shouldn’t be gatekeeping this.” 

EOS’ partners often tell us that pass rates are actually rarely an issue, as students rise to the expectations set for them. This is why a standard of high expectations is key to student success.

The Solution: Setting High Expectations For Every Student

“When you talk about challenging students, they crave it,” said EOS Partnership Director Xzaviar Foggie. “They want you to set high expectations for them so that they can reach those expectations.” 

Teachers who students have named trusted adults in EOS surveys have something key in common – they’ve communicated a set of clear expectations, Foggie said.  

“They have already set a foundation of – ‘I see you and I know what you’re capable of, and I’m not going to let you fail; I’m going to hold you accountable for being the excellent scholar or the excellent athlete or whatever that thing may be for you, and I’m going to push you towards that,” she said.

These teachers aren’t necessarily always seen as particularly “nice” – in fact they might be perceived as “a drill sergeant” of sorts, Foggie added. But they’ve made it clear to students that they both believe in them and will also push them hard.

How Hudson High School Created a High Expectations Culture

In 2020, Hudson High School in Florida’s Pasco County Schools only offered four AP courses, putting them behind other schools in the district. 

In the five years since, they’ve greatly expanded their advanced course offerings, and increased student participation from around 200 students to 1,400, according to principal Alondra Beatty-Woodall. 

They’ve done this by creating a culture of high expectations and rigor for all students.  

“We have Open Access – what that means is any student can take any of the [advanced] courses,” she said. 

Every Hudson student takes a Cambridge AICE English course, meaning they all graduate with college-level coursework under their belt, and the knowledge that they can handle it.  

“The rigor in the course gives them that confidence to be prepared for college-level work when they do go on to the next step,” she said, adding that this experience sets students up for success in the workforce as well.

Watch the full webinar with Alondra Beatty-Woodall and Cambridge here.

The Impact of a High Expectations Culture 

About 200 Hudson students graduate with a Cambridge diploma. They share the classroom with students who might just be taking one or two Cambridge classes, meaning that the culture of high expectations is set for everyone, regardless of academic and post-secondary aspirations.  

This confidence is especially powerful for Hudson’s large low-income population, who are “very capable” but have often faced hurdles in school and life, Beatty-Woodall added.

“This is showing them that they are capable,” she said. “If they are able to take one class and be successful – whether they pass the exam or not – that changes the outlook for them, that changes potentially what their future could look like.” 

The college credit they receive for passing Cambridge, AP and dual credit exams can also save them and their families thousands in tuition fees, making their dreams more attainable.  

Hudson’s Strategy for Boosting Success in Advanced Courses  

A key to Hudson High’s transformation of their advanced course culture has been “high-interest” courses, which attract a wider variety of students than classic subjects. Especially popular AICE courses this year included drama and media studies, Beatty-Woodall said.  

“We want all of our students to find something that they can be interested in and be successful in,” she said. “So we found this coursework to really fit the needs of our students and they’re thriving and continuing to take more and more courses we are giving.” 

How to Ensure Success for First-Time Takers 

Offering diverse and compelling advanced content is an important strategy for boosting advanced course enrollment and success. But success can be ensured in all advanced courses by creating classroom environments where all kids feel safe and supported. These conditions are especially important for underserved students and those new to rigorous curriculum.  

This is where trusted adults come in. EOS helps schools like Hudson High School not just identify students who are motivated, eager to be challenged but overlooked by staff – but also the adults in the building to whom they feel they can go for support. By connecting students to these adults – who could be anyone from teachers to cafeteria staff – schools can push students academically while also giving them the support system they need to thrive.  

Learn more about how EOS supports schools like Hudson High School here.

Brennan LaBrie helps amplify the work, mission, and impact of the EOS team and our partners across the education landscape. With a background in local journalism, he seeks to share the stories of individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond.