Berkeley High School is an appealing educational prospect for many students. Ranked in the top 20th percentile of California public high schools, as per the U.S. News and World Report, BHS offers a plethora of compelling classes and a diverse school community. According to Vice Principal Keldon Clegg, BHS takes in anywhere from 150-250 transfer students each year, some from nearby districts, others from halfway across the world.
However, part of what makes BHS different from other schools, such as its unique curricula and diverse small-school pathways, can complicate the onboarding experience for some transfer students. Consequently, support from counselors plays a critical rxole in ensuring a transfer student’s smooth transition to life at BHS.
One of the most significant challenges for some transfer students is adjusting to BHS’ approach to mathematics. “(BHS uses) the MVP (Math Vision Project) curriculum, which is Math 1, 2, and 3,” BHS Principal Juan Raygoza said. Raygoza explained how instead of focusing on one specific topic each year, such as trigonometry or algebra, this model opts to slowly develop skills, building fluency on a wide range of concepts throughout the entirety of high school.
Nakia Baird, a longtime math teacher at BHS, described that he found this approach to be superior in comparison to others. “I believe that the (MVP) curriculum came from a good place, which is actually developing solid mathematicians. This curriculum is better, the philosophy behind it is better than that of our prior course progression,” he said, referring to BHS’ previous pathway, which consisted of Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2.
Right now, California is in a moment of transition between standard and integrated math curricula. The state is gradually shifting towards integrated math due to its focus on deeper understanding and its improved real-world applications, as reported by an article by Proctor Academy. Currently, integrated math curricula such as the MVP curriculum are used by almost half of California's school districts, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
While thought by some educators to be more effective, the MVP math curricula can prove difficult to adjust to. For transfer student Sylvie Olsen, a junior at BHS, this system was very different from the one taught at her former boarding school in Denmark. “(In Denmark) I didn't learn the same (math) material as other (BHS) students,” she said, adding that it made her feel behind before she had even begun the course.
Adapting to the MVP math curriculum also was more difficult than expected for Naomi Fogelman, a BHS senior who transferred from Saint Mary’s College High School to BHS in eleventh grade. “I really struggled in math last year,” she said, “I (had) never really considered myself a person who struggled with math.” Fogelman noted that she had never encountered several topics in Math 3 that her classmates had been exposed to multiple times already. This impacted her grades and confidence. “I’m not taking an AP math (this year) because I got way too scared,” Fogelman said when reflecting on her junior year experience. Instead, she opted to take IB Math Applications and Interpretations, a class recommended to her by her counselor.
Acclimating to BHS science pathways can also be complicated for some transfer students, such as Olsen. In Denmark, she had completed both biology and chemistry, BHS’ science requirements for tenth and eleventh grade. Consequently, upon her return to BHS, she was placed in AP Environmental Science as a junior, a class intended for seniors, which she described as a difficult transition. “I'm the only junior in that class. I'm the youngest, and I don't have a lot of the material from (previous science classes),” she said.
In addition to math and science curricula, the varying requirements of BHS’ multiple small schools can be confusing, resulting in the need for supportive counseling. In particular, the Berkeley International High School (BIHS) program, a small school at BHS which offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma, follows a complex international curriculum in which there are few electives. According to BHS BIHS counselor Noria Williams, this means that counselors can experience less scheduling flexibility for BIHS students compared to students in AC. This is especially true when students want to take AP classes in addition to the IB curriculum.
For Riley Pattison, a senior in BIHS, obtaining effective counseling proved to be difficult. Pattison transferred out of BHS after her freshman year, but returned as a junior, where she was originally placed into sophomore level classes. Pattison explained that she felt that she didn't receive the support she needed for the transition.
Additional problems arose when Pattison didn’t get her first choice in many classes, resulting in her taking fewer advanced courses than desired. As stated by Pattison, this occurred due to troubles in the enrollment process that delayed her official registration to mid summer.
Williams added on to this idea, explaining how some transfer students who register after the enrollment period receive their second or third choices in classes. This is because classes can fill up before transfers can consider joining them. As a preventative measure, BHS enrolls students in specific classes as late in the summer as possible to give transfer students time to enroll. Even so, those who transfer late or face enrollment issues can still be pushed out of the original scheduling period, according to Clegg.
Full classes are an unavoidable barrier that may result in transfer students not receiving their top choices. However, administrative personnel work diligently to give students the opportunity to find classes that fit their interests while providing them with necessary graduation credits. For instance, Olsen’s counselor worked around BHS’ history requirements to place her in a multi-grade Chicano history class rather than the freshmen-only Ethnic Studies alternative. In addition, Fogelman got support from her counselor, allowing her to move from U.S. History to her desired AP U.S. History.
Raygoza emphasized the importance of communication between student and counselor, stating that “it's all about a thoughtful onboarding.” He also acknowledged that even with good communication, transitions between schools aren’t always seamless. “Just because you're coming from another school doesn't mean that you're leaving that school from the same place (BHS will) start you,” Raygoza said. Because of this, he stressed the importance of using provided resources such as teacher office hours or the College and Career Center (CCC). The CCC offers daily opportunities to get tutored as well as additional resources such as college essay writing support or SAT preparation materials. For transfer students adapting to BHS’ curriculum, these options can be effective ways to help catch up.
“If you're coming in and you're not exactly lined up where you were, there's a lot of resources to get that extra support,” Raygoza said.
Additionally, via counseling, students are provided means of obtaining academic aid outside of BHS. An example of this is dual enrollment, which Erica Pon, an Arts and Humanities Academy and AC counselor, described as one of the main ways transfer students receive necessary graduation credits. “That means going to BHS while also taking a class or two at a different institution, like Berkeley City College, or Laney College,” Pon said.
Between adjusting to new curriculums, communities, and classes, transferring schools can prove to be a difficult process for many students. Ultimately, BHS’ counseling system stands at the center of this procedure, acting as the bridge between students' past and future.