Opportunity, diversity, and respect is our motto here at Rindge. “Level up” at CRLS is meant to enforce this motto by bringing students together in an academic setting. The mission of “level up” is to promote diversity in classes and to encourage all students, especially those of minority groups, to start taking more advanced classes early on.

Freshman English and world history (starting in the 2018-19 school year) are participating in “level up” in order to push scholars to their full potential. As a community, we must face this reality head on and think about how opportunity gaps are affecting each and every individual in our school. Both Honors and CP classes have their own set of stereotypes. We, the students, are the ones that create these stereotypes, and we must be the ones to get rid of them as well.

There are many pros that come with “level up.” First and foremost, it promotes our values and virtues of diversity. If we want to abolish the notion that Honors classes are mostly made up of white students, “level up” is a good step forward. 

Furthermore, “level up” gives students opportunities to more deeply understand their peers. Fostering collaboration in a “level up” class can promote friendships between students of all levels and provide diversity of knowledge within the classroom. Because of the variety of mastery in “level up” classes, students that have more knowledge in the subject can academically encourage those who don’t have as strong of a background in that area.

Additionally, diversity of cultures can also bring students together. When diversity of cultural backgrounds is increased in the classroom, it can promote deeper and more engaged discussions, since students will be able to hear multiple opinions and will recognize various perspectives of life.

Although “level up” is a positive change, there are some imperfections. Teachers will need to figure out tactics to teach students of all levels of knowledge and learning styles so all students will understand the material. Because all freshmen will be automatically enrolled in Honors classes, there will be a broader range of expertise in the “level up” classes. When a student enrolls in a CP or Honors class, generally the teachers have an expectation of what students should already know. However, teachers may have trouble figuring out what individuals already know and what they need to learn due to having such a wide variety of proficiency.

Overall, “level up” at CRLS is beneficial to our school. “level up” promotes the CRLS motto, since it will provide opportunities and diversity in the classroom, as well as respect from peers of all backgrounds, whether or not students are more advanced in certain subjects.

Although the program is new and flaws may need to be addressed, “level up” is helping our community become more united as we stand up against opportunity gaps together.

This piece also appears in our November print edition.