A district where everyone's on the advanced track.

The mission of the Bellevue School District is to give every student the kind of education traditionally reserved for America's elite class or, stated another way, to give every student a first-rate, college preparatory education--one that will allow the student to graduate from college, not just be admitted to college.

We know that nationwide only about 25 percent of our high school students receive this kind of education. It includes four years of English, four years of math, three years of lab science, three years of social studies, at least two years of a world language and one or more Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses. Thanks to research by Clifford Adelman of the U.S. Department of Education, "Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns and Bachelor's Degree Attainment," we know students who participate in a challenging high school program succeed in college. This is a fairly simple and logical proposition.

Nevertheless, we hesitate making this curriculum America's default program and instead dole it out to the kids who "qualify" or, in the best of circumstances, to those savvy enough to request it. In our district, we believe all students can be AP or IB students if (a) they are provided with a consistent, coordinated curriculum from kindergarten through 12th grade, (b) they are taught by highly skilled teachers, and (c) they receive whatever support they need whenever they need it.

In the 1,000-member Class of 2005, 84 percent completed at least one AP or IB course, and 44 percent completed four or more. Sixty-eight percent of the seniors in the free and reduced lunch program and 82 percent of those enrolled in an English as a second language program took at least one AP or IB course. Some 72 percent of our Hispanic students and 45 percent of those with individual education plans also completed one or more of the most advanced classes. Eighty percent of last year's graduates took pre-calculus or a higher math course.

Accessible Support

Today the country is focused on high school reform because it has become clear to almost everyone that all students should be prepared for college, but few students are being so prepared. College remediation rates approach 50 percent. College dropout rates match this total, so we blame the pipeline for this embarrassing situation.

But just as it is obvious that students who enter college unprepared are likely to fail, those who are plopped into advanced high school programs without an appropriate academic background or, at the very least, without a considerable amount of support, also will fail.

First and foremost, then, we need to ensure K-12 coordination of curriculum, a process that involves backward-mapping from advanced-level courses and being specific about what students are expected to learn at every grade. Next, we need to provide assessments at every grade level to determine whether students are making appropriate progress. And, finally, we need to intervene the moment we identify breaks in learning.

We have a goal in our district of making sure all students conquer pre-calculus, and after years of work, today eight out of 10 are doing so. The even better news is that every 8th grader is now on track for meeting pre-calculus in 11th grade. Even if some students fall off pace, we are confident that every member of the Class of 2010 will successfully complete pre-calculus by the end of senior year.

Progress has come as a result of intensive efforts to tightly align a challenging and engaging curriculum, a wide range of staff development opportunities for teachers, and a whole host of student support systems, including school-day support classes, after-school tutorials and summer school programs. These begin in the primary grades and continue through high school.

Early Success

When we began our work to make all students advanced learners, many of our smartest, best informed parents, teachers and administrators worried that we would experience increased dropout rates, lower grades and sagging student attitudes. Instead, we've seen our dropout rate cut in half--from 18 percent to 9 percent over 10 years, and grades have held steady. While AP and IB test-taking has skyrocketed, pass rates have stayed at or above national averages. Ninety percent of our graduates go on to college.

We have a long way to go. Our curriculum remains riddled with imperfections, our staff development efforts continue to be limited by both time and funding, and our student support systems need to become more diagnostic-prescriptive in nature. However, past successes, which are the result of a comprehensive, coordinated, K-12 approach to improvement, give us confidence.

Mike Riley is the superintendent of the Bellevue School District, 12111 N.E. First St, Bellevue, WA 98005. E-mail: [e-mail]