As SBHS junior Tiandra Blackwood skimmed through her 2024-25 class she was surprised to see an AICE English class instead of the English 3 honors class she had selected last year during the selection process. She didn’t want the rigorous course so, she headed to her guidance counselor for a schedule change. What she thought would be a quick fix, turned out to be a bigger issue.

“I found out the second week of school through my guidance counselor,” said Blackwood. “I was very disappointed, knowing this was a Cambridge school with AICE classes. It would have been nice to take an honors course.”

Starting August 12th of 2024, Broward County Public Schools had eliminated the English 3 honors course from the school curriculum, leaving only regular and AICE English courses as the only options for junior students to take. The sudden shift sparked confusion and debate among students, leaving many students frustrated and irritated with the new change.

SBHS junior Cielo Villacorta couldn’t agree more. Although she is not pursuing an AICE diploma, she found herself registered into the AICE English Literature course anyway. She thinks it’s unreasonable.

“It was definitely unfair. It made it impossible to switch out since going to a normal class would guarantee the ruin of one’s GPA.” said Villacorta.

The removal of the English honors course has left students stuck between extremes. Many students, like SBHS 11th grader Marely Berriz, feel AICE classes to have a significantly more demanding workload than a regular class.

“There needs to be a middle ground between normal and AICE level classes,” said Berriz.

School administrators, however, think that the shift to expanding AICE is a step forward. They argue that the curriculum prepares students for both college and standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, offering a more comprehensive understanding of basic writing skills.

According to SBHS Principal Alex Francois, the reasoning behind the decision was that the new direction aligns with the school district’s goal for every student to complete two acceleration courses, which are college level or higher-level courses designed to challenge students.

“The benefits of AICE include the chance to earn college credits and potentially get the AICE diploma, which opens the door to Bright Futures and free college tuition,” Principal Francois said. “The school district also now expects students to complete at least two acceleration courses, such as AICE, AP, or Dual Enrollment.”

Francois said the junior class was elected specifically because there are no state mandated exams for juniors, unlike the 9th and 10th grade class, which ties into the graduation requirements. He also cited models from A-ranked schools like Everglades and Fort Lauderdale High that have already distanced from honors in favor of higher advanced courses like AICE.

“We figured 11th grade was the best fit,” Francois said. “Juniors have already had two years of English, and this is the year colleges really start looking at transcripts.”

Ninth grade AP 9 Mr. Timothy Winburn highlighted the flexibility of AICE courses for different types of students.

“We have Cambridge students who are trying to go for the diploma and take all their classes,” he said. “But then we have some students who maybe aren’t strong across the board but are really good in a certain subject or two, like my son, who was great in history and took AICE History, but didn’t do AICE English or science.”

Winburn explained that English 3 honors students now take the AICE general paper instead, which allows them to try an AICE course in a familiar subject. But some students disagree.

“I left AICE because of the workload tied in with personal matters,” said Blackwood. “My mental state wasn’t at its best.”

Despite the administration’s logic, many students still feel that the decision was made without consideration of their needs.

“I believe they should reconsider,” said Emma- Teresa Hernandez, a SBHS 10th grader. “Most students who are placed in AICE unwillingly feel uncomfortable with their English standards and like they aren’t enough, even when they’re trying their best.”

Students also questioned the real motives behind the decision. Some students subject it to lack of school funding, while others blame it on the school wanting to move up a rank.

“It feels like it’s about funding and school reputation,” said Villacorta. “If more students are passing in AICE it means better ranking and higher school funding.”

Mrs. Bergeron, assistant principal for the 12th grade class, explained that it does help improve South Broward’s state-issued school grade.

“Our school grade is affected by how many students take accelerated courses,” she said. “It’s basically the same class. AICE English is an honors level course but only AICE gives us the acceleration rate needed to improve our school grade to the B or A we deserve.”

Despite the confusion and concerns, school officials remain hopeful that students will rise to the challenge and benefit from the change in the long run. While some students are managing the shift, others believe without English 3 honors there will be long-term consequences.

“It’s going to affect students’ GPA, college apps, and even mental health,” said Blackwood. “The AICE class is fine for some, but it’s not right for everyone.”