English 1A: Engaged in Education

Just this year, Covina High started a new class for seniors in collaboration with Mt. Sac. An official college English course that counts for college credit.

English 1A/1C (English 101), as explained on the Mt. Sac website, is a class that “Develops effective expository writing skills and investigates the principles and methods of composition as applied to the research process and the writing of essays. Emphasizes critical reading of academic material.” The way that this class works is that it functions as a “concurrent enrollment” class through the Mt. Sac Special Admit program.

Covina works to recruit the most eligible students in order to have a balance of students who are from both AP and college prep backgrounds. In addition, a student’s parent or guardian must permit them to take this course. The course is taught by Mr. Linville because of his Masters in Literature. I interviewed him to get some insight into the course.

Mr. Linville and the administration clarified how they recommend students for the course. Since there is only one section, only a certain amount of space is allowed. Everybody at Covina wants students to be successful in both dual enrollment and the AP program, and so the selection process is one that supports this goal. Allowing both programs to prosper is ultimately the best outcome for the students and the school.

The course however, is a unique opportunity to receive college credit. "There's no going wrong with 1A/1C" Mr. Linville said during the interview because you receive two college classes worth of credits and your senior year of english at the same time. Essentially, the difference between AP Literature and the dual enrollment course is that you need to pass the class rather than pass the Literature test. Both AP Lit and English 1A/1C are worth the same on your high school transcript, but you can only take one or the other, not both.

When asked about the primary instructional strategies used in the course, Mr. Linville elaborated, "Lecture, activities, peer review, critical thinking, metacognitive activities - all those kinds of things so that we really go in depth with the material at a college level."

And since the class counts for so much credit (practically three classes in one) Mr. Linville says the students in the class should expect to work as much or more than an AP course. Material students should expect to see include, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Alexie Sherman, and Fences by August Wilson. The students are also focusing on the process of essay writing and how to format their work at the college level.

English 1A/1C is a great way to get ahead in college while in high school especially for STEM majors. It's awesome that our school has been able to provide this opportunity for our students.