9IP is not an alternative program to school. Classes are scheduled the same way as all classes in the school, students participate in the same elective, wellness, and world language classes as the rest of the school, and individual classes within 9IP will often seem the same as a traditional class. It is designed to highlight commonalities and overlap between core subject areas while providing more frequent opportunities for project-based and experiential learning to advance 21st century skills.
NO! This program is designed to help students make better connections and retain their understanding through more immersive experiences and projects. It is designed to bring in and focus on connections between disciplines to develop a deeper understanding. It is also adding in interdisciplinary skills as a focal point (collaboration, presentations, community connections, problem solving) to be directly taught and evaluated as part of the course work. This is an enhancement to the curriculum. The curriculum itself will be the same as the regular honors or accelerated courses, just packaged and ordered in a different process. That being said, because of the cohort aspect, teachers are able to work together to provide more individual attention and support as a team which provides a benefit that isn't as common outside of the program. The program is best with a heterogenous group of students!
Currently, the program is designed at the Honors level, with an option to select one class to be taken as accelerated - the content covered is equivalent to that in traditional courses with a different focus on how it is applied and extended. For 2025-2026 the program will add the ability to take up to two of the courses at the accelerated level (English or Biology). Students will have the option to take 1-2 of the subjects at the accelerated level. So students will need to be enrolled in the honors level for all 4 classes OR in the honors level for 2-3 classes - accelerated level for the other 1-2 class. Students can take elective courses (including World Language, Fine & Performing Arts, and others) at any level they choose.
In terms of concerns about most classes primarily at the honors level:
If a student was looking at perhaps one or two college prep courses, then this program might be a good option instead of the one or two courses at the CP level because of the 21st century skills, transfer of knowledge aiding understanding, connections to other disciplines that reinforce learning, and the built in support that is a byproduct pf the program.
If a student was looking to take 1-2 courses at the accelerated level, they can still do that and join the program as long as they select English and/or Biology!
If a student is planning on taking more than 2 accelerated or college prep courses, then this program might not be a good fit in the current form.
There is not less homework. Homework load is the same as any other honors/accelerated level course. When the students have group projects, efforts will be made to ensure most of that work is done within class time as meeting in groups outside of school is challenging. If students aren't productive with the group time, they may get stuck doing individual parts of those projects on their own time outside of school.
Yes, the Biology 9IP course covers the same content as that in the Biology Honors course and will properly prepare students for the Biology MCAS exam in June. Similarly, the Math 9IP and English 9IP will provide the same content and skills as the traditional Math 9 Honors and English 9 Honors courses which properly prepares students for the appropriate 10th grade courses and the MCAS in 10th grade.
The benefit of a program that teaches interdisciplinary skills is that teachers will explicitly teach, practice, and give feedback on those skills. In 9IP, collaboration will be one of the main skills that is focused on within all the classes. Students will learn about what makes a group successful, how to manage decision making, how to deal with conflict, how to give and receive feedback, how to maintain accountability, and many other skills within collaboration.
One of the benefits of having projects that are carried on in multiple classes, is those classes share the time provided for students to work together during class time. This allows for more time in class for projects, yet less time within each individual class being used for that time. This will allow courses to continue to cover important curriculum and skills while also completing interdisciplinary projects. It is a goal of the teachers that the majority of outside of class work will be individual work and that groups won't need to meet outside of the classroom.
NO! Class locations in the high school are based on departments, so students will traverse the same halls to different parts of the school for all of their classes. The students will also have 3 periods of the day for electives and other classes, which will be comprised of any students, not just students in 9IP. Even within the program, students will change who is in each of their classes and will see other students from within 9IP from class to class. Lunches are based on department, so students will share a lunch with 1/3 of the school and be able to eat with anybody who has the same lunch. There is a small reduction in the number of students one interacts with. Looking at data from recent years around student variety - those in the 9IP program share classes with on average about 80 other students across their 7 periods (half of which are not in the 9IP program), while students not in 9IP share classes with on average about 95 other students across their 7 periods. So there is a slight reduction, but not one that makes you feel like you never see other students or are stuck only interacting with people in the program.
We do have 10IP! It ran in the 2022-23 school year! Due to lower enrollment it has not run the past two years and we do not plan to offer it again until we grow our 9IP numbers. Once it does, this means students who take 9IP will have the opportunity to continue with 10IP, but that won't be a requirement. 10IP will also be an available option for students who did NOT take 9IP in 9th grade. Whether or not 10IP runs is determined by course sign ups. Regardless of future enrollment, experiencing 9IP will provide a great framework for students as they continue on in their future years at Needham High School and beyond. There will also be other interdisciplinary opportunities students can enroll in during junior and senior years including the Greater Boston Project.
If you are interested in participating in 9IP, please go to this google form to sign your 8th grader up. If you are currently at Pollard Middle School, you will be recommended for traditional courses based on the levels recommended by your 8th grade teachers. You must ALSO register for 9IP through the linked form.