Key Central-South Course Disparity Addressed

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale South High School is poised to get a Hinsdale Central course that is promoted as preparing freshmen for the Advanced Placement test.

The course, called World History Honors, is set to start in the 2026-27 school year at South.

The lack of the course at South has been a point of contention for at least the last couple of years. South has long had a smaller course selection than the larger Central, which has a wealthier student body.

South freshmen are offered World Studies Honors, which is not seen as preparing them for the AP test.

Last year, 58 Central freshmen in World History Honors registered to take the AP test. At South, no one in World Studies Honors did.

At Thursday's school board meeting, members in attendance favored offering World History Honors at South next year.

Board member Jeff Waters said the board has been frustrated since 2023 about the failure to offer World History Honors at both schools. Last fall, he voted against the entire program of studies because it excluded the course from South.

Board President Catherine Greenspon said the course would allow South students to take the AP test, with a good score resulting in college credit.

Superintendent Michael Lach said the district can offer the course, but he foresees problems. Now, he said, South juniors' performance in U.S. history is strong.

"The South team feels quite strongly and positively about World Studies Honors," Lach said. "They feel they are doing a good job teaching social studies and accelerating students to high performance. My experience tells me that copying and pasting an innovation from one school to another generally isn't very effective because schools are places filled with people and traditions and processes and rules, so I think that will make it hard."

In fall 2023, the district's social studies teachers proposed equalizing the social studies curriculum at both campuses. But the board's majority voted it down, drawing the teachers union's condemnation.

At last week's meeting, member Mary Satchwell, who joined the board in May, said she would like to see a proposal for a social studies curriculum overhaul, as opposed to approving courses piecemeal.

Greenspon said she did not want such an overhaul until the board received data for the first year of World History Honors at South.