Sophomores in SAS Classes Spark Debate Over Academic Fairness
SAS English and History classes, previously reserved for upperclassmen who have finished two years of Humanities classes, are now allowing eligible sophomore students to enter since the spring semester of 2026—but should these classes be determined by grade level, or academic readiness?
This change applies to sophomores who are willing to plead their case to their advisors and administrators that they deserve a spot in these Sequoyah Advanced Studies (SAS) classes. Spanish and math classes have always allowed younger students to be placed based on skill level, yet Humanities classes have been structured to place all sophomores and freshmen in the same classes, regardless of individual students' readiness for higher academic rigor, until now.
Supporters argue that this exception allows students who are academically prepared for advanced classes to push themselves. Yet many students find that allowing access to SAS classes to limited sophomores is unfair and does not allow students to build their core skills in Humanities during the first two years of high school. Most students need more time to prepare for SAS classes, but some can handle the additional workload.
Julius Farbman ‘29 is enrolled in SAS United States History this semester because he felt that his first year of Humanities prepared him enough to take on this challenge. Although Farbman feels like the workload is manageable for him, he says, “I understand why it’s hard to do that since there are a limited number of classes, and I think it’s right to reserve most of the spots for upperclassmen.” He recognises the complexity of this new policy, as he supports its core values yet still recognizes the importance of prioritizing juniors and seniors.
Co-student body president Laidy Silverman ’28 fought for this change in her sophomore year because she believes that giving this opportunity to academically prepared students is important in recognizing that not everyone in the same grade has the same skills. Silverman advocated for this policy to be put in place because she felt that her sophomore humanities classes did not match her desire to be challenged by her coursework. “It is not a student's job to assimilate to a curriculum. It's a curriculum's job to assimilate to a student. And if you come from a different school, or you just learned something else because your parents were historians or something, you shouldn't spend your valuable educational time on stuff you already know” says Silverman.
Our other co-student body president, Hart Lippsmith ’27, sees this change as unfair to the rest of the sophomore class, since only a few students are allowed to enroll in these courses. Lippsmith believes that freshman and sophomore Humanities classes build core skills in essay writing and other foundational abilities needed before entering SAS classes. Lippsmith also believes that only allowing a limited number of sophomores to enter these classes is unfair to the rest of the class. “I feel as though, with Humanities, maybe some people are more gifted in it, but those skills just take time to grow,” says Lippsmith. In his view, even if some students do have the ability to succeed in advanced classes, they should still make sure they go through their Humanities classes to grow their skills completely before jumping into SAS English and History courses.
These new exceptions for certain sophomores are controversial, but they clearly have both benefits and seemingly unfair or unclear rules. This matters because if our core mission as a school is to “challenge the mind,” it is easy to argue that being able to take advanced classes that truly challenge yourself should be a more widespread opportunity. But strictly giving access to SAS classes to a very select group of students raises certain questions regarding how fair this system really is.