Jackson School Board votes to change history curriculum

Jackson High School will change history.

At the request of the school's social studies department, the Jackson School Board on Tuesday approved a couple of changes to social studies curriculum. World history, taught at the sophomore level, will be moved to the junior year. Correspondingly, advanced placement world history will be taught in 11th grade. Recent U.S. history, a semester course taught at the 11th-grade level, and AP American History will be moved to 10th grade.

Currently, world history breaks up the continuity of American history, according to the department's curriculum change proposal. The move is expected to eliminate the problem.

The change also is motivated by a lack of maturity among sophomores and their inability to handle the many facets of world history, according to the proposal.

"This has been evidenced by traditionally low grades in this course and visible frustration of students trying to grasp the concepts," the document states.