Ranging from Algebra I to AP Calculus, Lexington High School offers a multitude of math classes to fit each student’s skill level and interests. Despite many courses being available to students at LHS, those seeking further enrichment can choose to enroll in math classes at the Harvard Extension School, a degree-granting school at Harvard University.
Kimberly Scheltz, a current precalculus and calculus teacher at LHS, explained that students can enroll in the Harvard Extension School each year for course credit after having completed Calculus BC at LHS. Typically, students may enroll in Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, or Ordinary Differential Equations.
“[Students who previously took the course have said they] like it. They say it’s the same professor for each course, pretty much every time, so there’s some consistency. Hard-ish, but, you know, the right level,” Scheltz said.
Neel Ray, a senior at LHS, took two semesters as a junior and enrolled in two more as a senior. He highlighted that his experience at the Harvard Extension School was positive and valuable.
“I have been pretty interested in math my whole life, and this just felt like the next step of my journey… I definitely learned plenty. It will definitely prepare you well for college, especially if you are going into STEM or engineering of any sort,” Ray said.
Alternatively, students wishing to enrich their math knowledge directly through LHS can also enroll in additional courses offered by the high school. However, Scheltz believes some students may be more inclined to take Harvard Extension courses over LHS’s other math electives.
“I personally think Statistics and Contemporary Applied Mathematics are really great courses. I think even if you’re an excellent math student, like the kind of math student who takes Calculus BC as a junior, there’s a lot of value in them, but it’s up to the student. I could see the student just making the choice and saying, ‘I don’t think contemporary applied would be fast enough for me; even if the content is interesting, I’d rather do a college-level course,’” Scheltz said.
Regardless of the benefits of applying for a college-level math course, paying for a Harvard Extension class places some students in a difficult situation: due to the classes being offered outside of LHS, the school cannot aid students financially when enrolling.
“The fact that the school doesn’t pay for these courses is a really nuanced decision which brings up issues of equity but also what LHS’s obligation is to pay for college courses,” Scheltz said.
Perspectives on the effectiveness of the LHS curriculum to help students advance past Calculus BC vary, however.
For instance, Ray stressed that many seniors currently taking Calculus BC would have preferred to enroll in a program at the Harvard Extension School, had they known about the option sooner in their math journeys.
“I just think it would be nice if we built something past BC Calc into our curriculum. We do get credit for Harvard Extension at LHS, but it’s not completely ingrained at LHS, and I think it would be really cool if [the Harvard Extension School was] more accessible to more kids,” Ray said.
On the other hand, Scheltz reasoned that adding an additional, higher-level course to the LHS curriculum could send the wrong message to students.
“If we were to offer, say, Calculus III, then all of a sudden, [that would become] the terminal class. If we were to offer it here, I think people would get the wrong idea… that to be very, very, very successful, you should be taking these courses in high school. And that’s just not true. It being at Harvard Extension, I think, sends the right message. That it is truly an extension from high school,” Scheltz said.
