Starting the 2026-2027 school year, seniors have the option to take English 4, a college preparatory course focused on literature and fictional works.
Before it was replaced by the California State University Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum (CSU ERWC), English 4 used to be a British Literature course offered to seniors. However, with the introduction of CSU ERWC, the course was removed. Now, with a large portion of honors or advanced placement students taking CSU ERWC, English 4 has been reestablished in order to give students more options and flexibility to pursue a course that aligns with their interests and abilities.
While the course holds many similarities to courses like English 3 or AP Literature and Composition, the class features distinct differences. Compared to CSU ERWC, a college preparatory class that specializes in expository writing and nonfiction, English 4 delves more into fictional texts. In contrast to AP Literature and Composition, English 4 is intended to prepare students for college while AP Literature and Composition is a college level course.
“[English 4] allows people to decide what they need [going] out of junior year,” English teacher Kate Borihane said. “If you think you’re a person who needs to work more on writing because that’s a weakness of yours, [for example], if you need to learn more about rhetoric and structure, ERWC would be the course for you. So, it’s just a matter of an individual knowing what they need for senior year to prepare for college.”
As students finalize their schedules for the next school year, they are looking forward to seeing what the new course can offer.
“I think it’s really good that they’re adding more English classes because it’s more direct into what the student wants,” junior Angie Loyo Gonzalez said. “If a person either wants to go into nonfiction writing or literature and poems [having English 4] gives you more freedom. [With English 4] it makes picking my schedule easier because I was stressed since there’s no more [senior] honor class anymore, so I feel like English 4 is a good option.”
With the return of English 4, Grade Level Coordinator Corolar Schultz hopes that the class will open up more opportunities for students.
“Adding English 4 is giving students a preference, [asking yourself] ‘what do you want?’” Schultz said. “It’s giving you more choices so that it could really lead you into becoming your best self.”
