The WW-P school district has approved its program of studies for the upcoming school year.
The program of studies, approved by the board at its January 11 meeting, contains changes that are consistent with changes to the state’s high school graduation requirements, which were updated last year to require a total of 120 credits and the infusion of 21st century skills across all content areas. Among those changes was three years of lab science, including biology, a choice between chemistry, physics, or environmental science, and a third inquiry-based lab or technical science; as well as a half year of economics and financial literacy.
Among the changes to the WW-P program to meet those requirements is the addition of a one-semester financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy course that would be worth 2.5 credits. The details of the course — which could cover topics like income and careers, money management, and personal finance — will be determined in the spring, when officials will convene to figure out how the district should best fulfill the requirements.
According to officials, another change in the state requirements allows students who are native speakers of another world language to test out of up to four years of world language requirements based on their proficiency levels.
Officials said there would not be a drop-off in students’ interest in taking a world language if they could test out of it, as many students still take four years of a language, given the value of knowing multiple languages. If a student does test out of the world language requirement and does not take a different language, he or she will be required to fulfill credits in other subjects.
There is also a change to the athletic and co-curricular eligibility, as students will now need to have fulfilled 30 credits in the prior academic year before playing fall or winter sports (the previous requirement was 27.5).
The district is also adding a conceptual physics course and is expanding its current half-year environmental science course to a full year lab course.
