Changes to 2012-’13 high school program of studies, including a new graduation requirement that would incorporate business education into the curriculum, will be voted on at the Tuesday, January 24, board of education meeting.
Martin Smith, the district’s new assistant superintendent for curriculum and assessment, outlined three main revisions at the board’s meeting on January 10. Starting with the class of 2014 (current sophomores) all students will need to take 2.5 credits — one semester — in financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy as part of a new state-mandated financial literacy program. WW-P currently offers three full-year, five-credit courses that would fulfill the requirement.
Smith says there would be two options for students.
“Students could either take one of the full-year courses or do a half-year, 2.5-credit course through Educere, an online course offering system,” Smith said.
Business courses currently offered by Educere, including Investing in the Stock Market, International Business, Personal Finance, Retailing, and Internet Marketing, could complete the required business education credits at any point during high school.
The second revision to the program of studies has to do with the controversial change to admission criteria for high school honors and AP classes. As planned, the program of studies for 2012-’13 will clearly show the criteria for individual course listings with any necessary prerequisites, together with the minimum grades students would need in the first semester of relevant prior classes.
Smith presented a few examples of the revised draft copy, which is available to parents and students on the district’s website.
For AP Math, the minimum first semester grade average would be 80 percent for students in regular geometry but 70 percent for students in honors geometry. Smith also used AP U.S. History as an example, with American Studies as its prerequisite and minimums of 90 percent in the college prep course or 80 percent in American Studies Honors.
Board President Hemant Marathe asked about the case in which a student takes a prerequisite class more than a year before the relevant AP class, but Smith said the course listings would clearly state eligibility for each class.
The district’s last change will be to add a new language class. Due to popular demand, a French Level III Honors class will be offered next school year.
“Sixty-five percent of French students surveyed say they would want to pursue a more challenging language opportunity,” Smith said.
French III Honors would not require any additional staffing, Smith said, because students would be divided among the current level III teachers.
