Board reviews 12 proposed high‑school courses for 2026–27, including OnRamps and AP African American Studies

District curriculum staff presented 12 new high‑school course proposals to the board for the 2026–27 school year, highlighting college‑credit OnRamps classes, additional fine‑arts options and CTE pathway expansions.

Course highlights include OnRamps English (intended as an English 3/4 replacement) and OnRamps U.S. History for eligible juniors and seniors, with teacher professional development costs (example: $750 per teacher) covered by the district’s CCMR budget. Staff said students who complete the OnRamps sections would receive the college course equivalents 13.01/13.02 for English and the corresponding US history credits.

Other proposals include advanced fine‑arts courses (glass and jewelry design), CTE reclassification for yearbook/commercial photography under the CTE umbrella to secure weighted funding, engineering design presentation 2, criminal investigation and forensic psychology to round out a forensics pathway, AP Precalculus (prerequisite Algebra II) and AP African American Studies (no prerequisite). Staff noted AP African American Studies is a new offering for the district and said no comparable AP race‑group study courses are currently offered in the district’s AP slate.

Board members asked clarifying questions about prerequisites, campus scheduling and whether photography would require students to change campuses; staff said the move to CTE would not force students to travel to a different campus but would reclassify the course for funding and program continuity. The board did not take an adoption vote at the Aug. 25 meeting; staff said course requests will be brought forward through the normal approval process.