Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Curriculum Adoption Middle School Science topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board adopts new middle‑school science resource; committee reviews AP economics, Spanish curricular updates and suicide‑prevention statute
Summary
The board approved a new middle‑school science resource for district middle schools and Teaching & Learning reviewed updates to AP Economics, proposed Spanish instructional resources for levels 1–6, class‑rank policy clarifications to meet UW system requirements, and an update process for a state statute on secondary suicide prevention.
The School District of Waukesha board voted 9–0 on March 12 to adopt a new middle‑school science resource for Les Paul, Butler and Horning middle schools after a recommendation from the Teaching & Learning Committee.
Betty Koenig, presenting the committee’s recommendation, told the board the district piloted multiple curricular resources and that the committee voted 5–0 in committee to approve the resource listed in materials as “Bridal Science Alive” to support a guaranteed, viable middle‑school science curriculum across the three sites. The full board approved the recommendation by roll call, 9–0.
The committee also discussed updates and recommendations for other course materials and policies: - AP Economics: The social studies team recommended renewing the current text, Krugman’s Economics for the AP Course (4th edition), noting alignment to the College Board’s updated course and exam descriptions and practice materials to prepare students for multiple‑choice and written responses. - Spanish resources: The world language team proposed Repoteros for Spanish 1–4, Generation AP for AP Spanish Language (Spanish 5), and Azuhelo for AP Spanish Literature (Spanish 6). The committee said these resources would provide a clear scope and sequence, authentic materials, pre‑ and post‑assessments and teacher supports to standardize instruction across the district. - Class rank policy: The district reviewed Policy 5430 (Class Rank) and proposed updates to incorporate University of Wisconsin System guaranteed‑admission program requirements, including a requirement to compute class rank for grade 11 and a process for notifying the top 10 percent; administrators will clarify language and return the policy at a future meeting. - Secondary suicide prevention statute: The committee discussed a state statute first adopted in 2008 and updated in March 2024 that requires suicide‑prevention elements in secondary curricula. Teaching & Learning and Student Services staff are reviewing where required elements are taught (for example, in health and physical education) and will return recommendations to the committee this spring.
Why this matters: Adopting an aligned middle‑school science resource is intended to create a consistent district curriculum. The Spanish and AP Economics reviews reflect multi‑year curricular work to align instruction with state and College Board standards. The suicide‑prevention statute review is a compliance and curriculum design task with student‑safety implications.
Next steps: Staff will refine the class‑rank policy language and return it for further review; teams will continue planning for required suicide‑prevention curriculum elements and provide recommendations to the Teaching & Learning Committee.
