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Piper Middle School unveils course guide to introduce students to high‑school academies
Summary
Principal Tim Leffert presented a new Piper Middle School course guide that integrates academy prep across grades 6–8, outlines elective offerings and proposes changes (speech integration and a planned podcast journalism class) to align middle‑school curriculum with high‑school academy expectations.
Piper Middle School Principal Tim Leffert presented a new middle‑school course guide to the Piper USD 203 Board of Education Sept. 8, saying the guide is meant to expose sixth‑ through eighth‑grade students to the district’s high‑school academies before students select pathways in eighth grade.
Leffert said the guide organizes academy‑prep coursework and elective descriptions and explains how each elective aligns with at least two academy entry points. “We want to make sure that all students at Piper Middle School are exposed to every academy before they make their selection for academies, in December roughly of their eighth‑grade year,” Leffert said.
What the guide does: The document provides course descriptions, indicates whether classes are repeatable, and shows when students will encounter Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and other academy‑prep experiences. Leffert said seventh graders will be able to choose among additional PLTW classes after completing design and modeling in sixth grade.
Planned changes and rationale: Leffert described planned curricular adjustments, including integrating most speech standards into academy‑prep classes so every student receives public‑speaking instruction as part of that program rather than in standalone speech 6–8 courses. He said that change would free a teaching slot and allow the district to pilot a podcast journalism class for sixth graders the following year; current journalism offerings include print (yearbook) and broadcast (school news).
Implementation and next steps: Leffert said the guide has been piloted for new enrollees and that future revisions and any course‑guide changes will be brought to the board for approval. He credited real‑world learning coordinator Paul Vater and elective teachers for drafting course descriptions and aligning projects to academy skills. The guide also includes a timeline for eighth‑grade culminating experiences and information on career‑technical student organizations and student‑led conferences.
Why it matters: The board and staff said the guide is intended to broaden students’ understanding of career and technical options and to reduce pressure on young students to “choose a career” by providing multiple entry points and exploratory experiences throughout middle school.
Leffert said staff will return with any recommended changes and that the guide will be presented annually for board review as the district finalizes middle‑school course offerings.
