Framingham High updates program of studies, adopts local competency determination for diplomas

Framingham Public Schools’ Curriculum Subcommittee voted Jan. 14 to approve updates to Framingham High School’s program of studies and to forward to the full committee a new district competency determination that will allow students to earn a high school diploma by completing specified coursework or by meeting MCAS standards earned through the November retest.

The proposal, presented by Mark Oberg, ties the district’s competency determination to either MCAS passing scores (through the November retest) or successful completion of designated courses: English I and II (or equivalent) for ELA; Algebra I and Geometry (or equivalent) for mathematics; and biology, chemistry, physics (or equivalent) for science. "In order to graduate and earn a high school diploma from Framingham Public Schools, each student must accumulate a total of 22 credits and receive a competency determination," Oberg said.

The nut graf: the change responds to state-level shifts that removed MCAS as an automatic and sole competency determiner for graduation for students after this year’s retest; the district’s policy provides a local, coursework‑based path so students who did not meet MCAS thresholds may demonstrate competency through classroom work that aligns to standards.

Most significant program changes presented include: reverting most senior English semester pilots to full‑year offerings while preserving elective choices; expanding ESL content support by tagging content courses and increasing co‑teaching or ESL‑certified staffing; adding modern and intermediate dance and a digital art elective in fine and performing arts; building business‑related pathways inside the mathematics/computer offerings (introduction to business, marketing principles, introduction to finance), as well as a game design and web design elective; adding Portuguese 1 and heritage Portuguese courses in world languages; a yearlong senior capstone for early childhood education students; and a unified foods class within Family and Consumer Sciences to broaden inclusion. Mark Oberg told the committee some senior courses were semesterized as a pilot and "most of those senior English courses will return to full year courses, but we will be maintaining the choices that were available." He said changes aim to preserve rigor while easing scheduling constraints.

Early college changes were presented by Michelle McGann, vice principal and early college liaison, who said the district will continue core early college offerings (cultural anthropology, introduction to sociology, reading literature) and is adding a first‑year seminar, introduction to health careers and introduction to business. McGann said the district had identified recruitment and publicity gaps and has added a full‑time early college counselor to improve outreach and enrollment. "We noticed a recruitment and publicized issue, already," McGann said. She described monthly coordination with the College Planning Collaborative and plans to systematize recruitment in ninth grade and to include families in information sessions.

The presentation included specific counts about students affected by the MCAS transition. Oberg said the class of 2024 had 68 students who did not receive diplomas based solely on MCAS competency; of those, 21 received diplomas over the summer when June MCAS results arrived, and about 47 remain under review. For the current senior class of 2025, he reported 447 of 558 seniors had already met competency via MCAS prior to the November retest; incorporating the coursework pathway would add 28 more students to competency, and four students who had failed all MCAS exams would meet competency under the proposal. Oberg said roughly 58 seniors remain who had not met competency at the time of the presentation and that counselors and vice principals were reviewing how to provide supports in the spring and possibly during summer to help students meet requirements.

Committee action: a motion to approve the updates and recommend the program of studies to the full committee passed on a roll call (District 1: yes; District 3: yes; District 5: yes). A separate motion to approve the competency determination and recommend it to the full committee likewise passed on roll call (District 1: yes; District 3: yes; District 5: yes).

Why it matters: the change gives the district an alternative pathway to confer diplomas to students affected by recent MCAS rule changes and lays out curriculum adjustments aimed at career pathways, inclusion, and improved supports for English learners and early college students. The full school committee will review both items.

Looking forward: the program of studies, including the competency determination language, appears on page 6 of the program document the committee will consider; administrators said they will follow up once final November retest scores are available to refine lists of students needing supports and to identify specific scheduling or summer‑course options.