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Durfee Program of Studies proposes senior credit minimum, 'Adulting' course and CTE pilots; subcommittee refers proposal to policy committee
Summary
Durfee High School presented proposed 2025–26 Program of Studies changes including a proposed 15-credit minimum for senior year, a new senior course centered on graduate competencies, expanded access to AP and early-college pathways, and CTE pilots.
Fall River City Instructional Subcommittee members discussed proposed changes to Durfee High School's 2025–26 Program of Studies on Feb. 5, including academic-material updates, expanded access for multilingual learners and special education students, a proposed senior-year credit minimum and exploratory career-technical pilots. The subcommittee voted by voice to refer the proposal to the policy committee for further review.
Presenters (identified in the meeting as "Doctor J" and district staff) said the Program of Studies revisions are organized around four focal areas: strengthening student achievement through high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs) with emphasis on math and science (for example, tethering pre-AP biology and algebra to HQIMs such as open sci-ed and Carnegie curriculum), broadening course options for diverse learners (additional supports and accelerated tracks for multilingual learners and heritage-language students), increasing access to advanced coursework (pilots for co-taught AP classes and PLTW access in the Newcomer Academy), and enhancing the senior experience.
On the senior experience, presenters proposed establishing a 15-credit minimum for senior year (staff said currently no district-wide minimum exists and some students graduate with as few as five credits), adding a course titled "Achieving the Vision of a Graduate" to build critical-thinking and postsecondary planning skills, and continuing a semester-term elective (described in materials as Adulting 101) that focuses on practical life skills. Presenters framed the proposed senior-course work as a way to align with forthcoming DESE competency-determination guidance and to give students opportunities to demonstrate mastery of the district's stated graduate competencies.
Committee members raised questions and suggestions about CTE (career and technical education) expansion, local industry partnerships and how to keep graduates in the community. Presenters described small pilots, including a fashion-design/advanced-manufacturing/textile pilot that would allow seniors to visit local manufacturers and provide a paid spring-semester internship to at least ten students; local firms named in the presentation included Vance and Leathers and others identified during the meeting. District staff said they are also considering pathways such as criminal justice/first-responder and an interpreter early-college pathway to align with labor-market demand and multilingual-student needs.
After discussion, a subcommittee member moved to refer the Program of Studies packet to the policy committee; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. No numeric roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
Committee members asked for further detail on some course descriptions (for example, the local-history course and African American studies at CP level) and presenters said they would adjust or clarify language in packet materials before policy-committee review. Staff also noted that expansion timelines depend on university and college partner capacity and district budget constraints.
