Canton High School committee approves 2025–26 Program of Studies

The Canton School Committee voted unanimously Thursday to approve the Canton High School (CHS) 2025–26 Program of Studies after a presentation and discussion of proposed course changes and scheduling clarifications.

Principal Sperling presented the proposed program, describing multiple department-level updates and policy clarifications that administrators said would clear up inconsistencies for students and families. "There's a couple of different sections where we have reference to the MCAS passing scores by grade," Sperling said, noting those references will be finalized once the district completes competency determination language.

The committee focused questions and discussion on several substantive changes: a redesign of the former business math course into a financial literacy course meant to provide real-world math applications; an "applications in mathematics" course intended as a 4th-year option for students needing foundational support or who transfer in midyear; and clarification that AP Precalculus is intended as a senior capstone and not a direct feeder to AP Calculus. Sperling said AP Precalculus "is more project based" and was not designed to prepare students for AP Calculus AB/BC.

Language offerings will shift: German will be phased out because enrollment had fallen to six students districtwide, Sperling said, while Italian will be added to the official course catalog and offered on an initial every-other-year rollout so staffing and class sizes remain sustainable. He described a planning model in which Italian 1 is offered next year, Italian 2 the following year, and so on until enrollment supports annual sections.

Performing and visual arts departments will add electives, including honors music theory and a Learn to Jam class; visual arts split some full-year offerings into semester halves to increase access; and Project Lead The Way (PLTW) sequencing and a PLTW capstone were emphasized as college‑level, project‑based options. Sperling said colleges increasingly accept PLTW coursework similarly to AP classes.

After discussion, a motion to approve the CHS 2025–26 Program of Studies passed with a voice vote. The chair called for the motion, a second was recorded, and the committee answered "Aye" unanimously.

Committee members and staff said they will continue to monitor enrollments and staffing and will refine the program language—particularly MCAS competency references—before publishing final materials for students and families.

What happened next: The committee moved on to other agenda items following the vote; implementation details such as exact rollout years for Italian and enrollment thresholds to run elective sections were discussed as part of the record but left to administration to finalize.