Moorhead High updates curriculum guide to emphasize programs of study and certificates

Moorhead Area Public Schools presented a revised Morgan High School curriculum guide at its Jan. 27 school board meeting, outlining 19 programs of study, clearer graduation-path language and new certification goals meant to help students plan four years of high school toward college or career options.

District staff said the guide reorganizes existing courses into program tracks — foundational, intermediate and advanced — and adds an Advanced Studies pathway under liberal arts for students pursuing a largely AP-focused high-school program. The presenters said the guide is intended to help students select a program of study by the end of 10th grade and, where possible, complete a certificate or capstone tied to that track by graduation.

Tom Dreiberg and Josh Haag, who described the revisions to the board, said the guide is primarily a reorganization and update rather than a wholesale introduction of new courses. The presenters told the board the guide groups courses by department and links to course descriptions, notes grade-level recommendations (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) and distinguishes foundational, intermediate and advanced options so students can pursue electives aligned with a chosen program.

District staff highlighted career-focused offerings in health sciences — including existing CNA and EMR classes — and said those pathways are still being developed. Ally Johnson, the district’s work-based learning coordinator, was identified as leading apprenticeship and employer partnerships; staff reported 14 active work-based placements at the time of the meeting and internships with local employers including a clinical arrangement with Sanford that led to some hires.

Board members asked how certificates and pathways affect college credit. Presenters explained the certificates are intended as career or skill credentials rather than guaranteed college credit; some pathways include concurrent-enrollment options where college credit may be available, but the guide itself does not promise college credits for all certificates.

Presenters said the district deliberately kept most programs short — generally three or four courses — so students can switch pathways without losing progress. Staff also said the guide will be updated annually, and that items removed from this first printed edition were omitted because the district did not think those courses were yet fully ready for inclusion.

The board thanked staff for the work and encouraged efforts to make the guide more accessible and visible to students and families. Staff said they will continue to refine the pathways, expand employer partnerships and track placements and apprenticeship growth over time.

Ending: The curriculum guide will be made available to students registering for the next school year; staff said further updates and outreach plans will be part of ongoing work before course registration opens.