Wareham School Committee approves revised Program of Studies, drops IB and adds career pathways and new electives

The Wareham School Committee on Jan. 16 voted to approve a revised Program of Studies for Wareham High School that removes the district’s IB offerings and adds a set of new electives and career-related pathways, including an EMT certification course, a hybrid American Sign Language class, and several hands-on electives.

Committee members approved the program after department heads and administrators presented changes that school leaders said are intended to broaden hands-on, career-focused options for students and to replace IB classes that will no longer be offered. "I'm just gonna preface this by saying, I'm just gonna say once we're moving all the IBs," one administrator said while introducing the revisions.

Administrators described several new or expanded offerings: a life- and environmental-science pathway supported this year by a DESE grant to fund a science teacher; an EMT course that will prepare juniors and seniors for state EMT certification once they turn 18; a hybrid American Sign Language (ASL) course delivered partly through an online vendor with an in-room teacher supervising asynchronous work; a new Precalculus AP course; expanded marine biology offerings tied to local labs; a course called Officiating 101 intended to prepare students for paid officiating work; and a Unified Physical Education class to pair adaptive-phys ed students with mentor students.

Leaders said the EMT sequence is planned as a full-year course (roughly 110–120 hours) targeted to juniors and seniors so students will be ready to take the state EMT exam after they turn 18. Administrators said there will be a per-student fee for certain vendor-based or certification components and that the district is working with Wareham EMS and the fire chief on the plan. The ASL course will be run in a hybrid model with an online synchronous teacher two days a week and a certified world-language teacher in the classroom to manage attendance and support students while they do asynchronous work.

Presenters also described a set of new electives in JROTC and humanities, additional online career courses selected after a student survey (business law; logistics planning and management; construction careers; allied health careers; teaching and training careers), and several business- and early-childcare classes, including a childcare practicum the district said could be paired with a future preschool program at the high school.

Committee members asked about staffing and long-term funding. Administrators said the DESE grant that pays for the new science teacher phases down over several years and the district will include the position in its budget planning; they also said some of the new courses will require enough student demand before they become full-time hires. The district reiterated that many courses listed in the Program of Studies will run only if student interest and certified staff align.

After discussion, the committee moved to accept the Program of Studies. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.

What the vote does and does not do: approval places the new course catalog into the district’s offerings; specific sections will be scheduled later based on student selections, staffing and budget. Administrators said they will report back with enrollment counts and a semester-by-semester list of which courses actually run.

Officials said curriculum documents will be posted and revised, and that the district intends to use the month of June for further curriculum work on the newly approved electives.