Keith Valley Middle School students describe year‑long "major" classes in performing arts, languages and STEM

Keith Valley Middle School administrators and students described a year‑long ‘‘major’’ scheduling model for 7th graders at the Hatboro‑Horsham School District Board of School Directors meeting on Jan. 27, saying the change gives students more choice and time to develop skills in areas such as band, chorus, orchestra, world language, STEM, family and consumer sciences and physical education.

Joanne Ellen Paladino, assistant principal at Keith Valley Middle School, told the board that the district piloted student choice to increase engagement and deepen learning. "We did that because we really felt that students had needed an opportunity to have a choice with the classes they were taking," Paladino said, explaining the schedule was set in the spring and implemented in the fall.

The program gives students a year‑long class in a chosen major that meets for a 40‑minute block every other day while students attend a different major for the alternate block. Teachers said the structure allows more repetition, shared assessments and a stronger pathway into…