The Norwalk School District Policy Committee reviewed and agreed to forward a district policy on enrollment in advanced courses and challenging curriculum to the full school board, after clarifying access rules and optional criteria.

Rob Pennington, assistant superintendent of schools, told the committee the draft adopts a state model policy and covers honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment/dual credit and other advanced options. Pennington said Norwalk High School has an expanding number of dual-credit offerings and that the policy is intended to broaden student access to such courses districtwide. He said the district’s program-of-studies process will show the specific courses proposed for the coming year.

Committee members agreed to keep an optional provision allowing district administration to identify students in grades 8 and 9 who may be eligible while preserving the ability for students and parents to request access later in high school. Pennington said that approach prevents a student who arrives after identification or who is a low-key performer from losing access: "If a student or parent advocates for that child to take an advanced course, you're saying that this is how we do it," he said, describing the district’s current counseling-based request option.

Members discussed reducing barriers for multilingual learners and students with disabilities, and emphasized that some advanced courses will retain prerequisites (for example, precalculus after algebra I and II or an acting class that requires prior theater coursework). Pennington and the committee agreed that teacher recommendation should not be an absolute barrier and that multiple pathways to access — including counselor review and parent/student request — should remain.

At the meeting’s close, committee members moved the policy to the full board for consideration. A motion to send the policy to the full board was made and later seconded; the transcript records that the committee proceeded to forward the policy but does not show a roll-call vote or by-name tally.