The Northampton School Committee on Jan. 9 approved the Northampton High School Program of Study for the 2025–26 school year, while asking staff to send proposed changes to graduation and attendance language to the rules and policy subcommittee for formal review.

Principal Tagliere presented the proposed program and described the multi-step process used to compile changes, saying department chairs reviewed course sections and guidance and administration winnowed the final list. "I think everybody on the committee should have received a copy of the draft of the new Program of Studies," Tagliere said during the presentation.

The committee voted to approve the document with an amendment that adds an explanatory note to the Program of Study indicating that the district's graduation requirements and the NHS attendance requirement (the two-semester enrollment expectation for diplomas bearing the NHS designation) are subject to pending review and possible revision by the rules and policy subcommittee. Member Amber Hennessy pressed for the referral, saying the changes to history requirements and graduation language should be formally routed for policy review: "we do need to send to the rules and policy" subcommittee, she said.

Members asked detailed questions during the discussion. Michael Stein pressed for clarity on how standards-based grading and "embedded honors" are being implemented and evaluated, noting the district has requested follow-up data in prior years and that the curriculum subcommittee had previously asked for evaluative feedback. Principal Tagliere said grading is reported as numeric grades on transcripts and that math and science departments have adopted more standards-based pedagogical approaches, while other departments use standards-aligned assessments that translate into numeric grades.

Committee members also discussed staffing implications for the Program of Study, including whether further budget cuts would affect the school's ability to offer electives and maintain reasonable class sizes. Tagliere said current staffing leaves little flexibility: "As it is now, with the way the class sizes average out, I cannot let a student take an English class as an elective," he said, adding that partnerships such as Smith College dual-enrollment help expand options.

The motion to approve the Program of Study (amended to include the rules-and-policy referral/asterisk) was moved and seconded and passed on a roll-call vote.

The committee also voted to send policy IFK (graduation requirements) to the rules and policy subcommittee for consideration and to note in the Program of Study that graduation/attendance language may change following that review.

Votes at a glance
- Approve Northampton High School Program of Study (2025–26), with amendment to note pending rules & policy review of graduation/attendance language — Motion passed (roll-call recorded by clerk).
- Referral: Send Policy IFK (graduation requirements) to rules and policy — Motion passed (roll-call recorded).

What happens next: The program of study will be posted as approved with the asterisk pending rules-and-policy review; the subcommittee will consider whether the two-semester NHS enrollment expectation and any MCAS-based language remain part of local graduation requirements and report back to the full committee.

Context: The Program of Study is the annual catalog of NHS course offerings and level-placement guidance used by students and families to plan high-school schedules and by counselors and administrators to set staffing and course sections.