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District proposes new high‑school courses including dual‑credit composition, hospitality and blended software engineering
Summary
Officials presented proposed changes to high‑school course offerings — including English Composition 1 & 2 (dual credit through College of DuPage), an Introduction to Hospitality & Culinary Arts, and a consolidated blended software engineering course — with board action scheduled for Nov. 3.
District curriculum leaders presented the annual high‑school course review and recommendations Monday, proposing several additions and some retirements designed to strengthen career pathways and expand dual-credit opportunities.
Assistant principals and curriculum staff described three new recommended offerings: Introduction to Hospitality and Culinary Arts (to replace Culinary Arts and Nutrition I and broaden the pathway to hospitality and tourism), blended Software Engineering (a consolidated year-long course that replaces Software Engineering I and II and adds an embedded, project-based second-semester work-based learning component), and English Composition 1 and 2 (to replace honors senior rhetoric courses and align with college composition standards; both composition courses are eligible for dual credit through College of DuPage, officials said).
Staff said the course recommendations resulted from a multi-year audit process involving administrators, department chairs and teachers that considered Illinois standards, industry trends and postsecondary alignment. Officials said the changes are intended to deepen academic pathways, increase student engagement and expand dual-credit offerings.
Board members asked questions about whether the nutrition component would be retained within hospitality offerings and about prerequisites and access to the blended software engineering course. Staff said nutrition content would be retained within revised culinary/hospitality offerings and that the blended software engineering course is intended to be broadly accessible while still offering advanced topics.
The recommendations will be brought to the board for approval at the Nov. 3 meeting.
Ending
Curriculum staff asked the board for guidance and signaled that additional detail about prerequisites and dual-credit arrangements (including syllabi alignment with College of DuPage) is available and will be provided ahead of the Nov. 3 vote.
