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Academic Affairs committee previews middle school curriculum overhaul, course expansions
Summary
The Academic Affairs committee presented a draft 2025'26 middle school curriculum guide that prioritizes increased student choice, clearer schedules and alignment with high school coursework.
The Academic Affairs committee for the Springfield Township School District presented a draft middle school curriculum guide for the 2025–26 school year and updates on K–12 curriculum reviews during the board's interim meeting on May 6.
The committee report, delivered by Dr. Aberle, said the middle school guide emphasizes increased student choice, clearer schedules and better alignment with the high school curriculum. Presenters Dr. Amy Mangano, Kieran Brady and Jason Payne described proposals to reframe advisory, strengthen MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) and add dedicated WIN ("what I need") periods for targeted student support. The guide also proposes a semester-based schedule and an alternating Day 1/Day 2 cycle for specials rather than year-long or marking-period schedules.
The committee noted the guide gives more detail on athletics and extracurriculars, including growth in the strings program and adding a chapter on the National Junior Honor Society. Final recommendations on mathematics sequencing and new special-area offerings were described as "final recommendations" to be refined as the middle school team creates a comprehensive student schedule.
Dr. Sarah Noce (curriculum) briefed the committee on STEM curriculum progress for 2024–25, noting alignment to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's STIHL standards (science, technology, engineering and environmental sustainability). Committee members said the STIHL framework is intended to be flexible as technology and workplace needs evolve.
The committee also discussed high school personal finance requirements. Because the Pennsylvania Department of Education requires a half-credit in personal finance for graduation, administration is exploring offering personal finance to juniors and expanding related offerings such as business math, algebra and economics. Computer science expansions for increased enrollment were noted; the administration plans additional presentations at future Academic Affairs meetings.
Dr. Johnson summarized spring testing activity across the district (PSSA, AP, Keystone, benchmark and final exams) and noted the district currently pays AP exam costs centrally; the committee reported that the annual cost to the district is about $40,000 and is not charged to students or families.
The committee said it will share the middle school guide at upcoming transition events for rising sixth-graders and continue to refine scheduling and course offerings over the coming year. Future Academic Affairs meetings were announced for May 27 (K'5 overviews) and a K'12 physical education review scheduled for May or August 2025.
The presentation was informational; no district-wide curriculum adoption vote was taken at the May 6 board meeting.
