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Berwick Area SD proposes career-pathway overhaul for high school, expands CTE articulation and mentorship plans
Summary
District staff outlined a plan to shift high‑school scheduling and course catalogs to a pathways-based model emphasizing Career and Technical Education (CTE) articulation with local colleges, a 9th-grade exploratory year, mentorships, and an AI policy task force; the board was asked to review forthcoming catalog changes.
BERWICK — District staff presented a plan to reorganize high school course offerings around career "pathways," expand Career and Technical Education (CTE) articulation agreements with area colleges, and add mentorship and artificial intelligence guidance for students and staff.
"We are working to shift our high school course offerings to align with a pathways approach to course selection and student experiences," said Staff member, a district administrator, summarizing the proposal. The district intends to make 9th grade an exploratory year so students select a pathway after that first year and pursue related coursework and experiences during the rest of high school.
Staff member said the district currently has seven CTE "zip codes" (CTE program groupings used in the district presentation) and can expand offerings based on existing courses. The district plans to pursue or refine articulation agreements so students earn college credit for high school coursework. "We just got back our renewed articulation agreement with Bloomsburg. If you complete all of the criminal justice courses, you can walk into Bloomsburg with 15 credits in the criminal justice program," Staff member said. Staff member also named Luzerne (community college), Penn College and Commonwealth as institutions the district will approach to translate high school classes into postsecondary credits.
Staff member and other speakers emphasized flexibility under state graduation rules: the district stressed that the state requires alignment to academic standards and mandates a personal finance course but does not strictly require four years in every subject. The proposed model would let districts design schedules that include CTE and academic standards while allowing for internships, co‑ops or industry certifiables in later grades.
The district described steps to broaden access to CTE: keeping a 9th‑grade exploratory year, offering half‑credit electives across fields (for example medical and criminal justice), and developing articulated credit opportunities so students can begin college with credits already earned. Staff member said the district will reach out to Bloomsburg, Luzerne County Community College, Penn College and other local partners to align courses to those colleges' credit or certificate programs.
Staff member also described noncredit supports the district is planning: a mentorship program intended to improve attendance and graduation; a family engagement event on Feb. 27 featuring Dr. Edward Alpert of the Association of Rural and Small Schools; and a district AI committee led by Dr. McCluskey to recommend an AI statement and eventual policy for presentation to the policy committee.
Funding and logistics were discussed in the meeting. The district set aside approximately $5,000 from Title funds to help cover tuition costs for students who need financial assistance to enroll in dual enrollment or certificate programming. Staff member also noted transportation and childcare constraints that affect scheduling changes and flagged that some options hinge on staffing availability.
Board members and staff discussed calendar flexibility (hours vs. days), hybrid scheduling, and the possibility of restructuring CTE sequences to a three‑year track so juniors and seniors can complete dual enrollment or internships. The discussion included examples of how vocational or technical courses can address academic standards (for example geometry in construction courses) and how recorded or online coursework could increase scheduling flexibility for students pursuing work‑based learning.
No formal vote or motion on the pathways plan was recorded in the transcript. Staff member said the proposed changes would be reflected in a revised high‑school course catalog to be brought back to the board for review.
The district plans follow-up steps this spring: finalize course offerings with principals and counselors, expand articulation agreements with partner colleges, define CTE program coding for new pathways (including construction and entrepreneurship), and return to the board with specific catalog changes and policy recommendations.
