Board reviews program-of-study proposals; district to propose reverting math sequence to algebra'geometry to address staffing and entry gaps

District curriculum and building leaders presented a set of program-of-study additions for Chatham Middle School and Chatham High School and proposed a change to the high-school-equivalent math sequence.

Presenters included Michael Orsini, principal of Chatham Middle School; Aaron Yamamoto, the district math supervisor; and Doug Walker, principal of Chatham High School. Orsini described new related-arts and humanities-focused electives at the middle school (examples: Middle School 101, Speak Up / public speaking, "Superheroes Unmasked"/comics and storytelling, Stories of Triumph, leadership, and new short rotating music labs including a piano lab, instrument lab and chorus lab), plus STEM offerings such as a Dream Design Lab, a cooking-and-budgeting elective and Math Quest. Walker presented high-school proposals including podcasting; theater and film as literature; AP African American History; an honors-level American Sign Language (ASL) Level 5; stagecraft 2; music technology and critical music analysis; visual journaling; a work-based learning (half-day senior placement) program; and a semester "math lab" remedial course.

Yamamoto outlined a recommendation to return to the traditional sequence (Algebra 1 '1 Geometry '1 Algebra 2) effective for the 2025'26 school year. He said the district originally shifted to a geometry-first sequence four years earlier but teacher feedback and operational realities prompted reconsideration. Rationale cited in the presentation included: geometry teachers reporting reduced course rigor under the geometry-first sequence; alignment and resource challenges because many materials assume a traditional sequence; staffing considerations (middle-school teachers hold differing certifications that affect flexibility when geometry is offered first); and knowledge gaps among new entrants who sometimes lack prerequisite algebra preparation.

Yamamoto described a two-year transition plan: communicate changes to staff, administrators and counselors; revise Math 7, Algebra 1 and geometry curricula to reintroduce targeted algebra content; and operate an "algebra 1 bubble" in the immediate year (a larger-than-usual number of Algebra 1 sections that will use existing staff; the district would not offer geometry during the transition year so returning entrants are placed in algebra 2 as appropriate). He said about 60 students currently in Math 8 would take Algebra 1 next year and geometry sections would resume districtwide by the 2026'27 school year. The proposal includes the provision that any student already in a high-school-equivalent course will complete the geometry-first sequence as expected.

Administrators asked the board to move the proposals forward; the curriculum items on the agenda were included in the board's consent vote and were approved.