Board approves four new courses for 2026–27, including AP Cybersecurity and mandatory 8th-grade computational thinking

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education voted unanimously (8–0) to approve four new courses that staff recommended for the 2026–27 school year.

The four courses are: Forensic Science 2 (one semester, high school elective), AP Cybersecurity (two semesters; phased rollout across high schools), AP Business with Personal Finance (two semesters, project-based AP offering), and Integrated Computational Thinking (one semester required course for eighth grade introducing computational and algorithmic thinking and previewing the district's 12 CTE career clusters). The superintendent recommended approval of all four.

Christina Catalano, chief academic officer, and Michelle Batten, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment, said the courses align with the district strategic plan and will be supported by a summer curriculum-development academy and professional learning for teachers.

Trustees asked about implementation specifics. Batten said AP Cybersecurity will be phased into schools based on software and hardware readiness and initial interest — it will not be taught virtually to other sites. Trustee Tobin confirmed these CTE-aligned AP options are part of the College Board's "career kick-start" model and said students can earn AP credit and career credentials if they perform well on exams or competency measures.

The board made the motion to approve the four courses and adopted it by consensus. The roll-call vote recorded eight ayes.

The district will finalize curriculum materials over the summer and provide teacher training ahead of fall 2026 implementation.