Cheltenham School District administrators on Tuesday outlined a package of proposed changes to the district’s high-school graduation requirements and asked the policy committee for guidance on next steps.

An administration presenter said the draft changes — presented as a floor rather than a cap — would set English at four credits while reducing math, science and social-studies requirements to three credits each, raise health from a half credit to a full credit and designate financial literacy as a 0.5-credit course instead of embedding it inside elective requirements. "We would actually propose moving closer to what other school districts and private schools near us actually require," the presenter said.

Why it matters: Staff said the proposals respond to scheduling constraints in the high school’s A/B block schedule and to large numbers of students who become "over age and under credited" after repeated failures in trigger courses (for example, biology or algebra), which can push elective slots farther into later years and delay graduation. The presenter told the committee the district currently records about 90 students in dual-enrollment courses and roughly 50 who took classes at Montgomery County Community College last year; dual-enrollment credits are recorded pass/fail and do not affect GPA under current administrative regulations.

World language and equity: A central flashpoint in the discussion was whether to keep a world-language requirement. Staff cited disproportionate failure rates in world-language courses and the fact that many students do not get access until seventh or later grade, which creates inequities. One board member urged building K–5 exposure and a biliteracy pathway rather than permanently removing the requirement. Another board member said, "We're so, so behind. It's, like, embarrassing, actually," when describing the district’s performance compared with international norms for language instruction.

Support for students and scheduling: Committee members and staff identified possible mitigation steps if minimum credits are lowered, including formalized pathways, expanded dual-enrollment options, internships and a ninth-grade academy intended to reduce the ninth-grade achievement gap. The presenter warned of cascading credit deficits: when a student repeatedly fails a trigger course, it can occupy multiple course slots over several years and push back electives, leaving students short of required credits.

Next steps: Staff asked where the committee preferred the deeper work to take place — continuing in policy committee, moving to Educational Affairs, or forming a small ad hoc group — and offered to return with a redlined policy and clearer materials for families (including a lexicon explaining state Act 158 pathways and the district’s Cheltenham pathways). The committee gave direction to continue the discussion in committee and scheduled further presentations; staff noted the next full meeting is set for Jan. 27, 2026.

Quotes: The presenter said, "If we reduce the elective requirement to 5.5 credits, it would bring us then to 21 credits," and cautioned this would be a floor, not a limit on student learning. On the cost of prolonged over-age enrollment, the presenter said, "this overage under credited program literally costs about $45,000 per child to support." A board member urged patience and careful design: "I just want us to figure out a way...we have to figure out what the underlying cause of that is and then fix it."

What wasn’t decided: The committee did not adopt any policy changes or hold a vote; members asked for more data and directed staff to return with specific policy language, pathway descriptions and scheduling implications before any formal reading or adoption.

The policy committee adjourned after moving the remaining routine items forward and scheduling follow-up work.