SFUSD outlines middle grades redesign emphasizing ‘deeper learning,’ pilot schools and new exploratory courses

The San Francisco Unified School District on Aug. 14 presented a public update on a proposed middle grades redesign that district leaders say aims to deliver ‘‘deeper learning’’ and more equitable access to electives.

Chief Academic Officer Brett Stevens told the Board of Education the district has spent about 2½ years developing design principles — project-based learning, technology integration, performance-based assessment, cross-disciplinary learning, social-emotional supports and personalized learning — and has proposed a draft master schedule to reflect those goals.

The draft model would keep five core academic areas and add trimester-based exploratory courses for all sixth-graders including visual and performing arts, a three-trimester introduction to computer science, two trimesters of health and one trimester of world language. The plan would also introduce an ‘‘acceleration’’ course…