Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Westerly approves new AP, media literacy and aviation course proposals; culinary program hours increased
Summary
The committee approved Westlake High School’s program of studies additions — AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP Seminar, media literacy — and advanced CTE aviation courses and an expanded culinary schedule; estimated startup costs for AP U.S. Government materials were cited at $8,000–$10,000.
The Westerly School Committee voted to approve Westlake High School’s proposed changes to its program of studies, including several new advanced-placement offerings, a semester-long media literacy course and expanded career and technical education (CTE) programs.
District staff proposed adding AP U.S. Government and Politics (estimated materials cost $8,000–$10,000 plus about $1,500 in teacher training) and AP Seminar (a gateway AP research course). Staff said AP Seminar materials would be available from College Board and that teacher certification for the course is not a new FTE requirement. "We're hoping that this would be our foot in the door to make that equity gap smaller," a high-school presenter said when describing recruitment efforts for economically disadvantaged students.
Administrators also proposed a media literacy semester course to help students identify misinformation and evaluate sources. The CTE package included a Principles of Flight course, a follow-on year-two Flying Environment and Operations course (noted as material-heavy and requiring a physics-certified teacher for a 0.4 FTE), and an eventual plan for a flight simulator and trade partnerships to defray equipment costs. The aviation program currently has 11 enrolled students and needs three sequential courses on the books for RIDE licensure; the district said some courses will be listed in the program of studies even if they do not run next year to demonstrate commitment for a future audit.
The culinary program will be restructured to meet certification-hour requirements by increasing student time in intermediate and advanced culinary courses (double-block scheduling similar to cosmetology and construction programming).
Committee members asked for details on staffing and certification for the new CTE courses and affirmed the proposals; the program of studies package was moved, seconded and approved.
The district said it will pursue teacher training opportunities and partnerships with local industry to support the aviation curriculum and will post materials and program updates as the rollout proceeds.
