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Board hears program-of-studies updates: marine science, AP Precalculus and new AP career 'Kickstart' pilots proposed

St. Mary's County Public Schools Board of Education · January 9, 2026
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Summary

District staff presented proposed program-of-studies changes including a half-credit marine science course, replacing honors Precalculus with AP Precalculus, and piloting two College Board AP Career 'Kickstart' courses (AP Business & Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity) at Chopticon High School to expand AP and industry credential opportunities.

District curriculum staff presented several recommended changes to the program of studies during the Jan. 8 meeting, including course additions, deletions, renaming, and description updates intended to expand college-and-career-readiness (CCR) options and simplify scheduling.

Highlights of the proposal package include a half-credit marine science course aimed at leveraging the district’s coastal setting; replacing the current honors precalculus course with AP Precalculus (a full-year, full-credit AP option aligned to College Board frameworks); and piloting two newly launched College Board AP Career 'Kickstart' courses—AP Business and Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity—at Chopticon High School to offer hands-on, scenario-based AP coursework that can also lead to industry-recognized credentials with qualifying scores.

Presenters said expanding AP and CCR-aligned options at Chopticon is intended both to provide more pathways for students who do not attend the technical center and to attract enrollment at a lower-enrollment high school. The presenters noted partnerships or interest from higher-education partners including the College of Southern Maryland and St. Mary's College for the marine science course.

The package also includes non-content name changes (for example, renaming a beginner-level computer applications class to 'Managing Business Data with Microsoft Tools'), expanding AP Psychology and Academic Psychology access to 10th graders, and deleting old or low-enrollment courses that no longer align to the state math policy (e.g., college algebra with trigonometry and certain algebra remediation courses).

District staff emphasized that no course can be offered unless it is added to the program of studies and then scheduled at specific high schools based on student requests and staffing. They also described a committee process with about 42 stakeholders that vetted proposals and said proposals will return after public comment; the board will consider final approval later in the adoption timeline.

Next steps: program-of-studies changes were presented for first reading; presenters said public comment will be heard Jan. 21 and revised recommendations will be returned Feb. 4 for possible adoption.