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Shippensburg Area SD presents revised high school Program of Studies emphasizing pathways and advisement
Summary
High school principal Blake Fritz presented a redesigned Program of Studies that redistributes graduation credits, adds personal finance and expanded practical-arts credits, formalizes weighted grading for dual-enrollment courses, and introduces career and academic pathways (engineering, nursing, business, animal science).
Blake Fritz, principal of Shippensburg Area Senior High School, presented a revised Program of Studies to the Shippensburg Area School District board on Jan. 19, saying the document is intended as a roadmap of courses, pathways, graduation requirements and policies to help students plan from ninth through 12th grade.
Fritz told the board the Program aligns with the district’s mission and the profile of a graduate and is intended to expand student choice, improve equity and support college- and career-readiness. She described a three-year implementation plan that includes departmental reviews, clearer course descriptions, marketing for families and advisement models that pair students with a consistent adult advisor across multiple years.
Among the substantive changes Fritz outlined, graduation requirements remain at 28 credits but were reallocated: social studies and science are presented as three-credit requirements, humanities (music, art, world languages) were increased from a half credit to a full credit, and practical arts (agriculture, business, family and consumer sciences) were increased to a full credit. Personal finance was added as a graduation requirement aligned with state guidance.
The Program also consolidates and clarifies weighted-grading rules and applies course weighting to college or dual-enrollment classes; Fritz said a college course may be accepted in lieu of a high-school requirement and that such courses are now aligned and weighted in the Program.
Fritz outlined initial pathways — engineering, business, nursing and animal science — and said the district plans to expand career-technical offerings where feasible. She noted welding is an example of a career pathway that would require additional funding for equipment and supplies if the board elects to pursue it.
Board members and audience speakers praised the document as a strong step forward. One parent said the Program will make course selection clearer for families; board members thanked Fritz and staff while noting the document is a work in progress that will continue to be refined.
The board did not take a final adoption vote on the Program during the presentation; Fritz said new courses would typically be piloted for a year and returned to the board for curriculum approval the following year.
