Springfield Township SD advances high-school course revisions, adds engineering and financial-algebra options

Springfield Township SD’s academic affairs committee on Jan. 14 reviewed a set of high-school curriculum revisions meant to expand career-ready electives and free schedule space for broader student choice.

Assistant Superintendent Damien Johnston led the presentation, saying the district uses a four-phase curriculum review process and brings teachers, administrators and students into revisions. "We start, usually the spring-ish before the actual curriculum year to review and study where are we," Johnston said, describing how course overviews map to mastery skills and state standards.

The package includes two traditional computer-science courses (introductory programming and a logic-and-functions follow-on) and four design/engineering offerings: a foundations of engineering half-credit elective, a split of the existing 3D design into introductory and advanced sequences, a revised robotics course and a game-design course emphasizing play testing. "These courses are hands on, they’re creativity and problem-solving based," Johnston said.

Kate Whitaker, the district’s computer-science teacher (introduced in the meeting materials), and Mr. Collier (a high-school teacher referenced in the presentation) were credited with developing many of the proposals. Staff said most new electives will fit within existing personnel, and Dr. Iannaco told the board the proposals do not require additional hires.

A separate math proposal — Advanced Algebra with Financial Solutions — is designed as an Algebra II–level course with financial applications. Staff said that course also would satisfy the state’s personal-finance requirement. "They will check off a math course, and they will check off a personal finance course — all at one time," a district presenter said. The committee asked staff to verify whether the course provides all the topics necessary for students to move into trigonometry/precalculus and requested precise slide language before the materials are published.

The district also proposed modularizing several full-year classes into half-credit sequences — for example, splitting Psychology into Psych A/B and offering separate journalism and public-speaking courses by grade band — to give students more flexibility and create more half-credit options in schedules dominated by full-year content.

Staff described plans to expand AP offerings through the AP Capstone pathway. The district proposed offering AP Seminar next year (open mainly to ninth and tenth graders) and AP Research the following year as part of an AP Capstone diploma option. "If students do all three of those, they could get a capstone diploma," a presenter said.

Student representative Gus May told the committee he supports modularized electives and asked technical questions about whether the new math class would function as a gateway to higher-level math courses; staff committed to follow up with details on prerequisites and transcript coding.

Committee members provided verbal consent to move the high-school course overviews and the Advanced Algebra proposal into the next phase of curriculum writing and to include them in the program of studies that will be presented for approval next month.

What’s next: staff will refine slide language, confirm prerequisites and coding for transcripts, and present the full program of studies in February and March for formal action.