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Upper Dublin previews 2026–27 high school program of studies; adds AP Cybersecurity and requires personal finance for graduation
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Summary
The Upper Dublin education committee reviewed the high school Program of Studies, announced a new AP Cybersecurity course for 2026–27, and approved making personal finance a mandatory 0.5-credit graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2030.
The Upper Dublin Board of School Directors’ education committee on Jan. 7 reviewed the district’s annual high school Program of Studies and heard administrators outline changes for the 2026–27 school year, including one new Advanced Placement course and an added graduation requirement.
Dr. Ortiz, presenting the guide the district will post online, described the Program of Studies as a comprehensive, 100-plus-page resource that explains grading scales, course selection processes and specialty programs such as dual enrollment and Eastern Center for Arts and Technology offerings. "It's a great annual tradition of presenting the program of studies," Ortiz said, thanking curriculum leaders and the Office of Teaching and Learning for contributions.
District curriculum staff announced one new AP course for next year: AP Cybersecurity, described as a college-level introduction that gives students hands-on exposure to vulnerabilities, mitigations and detection across networks, devices and data. "We're really excited that college board has come out with this AP cybersecurity course," a curriculum leader said.
The committee also heard that personal finance will be a mandatory graduation course starting in 2026–27. Administrators said the course will fulfill 0.5 of the district's 2.0 STEM credits, be available to grades 10–12 and is recommended for 11th grade. "Beginning with next school year, our students who are in the graduating class of 2030 will be required to complete this course," a presenter said.
Administrators outlined the internal process for adding new courses: proposals go to a high-school instructional professional-development committee, use a detailed template addressing units, staffing and materials, move to building- and district-level review, and then to executive leadership for final approval before inclusion in the Program of Studies.
On dual enrollment, staff said the district maintains agreements with Montgomery County Community College, Immaculata and other partners across a range of subjects. They explained the difference between AP and dual-enrollment offerings is which external entity (College Board versus a partner college or university) approves the curriculum. Board members asked whether students can opt out of dual-enrollment credit and whether courses are year-long; staff said students may elect whether to take dual credit and that Upper Dublin’s dual-enrollment sections are full-year courses.
The Program of Studies also lists several scheduling and deadline dates for families and counselors: teacher recommendations into Infinite Campus in January–early February, elective selection Feb. 10–12, a program-of-studies night at the high school Feb. 5, a May 1 verification deadline for final schedules, and smaller summer and fall windows for schedule adjustments.
Administrators noted small naming or weighting changes to keep course titles and GPA calculation aligned with state guidance; for example, dual-enrollment courses will receive GPA weighting consistent with the district’s highest-weighted courses per state code.
The committee did not take a formal vote on curriculum content at the meeting; administrators said recommendations and final proposals will return to the board in May, after building- and district-level review and any pilot evaluations are completed.
What’s next: Families and students can review the Program of Studies when it is posted online and attend the Feb. 5 program-of-studies night; the district will return to the board with final course-adoption recommendations in May.
