Marblehead to add AP Business with Personal Finance, clarify financial‑literacy requirements and expand dual enrollment

The Marblehead School Committee voted Jan. 29 to adopt updates to the district’s Program of Studies that administrators said expand course choices and align graduation requirements with current state expectations.

Dr. Cross, presenting the package, told the committee the most notable addition is AP Business with Personal Finance — a new College Board AP course being offered next year — and said the district wants that class to count toward the district’s financial‑literacy graduation requirement. "Next year is the first year that College Board is going to be offering that as an AP course," Dr. Cross said.

The Program of Studies update adds multiple ways students can satisfy financial‑literacy requirements (including AP options, accounting units and a standalone financial‑literacy course), incorporates competency‑determination language, and removes references to Marblehead Academy (a COVID‑era program the district no longer runs). The update also continues a multi‑year phase‑out of remedial tracks (notably Algebra 3 C.P.) and adjusts world‑language offerings: Latin 1–4 will be removed because the language is no longer offered at the elementary and middle schools, though AP Latin will remain for students who have progressed to that level.

Dr. Cross also explained wording to reflect a dual‑enrollment agreement with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) for certain honors courses (for example, honors anatomy and physiology). The committee asked whether the SNHU arrangement relies on specific teacher credentials; presenters confirmed instructors met SNHU adjunct‑recognition criteria and that participation is a pilot, not an automatic enrollment.

Committee members and administrators discussed low enrollment patterns that led to removing some previously listed electives (African‑American literature and bestselling fiction) and the practicalities of offering new electives such as Modern America since 1980 and History of Philosophy as semester courses. The Program of Studies package passed on a 4–0 vote. Administrators said they will publish the revised Program of Studies and integrate the course coding in time for student scheduling.

What changed (selected items): • Added: AP Business with Personal Finance (new AP course) and a standalone financial‑literacy course option. • Dual enrollment: clarified eligibility and added SNHU dual‑enrollment language for qualifying honors courses. • Removed: Marblehead Academy references (program inactive); Latin 1–4 (phased out at lower grades), Algebra 3 C.P. (final phase‑out of remedial track). • Added electives: Modern America since 1980; History of Philosophy (semester electives).

Administrators said implementation steps will include publishing the updated Program of Studies, updating course codes and communicating options to students and families well ahead of scheduling deadlines.