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Kiski Area SD presents proposed senior‑year semester options and new AP computer science offering
Summary
High‑school staff presented a plan to replace two year‑long senior electives with modular semester courses, add options such as introductory data analysis and financial math, and reclassify the current Java course as AP Computer Science A; board members asked about teacher workload and course demand.
Kiski Area School District high‑school staff on Monday described a proposed rewrite of senior‑year course offerings designed to give students more flexible pathways to graduation and career preparation.
"What we would like to do is replace [Earth and Space] and [ACM] with semester options," Matt Smith, introduced by the board as a high‑school presenter, told the board. Smith said the proposal responds to updated state science standards and broader graduation pathways that allow industry credentials and certifications as alternatives to Keystone testing. Proposed semester offerings include introduction to data analysis/statistics, financial applications of math, AP Computer Science A (to replace the district's current Java course), and multiple science‑focused semesters such as astronomy, environmental field studies, emergency medicine, sports medicine and organic chemistry.
Smith said course descriptions and unit outlines were provided in a packet from district staff and that full curricula are mapped in modular units; actual course scheduling will follow student course requests submitted in February and March, and a class will run only if enough students enroll. "Students' course requests will dictate what we actually teach," he said.
Directors asked whether teachers would face substantially different responsibilities; Smith replied the slate of electives was pared back to only those courses the current certified staff can manage. On converting Java to the AP Computer Science A designation, Smith said the content uses many of the same resources and the district does not impose prerequisites: "All students in our school are AP eligible," he said, adding teachers currently using the same textbook would continue as instructors.
Board members also discussed whether practical tools such as MS Excel would be integrated into data and financial‑math courses; presenters and directors agreed computer skills are workforce priorities and that teachers would incorporate those tools where appropriate.
The district will present the proposal for board consideration as part of agenda items 14.1 and 14.2; final scheduling depends on course requests and staffing. No formal board action on the curricular changes was recorded at this meeting.
