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Board reviews first read of updated programs of study, including newcomer supports and Unified Music
Summary
At a Jan. 28 board meeting, Montgomery County Public Schools received a first read of minor updates to middle- and high-school programs of study aligning course descriptions to VDOE guidance, formalizing a newcomer program at Eastmont High and proposing a Unified Music offering; no action was requested.
Montgomery County Public Schools received a first read Wednesday of revisions to the district’s middle- and high-school programs of study, administration said.
Dr. Lori Comer, the division’s director of secondary education, told the board the updates are largely technical edits to align course descriptions with Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) guidance and recent state legislation. "This is a first read and no action is expected," the chair said when introducing the item. Comer said most changes are minimal clarifications, including a statement reflecting last summer’s state change on automatic enrollment for math courses.
Comer described updates to literacy supports for grades 4–8 under the Virginia Literacy Act. The division will use SIPs and Lexia as its approved interventions and will use state-aligned screening tools to determine placement in the literacy lab. She also asked the board to formally adopt a newcomer program at Eastmont High that had previously been discussed at the school level.
On extracurricular programs, Comer said the division proposes launching Unified Music in addition to the existing Unified PE program, citing positive outcomes from Unified PE. She also noted the VDOE’s expansion of high-school science standards that clears the way for offering forensic investigative sciences and clarified updates to career and technical education (CTE) sequencing so students can earn industry-recognized credentials and credit.
Board members asked how an EMT course noted in the program of study would be implemented; Comer and other administrators said the course is listed but grayed out where an instructor is not yet available and that the board could amend the program of study if the budget funds the position.
Because this was a first read, the board did not take action. Administrators said they would make technical edits and return the item for future consideration if changes to staffing or funding are approved through the budget process.
