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MUHSD outlines '20/30' strategic work groups, plans pilots for 2025–26
Summary
District staff presented MUHSD 20/30, a multi-year strategic initiative that refines core values and shifts work groups to pilot competency-based grading, immersive tools (VR/AR) and an extended 20-day summer learning institute for 2025–26.
Merced Union High School District staff on Tuesday described progress on MUHSD 20/30, a multi-year strategy launched in 2023 to align curriculum, career pathways and industry skills development across the district. Program lead Garmen told the board the initiative grew from executive-team planning and site-level empathy interviews and is moving into a phase of small-scale pilots and cabinet review in June.
Garmen said the district has formed multiple staff work groups and refined district core values to focus efforts. "We brainstormed skills employers are looking for and utilized insights from our CTE advisory committee," she said, describing the work groups' role in ideation, research and drafting proposals. The district plans a summer institute and volunteer teacher pilots in August to test competency- and skills-based grading units.
The presentation named four priority work-group directions for next year: (1) competency- and skills-based grading systems to better match industry standards; (2) exploration and scaling of interactive, immersive tools such as VR and AR for career-technical pathways; (3) scheduling and student-centered learning research to more closely mirror workplace rhythms; and (4) development of a 20-day extended-learning summer program with industry partners culminating in a multi-day performance.
Garmen emphasized that no district-wide implementation will occur without executive-team approval and that the next steps are focused on pilots and planning: "No implementation steps are furthered without the executive team agreeing that that’s ready," she said. Board members asked how competency measurement would account for differences between academic AP classes and skills-based CTE courses; Garmen said those conversations are scheduled before the summer institute and that details remain to be worked out.
The district will present refined proposals to cabinet in June and said it expects small-scale implementations during the 2025–26 school year if pilots show promise.
