Curriculum committee moves to eliminate honors eighth‑grade Spanish to expand access, orders textbooks

The Abington Heights School District’s curriculum committee reported May 6 and presented its update to the board May 20, recommending the removal of the honors eighth‑grade Spanish course so the department can offer an additional general Spanish section and reach more students.

Mrs. Henderson, who presented the curriculum report, said enrollment into AP Spanish has been lower than expected and that the honors‑level eighth‑grade course has not produced the expected pipeline into higher‑level classes. "Eliminating honors Spanish would benefit more students overall as it would allow for an additional section of Spanish to be offered," she said.

The committee also approved purchasing new world‑language textbooks for the middle and high school and discussed inconsistencies in middle‑school homework expectations across teams and teachers. Mrs. Henderson said the group briefly considered new recess practices for seventh and eighth graders, noting a statewide discussion of recess initiatives but that no law or mandate has been passed.

The committee plans to meet in June or July to review family survey data that will inform future curriculum and schedule decisions; Mrs. Henderson encouraged families to complete the survey so administrators have representative data.

Next steps: the curriculum committee will return with survey results and any recommended policy changes; no formal board vote on the honors Spanish change was recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.