Curriculum committee approves semester-based senior English courses to boost choice and engagement

RSU 11/MSAD 11’s curriculum committee on Feb. 3 approved a restructuring of senior English into semester-based offerings intended to increase student choice and teacher flexibility.

Angela Hardy, the district’s director of curriculum, said the department proposes two semester courses: The Examined Life, which integrates philosophy, graphic novels and film; and The Power of Storytelling, focused on creative writing, public speaking and scene study. "We want to keep the critical standards while giving students opportunities to pursue work that sustains them through the senior year," Hardy said.

The change is designed to preserve core reading, writing, language and speaking standards while letting students mix and match semester options or combine them for a full-year experience. Curriculum staff cited an enrollment analysis showing semester offerings can also help students who need credit recovery access a single-semester opportunity rather than retaking a year-long class.

Staff described how teachers would remain the official instructor of record but could swap units or co-plan to bring in in-house expertise for short modules — for example, a teacher particularly skilled in graphic novels could lead that unit for several weeks before returning students to the primary teacher.

Committee members raised class-size and staffing questions; staff pointed to the district’s class-size policy (high-school maximum typically 25; preferred range ~16–18) and said projected enrollments and workload studies indicate the semesterization is manageable within current staffing models. Applied Communications would convert to a one-semester core with project-based application as the second semester; students may also use Thomas College dual-enrollment options if they meet prerequisites.

A committee member moved to accept the new senior English courses "as described in the program of studies," a second was recorded, and the motion passed unanimously. The committee’s approval allows the changes to be finalized at the next district board meeting and used for 8th-grade open-house planning and high-school course registration.

The committee did not change graduation requirements; staff said approved courses will be coded in the program of studies and reflected on student transcripts. The curriculum office will monitor enrollments and report back if scheduling or staffing issues emerge.