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MCPS

Curriculum

Montgomery County Board of EducationNovember 9, 2021

Presentation Outline

Office of Teaching, Learning, and Schools:

Curriculum Updates

• COMAR Graduation Requirements

• Financial Literacy

• Pilot Courses

2

MCPS

Curriculum and Instructional Programs Updates

Equity Lens Impact Questions

1. For whom does this practice/decision serve or neglect? 2. Whose voices are dominating/lacking from the

conversation? 3. What adverse impacts or unintended consequences could

result from this decision? 4. What steps are in place for ongoing data collection and

reflection of the outcomes? 5. How diverse are the stakeholders leading the

implementation?

MCPS

High School Graduation Requirements for Class of 2025

Curriculum UpdatesMCPS

Recent Changes to MSDE Graduation Requirements

Beginning with the Class of 2025:

• Health education increase from 0.5 to 1.0 credit

• Increase from 3 to 4 credits required for mathematics

• World language credits must be the same language

• Expansion of technology education to include computer

science and engineering5

HS Graduation RequirementsClass of 2025

How Does This Impact MCPS Students?

• Based on the changes, MCPS now exceeds the state minimum

graduation requirement

• MCPS requires 1.0 credit for physical education, the state requires

a minimum 0.5 credit

• Impacts current ninth grade students who already have begun

accumulating credits 6


Stakeholders Input

7

Stakeholders Represented

• Students

• School-based Staff

• Principals

• Administrators

• Teachers

• Counselors

• Central Services Staff

• Parents/Guardians

• Community Members


8

Class of 2025: Option A

Content MSDE MCPS

English 4 4

Fine Arts 1 1

Health Education 1 1

Mathematics 4 4

Physical Education 0.5 1

Science 3 3

Social Studies 3 3

Technology Education 1 1

Electives 2 (WL)2.5 Remaining

2 (WL)2.5 Remaining

Total 22 22.5

Option A: Keep 0.5 additional MCPS high school physical education graduation requirement.

Students in MCPS would need 22.5 credits to graduate (MSDE requires 22 credits)

Class of 2025: Option AHS Graduation RequirementsClass of 2025

9

Class of 2025: Option B

Content MSDE MCPS

English 4 4

Fine Arts 1 1


Mathematics 4 4

Physical Education 0.5 0.5

Science 3 3

Social Studies 3 3



2 (WL)2.5 Remaining

Total 22 22

Option B: Reduce MCPS physical education graduation credit requirement by 0.5, maintaining 22 credits total

Class of 2025: Option BHS Graduation RequirementsClass of 2025

10

Class of 2025: Option C

Content MSDE MCPS

English 4 4

Fine Arts 1 1


Mathematics 4 4

Physical Education 0.5 1

Science 3 3

Social Studies 3 3



2 (WL)2 Remaining

Total 22 22

Option C: Reduce the MCPS electives requirement by 0.5, maintaining 22 credits total. Physical education would remain at 1.0 credit.

Class of 2025: Option CHS Graduation RequirementsClass of 2025

Patterns in Stakeholder Input

11

• Maintain 22 credit minimum requirement

• Consider impact on current ninth grade students

• Divided stakeholder support for options B and C

• Supportive of opportunities for increased student choice

• Advocacy in favor of a focus on student physical fitness

and well-being


Recommendation

For the Class of 2025:

Reduce the MCPS electives requirement by 0.5 credit, maintaining

22 credits total. Physical education would remain at 1.0 credit.

• Revisit as we explore the resolution to require Financial

Literacy as a high school graduation requirement.

12


Discussion/Action

MCPS

Financial Literacy

MCPS Curriculum Updates

• Maryland State Curriculum for Personal Financial Literacy Education established elementary, middle, and high school standards.

• In MCPS standards are taught in:

• Grades 3 and 5 social studies

• Grade 7 social studies (Finance Park)

• Grade 10 National, State, and Local Government15

FinancialLiteracy

MSDE COMAR Regulation (2010)

Formation of Work Group

• Spring 2021 Student advocacy to the Board of Education to expand financial literacy education.

• Spring 2021-Fall 2021 Workgroup was charged with establishing current state and crafting recommendations.

Members included students, teachers, central staff, and financial literacy organizations

16

FinancialLiteracy

Current Status

The Work Group determined:

• Personal Finance elective is offered at six high schools.

• There is strong student interest in an elective course being available at all high schools.

17

FinancialLiteracy

Recommendations

1. Explore possibility of adding 0.5 graduation requirement including development of curriculum and professional learning.

2. Annual student survey following NSL financial literacy modules to gather data for course improvement.

3. Financial Literacy course included in course bulletin.

4. Financial Literacy Coordinator to implement recommendations.

18

MCPS

Next Steps:

• Review work group recommendations and identify actions that will be taken.

• Examine the feasibility of a graduation requirement. This will include gathering feedback from students, parents, teachers.

• Share the results of feasibility study and actions in response to the work group’s recommendations (January 2022).

MCPS

Discussion

MCPS

Approval for Pilot Courses

MCPS

• Pilot courses allow students to bring forward areas of interest.

• Pilot courses allow MCPS to constantly respond to student interest, current issues, and develop leadership among our students.

Recommendation:• Six new non-core high school pilot courses• Three continuing in the pilot process• Seven exiting the pilot process

Approval for Pilot CoursesMCPS

Course Name: Proposed by

Shakespeare, Race, and Gender Northwood High School

Principles of Agricultural Science—Natural Resources

and Ecology (NRE)

Northwood and Sherwood high schools

Positive Psychology Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson, and

Thomas S. Wootton high schools

Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi/American Studies

(APIDA)

Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Montgomery Blair,

Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Richard

Montgomery, Watkins Mill High School,

and Walt Whitman high schools

Holocaust Studies Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School

Environmental Justice Walt Whitman High School

Pilot Courses Proposed for Pilot Development

Course Name: Proposed by

Analysis of Equity/Identity in STEM (formerly

titled Race, Gender and STEM)

Montgomery Blair High School

Introduction to Social Justice (Leadership, Equity,

Inclusion and Social Justice [LENS] Seminar)

Walt Whitman High School

Ethnic Studies Poolesville High School

LGBTQ+ Studies Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Montgomery Blair,

James Hubert Blake, Winston Churchill,

Albert Einstein, Northwest, Northwood,

Richard Montgomery, Paint Branch,

Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, and Walt Whitman

high schools

Pilot Courses Courses Remaining in the Pilot Course Development Process

Pilot Courses Recommended Courses For Approval

Courses Offered Only at Authorized High Schools with Specialized Programs—The following courses

successfully completed the pilot process after previous Board of Education review and approval to pilot and

are proposed for final approval as restricted courses.

● Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources A/B (AGB2015A/B)—Sherwood

and Northwood high schools, Damascus High School (opt-in school)

● Fundamentals of App Development A/B (ITC2066A/B)—Walter Johnson High School

● Advanced App Development 2 A/B (ITC2067A/B)—Walter Johnson High School

● Jazz Lab Band A/B ( ART2150A/B)—James Hubert Blake and Albert Einstein high schools

Active Course Available to be Offered in All High Schools—The following courses successfully

completed the pilot process after earlier Board of Education review and approval and are proposed

for final approval as an active course.

● American History through Film (SOC2089)— All high schools

● Political Psychology and Behavior (SOC2088)— All high schools

Discussion/Action

MCPS

Documents

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