Meeting Recap: ERSCD Curriculum & Philosophy - 9.7.21

Click here for draft minutes submitted by Helen Joyce

Recap provided by SAU parent/taxpayer. Please read in conjunction with draft minutes linked above for full update.

1. SST Courses

• Kids in AP classes don’t want to take SST courses

• Weighted system - SST courses would lower their GPA because it is weighted lower

• SST offers college credit, yet rated lower than College Prep classes at EHS • Follow up with past students?

• SST has a governing board which includes other schools. Every school weights the SST courses differently.

• EHS principal wants to do away with weighted grades and class rankings, but still want to recognize top 10 and/or use Latin Honors.

• Students have the option to send a weighted or unweighted GPA to colleges.

• The weighted system only includes core subjects, so kids avoid band and other electives because they don’t want their GPAs to go down.

• Kids can get credits at Keene State College in high school.

• Harvard wants kids with varied interests. They don’t just want kids taking typical courses.

• Greatest feeder school into UNH is Great Bay Community College.

• Moving forward, committee needs to gather more input from parents, students, teachers, college admins, etc.

• Helen Joyce noted that parents may wonder, “Why is my child who is taking an AP class getting the same (rank) as a child who is taking a class just to graduate high school?” - referring to doing away with weighted grades.

• Dr. Ryan noted that they need at least a year to pull this together - a committee needs to do the work and report back to this committee. New committee would be a fact finding committee.

2. Awarding Course Credit for Competencies at SST

• Not done at this time.

• For example: you can get college credit for Biology I by taking the SST Bio Med course, and you can take it without first taking Biology at EHS, but EHS won’t recognize it towards graduation.

• ELOs (Extended Learning Opportunities) - allows students to get credit for a part-time job that the DOE approves, so SST should count towards credit too.

• So many ways for SST and EHS to coordinate.

• SST and EHS will get together (do a crosswalk) and see how courses at the two schools overlap.

3. PE Credit for Intercollegiate Athletics

• Concern is PE teachers would lose jobs due to less students being enrolled in the class, but Dr. Ryan said that isn’t the case.

• Sophomores are required to take Health. Those classes are packed. Maybe some PE teachers could teach Health with the extra time if they are certified to do so?

• Would coaches be required to monitor participation? They would have to take attendance.

• Dr. Ryan to sit down with principals and PE teachers to come up with “what if” scenarios.