Mat-Su School District proposes curriculum changes

The proposed curriculum changes revolve around a concept that Dr. Randy Trani, Superintendent of the Mat-Su School District, calls the 4 Cs.

The four Cs are:  Credit, Community, Career and College.  The district is proposing that additional time be dedicated to mentoring students who are struggling with emotional safety or who have fallen behind on scholastic credits because of COVID-19.  For those students who are not behind, the time period will be used to work on post-secondary plans, such as resumes, scholarship applications or SAT test preparation.

In addition, the district is proposing four separate curriculum pathways to graduation:  There’s a math and science curriculum, social studies and language, Fine Arts, or Career and Technical Education.  The pathways will build on existing state graduation requirements, but will supplement with enough electives to build a competitive application to post-secondary learning opportunities.

So why make the changes?  Dr. Trani explains:

“So imagine that each freshman next year, I gave them a dice and said, “I want you to roll it, and if you get a 1,2,3,4 or 5 then your going to graduate, but if you get a 6, you don’t.”  That’s about the odds right now, and that’s not good enough.  So we needed to look really hard and look inside ourselves and, like, what can we do differently to make sure that we keep pushing that number up.  What we’re really trying to do, is create a system of support for each student, where they have an adult in the building, who’s going to shepherd them, help manage them through the system.”

In addition, every student will take at least one rigorous class called “AP Seminar”.  Reece Everett,  Associate Superintendent for the Mat-Su School District, describes what this is.

“Students will develop and practice skills in research, collaboration and communication, that are necessary in any 21st Century discipline or career.  Those skills that transcend whatever a student chooses to go into when they leave the K-12 system that we have here in the Mat-Su School District.”

Mr. Everett also explains the financial implications

“Financial constraints should never limit a student’s access to AP exams, IB exams, CTE certifications, so we announced this year, we being the school district administration, that we, the district, would cover those exams and CTE certifications.”

Dr. Trani noted the plan is still solidifying but that it would be finalized soon.   The Administration plans to take the new requirements to the School Board for approval in May.