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Chicago Tribune
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville District 203 wants to add more engineering, social studies and PE classes to high school lineup
Students at Naperville North and Central high schools may be able to take new engineering, social studies and physical education classes in the 2026-27 school year. The Naperville District 203 School Board is expected to vote April 21 on adding more courses to the high school offerings while eliminating a few with declining enrollment or whose material may be covered in another class. On Monday, the board heard a presentation on the proposed changes. 'I'm always impressed watching the evolution of any of our subjects and seeing how we make such an effort to keep things relevant,' board President Kristine Gericke said. Some of the new courses will offer college credit, such as the Principles of Engineering and Civil Engineering and Architecture, which are to be offered as part of the Project Lead the Way sequence. Students can learn engineering, robotics, 3-D modeling and programming in the Principles of Engineering courses, a course description said. Students also can work with 3D architectural design software in the Civil Engineering and Architecture course. The district is also looking to add a Project Lead the Way Capstone course that expands on the engineering program for the 2027-28 school year. Jayne Willard, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the district selects new courses based on industry trends, student interest, future careers and post-secondary preparation. The district's staff evaluates its courses to ensure they are still relevant and have enough rigor or if new ones should be developed to fill a need, she said. 'The primary focus of our visioning work is to create learning experiences that actively engage students in meaningful ways and equip students for both academic success and future careers,' she said. Three new semester-long social studies courses are under review and will be voted by the board on later this month. They are Criminal Justice, Modern American History Through Media and Taking Action: Issues and Solutions. In the Criminal Justice course, students can explore crime, law enforcement, and the court and corrections systems while analyzing the impact of laws and policies on society, a course description said. Students taking Modern American History Through Media will learn how television, music and art of the 1980s, '90s and today shaped American society, politics, culture and technology. The Taking Action class will offer students a chance to analyze and address real-world issues in their communities, according to the course description. 'The wide range of elective course offerings encourages many students to exceed the 2½ credit requirement,' said Steve Jeretina, assistant principal at Naperville Central. The district also will offer Cultural Anthropology to understand and value diverse cultures, which will replace World Cultures, he said. About 2,300 high school students were surveyed to gauge their interest, Jeretina said. New physical education courses are also under consideration. A Coaching and Officiating class will give students the resources to be IHSA-certified in officiating a sport of their choice, opening up opportunities to work as an official at local athletic events, Jeretina said. It also promotes leadership, responsibility and career readiness in sports management, he said. Sophomore students will have a chance to pick a physical education course based on their interests and fitness goals in three new semester-long classes. The Studio Wellness option focuses on group exercise such as yoga, pilates or Zumba and stress management. The Strength and Performance option will feature resistance training, injury prevention and nutrition while the Competitive Team Sports option allows students to participate in a variety of group sports, such as basketball, football, soccer, floor hockey, volleyball, pickleball and others. Board member Melissa Kelley Black said she appreciated they were giving students healthy lifestyle habits, which is beneficial for both physical and mental health. In addition to World Cultures, courses removed for low enrollment, limited interest or content duplicated in other classes include Humanities II, Legal Issues, Peace and Conflict and Painting 2. For instance, the Peace and Conflict course had a 50% decline in enrollment over the last four years and not enough interest to be offered at both high schools this year, district officials said. With board approval, the classes would be dropped in the 2026-27 school year.
Chicago Tribune
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville D203 agrees to push back new school start times, class changes to 2026-27
Sweeping changes to the Naperville District 203 school day would not be implemented until the 2026-27 academic year if approved by the school board, administrators said Monday. Since January, some parents, teachers and students have protested the Innovative School Experience, a proposal to alter the start and end times of elementary, middle and high school and switch to a block schedule format with longer class periods for middle and high school. Criticism has centered on the district moving too fast with such drastic changes. Teachers need time to plan their curriculum and parents need time to adjust work schedules or secure child care, according to comments made at several board meetings. If the plan is approved, the recommended changes would now take effect at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year, district officials said at Monday's school board meeting. A vote on the plan has not been scheduled. Jayne Willard, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said district administration discussed postponing the changes for a year with union leadership, who agreed that a later implementation would be beneficial. The district would use the 2025-26 school year to prepare staff for the changes, she said. 'By providing ongoing targeted professional development, we will ensure that staff have the resources, training and support needed for a smooth and effective transition in 2026-27,' Willard said. The updated timeline also allows time to settle collective bargaining agreements as the Naperville Unit Education Association's contract expires June 30, district documents said. District administrators said their proposal is rooted in best educational practices and backed by research. The plan will help the district reach some of its goals such as improving math scores, increasing a sense of belonging, decreasing tardies, reducing chronic absenteeism and closing the achievement gap, they said. 'We are not innovating for the sake of just innovation,' Superintendent Dan Bridges said. 'But rather, these proposals reflect the identified and shared goals outlined in our strategic blueprint. Deep thought and consideration has gone into the recommendations brought forward for both the experience in our classrooms and for the operational improvements needed to fully optimize how our time is spent.' Key components of the plan include adding 15 minutes to the elementary school day, increasing math instruction time at the middle school level to help bridge achievement gaps, having longer and more in-depth classes for middle and high school students and providing more instructional support time. To address supervision challenges and ensure students arrive to school as close to the start time as possible, the district would shift the start and end times to the student day. Under the proposal, elementary school would move from an 8:15 a.m. start to a 7:45 a.m. start, while middle school would start 50 minutes later, moving from an 8 a.m. start to 8:50 a.m. The high school day would be shorter and start later. It currently runs from 7:45 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. If the plan is adopted, school would start at 8:20 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m. Officials pointed to nearby school districts, which have implemented similar changes. Both West Aurora School District 129 and Elgin School District U-46 last month approved extending its elementary school day and shifting start and end times to those similar to District 203's proposal. Glenbard Township High School District 87 recently moved to a block schedule. The administration is also following a proposed bill in Springfield that, if approved, would prohibit high school from having a start time earlier than 8:45 a.m. The district has exhausted every scenario for changing its start and end times taking into consideration extracurricular activities, students who have after-school jobs and research into adolescent sleep times. Adding more buses is not possible at this time, officials said. Allison Boutet, assistant superintendent of administrative services, said some high school students currently get on the bus at 6:10 a.m. and classes don't start until 7:45 a.m. Some bus riders in middle school now get on the bus at 6:29 a.m., about 90 minutes before the start of their school day, she said. Board President Kristine Gericke said while no plan would be perfect, the one on the table is the 'right proposal.' She said she doesn't like students wasting time and the current bus schedule where students are asked to wake up early only to sit and wait for school to start is disrespectful. 'The word ethical has come up a couple of times, and I don't believe some of the current things as they stand are doing right by our students and are ethical,' Gericke said. Board members said they still have concerns over how the changes will affect families and whether they will be burdened with additional child care costs. Board member Donna Wandke said the administration still needs to convince the greater community and staff that the plan is the best for the district. 'More eyes on it, more people understanding it, yes makes it more difficult to come to an agreement, but also makes it better and stronger,' she said. Board member Charles Cush likened the plan to a space launch and wanted to ensure all the district's stakeholders, including administration, the school board, teachers, staff, parents and students, gave their approval before implementation. 'I just don't think we have that right now,' Cush said. 'I think there are several concerns out there.'
