At the Oct. 26 curriculum and technology committee meeting, English Department Chairperson Carla Pacitti and World Language Department Chairperson Laura DosSantos proposed new offerings.

In the English department, Pacitti proposed an AP Language and Composition course to be offered in the 2016-2017 for juniors and seniors. This college-level course would focus on nonfiction prose selections, deepening the students’ awareness of rhetoric and learning how language works. The learning goals are to prepare students for college-level written, oral and multi-media-anchored communication, have the students annotate a text and develop and expand their knowledge of complex vocabulary.

“This is the most popular advanced placement course nationwide,” Pacitti said. “It is accepted by the majority of colleges and universities in the United States.”

Pacitti said Guidance Counselor Shannon Stokes will take the course to Seton Hall for consideration for dual enrollment.

Board members overwhelmingly supported the proposed AP course. Board member Sam DeFrank said “anything to increase choice and participation is a good thing.”

Salisbury High School Principal Heather Morningstar said they will not run the course if there is not enough interest.

“I support any effort to bring something other than fiction into the English curriculum,” Board member Russ Giordano said. “I’m all for it. Thank you.”

DosSantos proposed offering German V and Spanish V in the 2016-2017 school year.

DosSantos said she would like to see the courses offered as dual enrollment.

Although some area schools do have a level five language offering, none offer dual enrollment.

These courses would be conducted entirely in the target language, according to DosSantos.

“We will stress active communiction with an emphasis on the ability to comprehend formal and informal spoken language,” DosSantos said.

The students will “read both newspaper articles and literature, will be able to compose expository pieces and will have the ability to express ideas orally with accuracy and fluency,” DosSantos said.

“My biggest regret is we cut language two years ago,” Giordano said. “This is the best gift we can give our students. I was never happy we dropped French.”

Board member Carol Klinger asked if additional staffing would be needed.

Morningstar responded with 50 students, two sections would be needed. “We won’t be running two sections of something else.”

Morningstar also said colleges want to see two years of a language and more difficult schools want to see three, four or five years.

Board members supported the introduction of level five languages.

Supervisor of Instructional Practice Ross Cooper presented the Writing Pathways professional development program purchased for all teachers at the elementary level. The program incorporates six components: on-demand performance prompts, student writing samples, annotated demonstration tests, learning progressions, writing checklists and teaching rubrics.

Cooper said the staff’s reaction has been overwhelmingly supportive and in fact the program was recommended by an instructional coach. The teachers were given the book over the summer and a summer session was offered.

“This was driven by teachers’ interest,” Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Lynn Fuini-Hetten said.

In other business, the district hosted an Apple Site Visit the week of Oct. 19. Fuini-Hetten said 42 people from four different states attended, some who had not registered. Elementary, middle and high school students showcased their work and talked with educators.

“Participants were blown away by students’ projects,” Fuini-Hetten said.

Fuini-Hetten said students and administrators also participated in the Pennsylvania School Boards Association conference in Hershey recently where they presented their projects.

Overnight trip requests were reviewed: a varsity wrestling tournament in Mount Joy Dec. 19 to 20, a marching band trip to Tampa, Fla. to particpate in the Outback Bowl parade Dec. 29, 2016 to Jan. 1, 2017 and Model UN to Baltimore, Md. Feb. 18 to 21, 2016.

Board members held an executive session following the meeting.