At the Dec. 5 Whitehall-Coplay School Board committee meetings, J. Michael Malay Jr., Whitehall-Coplay School District business manager, gave an update on the tax collection service agreement with Whitehall Township during the finance portion. Malay said the township will vote on the agreement Dec. 12, and as long as they vote to affirm, it will be brought to the school board for a vote at the meeting Dec. 19. The contract is for two years, from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024.

During the education/student activities meeting, Director of Teaching and Learning Renee Sallit discussed purchasing additional modules from Powerschool, the district’s student information system and data management application. Sallit said the additions would help meet some of the district’s comprehensive goals, including multitiered systems of support (MTSS). Sallit discussed Unified Insights, a data warehouse that pulls information directly from the student information system, and said it would be used to upload and analyze custom data across multiple bases and for MTSS.

Sallit said having assessments, attendance and discipline records in one place would “help to see the whole picture of a student on one dashboard.” She added it would be easier to tell if the correct students are being identified and supported and would be used by school psychologists, administrations, guidance counselors and teachers. Ecollect Forms, which would allow administration and staff to create and send out surveys, could also be used for parent/teacher conferences and to create custom forms.

PowerPack would allow the creation of custom alerts and would help teachers identify students with medical issues, custody orders and other specific needs. The state validation system module allows the system to know what data the Pennsylvania Department of Education has received and what is still needed, and it alerts administration immediately if there are errors, so they can be corrected before PDE gets the information.

Unified Home Communication would be used for secondary students for one- and two-way communication between teachers and families. Elementary students currently use the ClassDojo and Seesaw apps. Sallit said they want to pilot UHC at Whitehall High School for the remainder of the year and, if it goes well, introduce it at Whitehall-Coplay Middle School.

Also at the meeting, WHS Principal Dr. Peter Mayes and WHS Assistant Principal Heather Hampton discussed additions to the new 2023-24 course catalog that will be presented to the board in January 2023. The course catalog will be referred to as the program of studies.

Pre-algebra would be a one-credit course for ninth- and 10th-grade students and will give them an opportunity to master the mathematical concepts needed to succeed in Algebra 1, such as basic operations of real numbers, formulas, linear equations, geometry and statistics. Students will learn to use graphing calculators, work together in groups, practice skills using Study Island and take problem-solving skills assessments.

Hampton called the course “a bridge to Algebra 1,” and all students can enroll in College Prep Algebra 1 afterward, followed by the other college prep math courses. Pre-algebra would replace the two-year algebra series of Core Algebra 1A and 1B and the double-period Core Algebra 1. Core Algebra 1B could remain for one more year for students who had Core Algebra 1A this year, but students could possibly take College Prep Algebra 1 next year because they would already have a grasp on the first part of Algebra 1.

Hampton and Mayes also recommend eliminating Accelerated Algebra 1 since the students who are currently taking it are more aligned with the College Prep Algebra 1 students.

Hampton said they also want to add Honors Spanish 1 and 2 for ninth- and 10th-grade students. In one year, students should become proficient in speaking, listening, reading and writing, as well as developing an understanding of the Hispanic culture. After successfully completing the course, students could move on to Honors Spanish 3, where they would develop oral conversation skills, have speaking assessments and participate in cooperative learning activities.

The end goal would be for students to reach AP-level Spanish by their senior year. If it goes well, a similar class could eventually be considered for German. There are no additional costs expected, as textbooks wouldn’t be needed right away, and the course is in the budget for long-term implementation of AP Spanish.

Another proposed course is Career and Financial Literacy, which would be a required elective for 10th-grade students, except for those attending LCTI. Career and Financial Literacy will teach students to analyze career paths based on their interests, abilities, aptitude, goals and achievements. Students would use online technology, participate in job shadowing, engage in career-focused activities and community service and learn more about possible careers.

Emphasis will also be placed on time management and identifying personal learning styles through the use of self-assessments. Students will create an electronic portfolio that includes career awareness and preparation; career acquisition, such as writing cover letters and resumes and searching for jobs; career retention and advancement, like team building; and entrepreneurship. The course will assist students in applying for jobs and colleges.

In addition, the course was created to teach students personal financial literacy and responsibility, including saving and investing, and how to make decisions about income and careers. This course would replace Career Exploration and Technology because of the addition of financial literacy education.

Mayes said he has been meeting with WHS students to get feedback since starting his position as principal, and the first thing he asks is what is one thing the district can do to prepare them for the world after graduation.

“Every child says, ‘I want to learn more about money, financial literacy, savings, jobs and those things,’” Mayes said.