New classes part of District 214 curriculum changes

Northwest Suburban High School District 214 is making academic handbook and curriculum changes that will lead to some new courses for the 2012-2013 school year.

Superintendent Dave Schuler said major revisions include aligning the academic handbook to board policies and procedures, as well as making sure the handbooks at each high school are written with the same guidelines.

The district also is removing the word “preparatory” from the names of many classes. Although in District 214 “preparatory” designates a regular class, some schools in Illinois use the word to refer to remedial courses, Schuler said.

New courses will be offered at some of the high schools, while some classes not aligned with the state-approved Career and Technical Education pathway are being eliminated.

For example, jewelry and sculpture classes will no longer be taught at Elk Grove High School, but the school will offer advanced graphic arts.

Advancement Via Individual Determination, a four-year program that prepares students for AP and college-level work, is shedding its pilot program label at Wheeling High School and officially will be part of the school curriculum. The program may soon be rolled out at Rolling Meadows High School, Schuler said.

New classes include personal trainer certification for seniors at Buffalo Grove High School, which school board President James Perkins believes will be a popular class among athletes; however, the class does not count toward physical education requirements. Students who complete it will be able to take the American Council on Exercise personal trainer certification exam.

The board is expected to approve the academic handbook and curriculum changes at its meeting Nov. 3.