A slate of new classes as well as removal of other high school level courses were proposed to the District 203 Board of Education by 203 administration at the April 7 board meeting.
The proposed additions and removals classes cover the social studies, fine arts, PE and CTE departments and would take effect in the 2026-27 school year.
A team of multiple teachers from Naperville North and Naperville Central, along with department chairs, met with district administration to discuss and create the course proposal.
“What they did this year is they got a group of teachers from Central, a group of teachers from North together, and they started to take a look at enrollment of all of their classes over the last couple of years, and then they collaboratively designed a survey that went out to students,” said Steve Jeretina, Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction.
This survey provided key insight to administration into what classes students found most engaging and where there might be gaps in course offerings. The decisions for these new course implementations are heavily driven by students and ideas and needs, according to Jeretina.
“[The survey] went out to about 2,300 students [that] responded at Central and North about social studies classes, like what are you enjoying,” Jeretina said. “What are some of the things that you would like to see? Just to help either confirm what they were seeing through the enrollment data that they were looking at, or opportunities for modifications or additions.”
New course offerings allow students to think further into their future and figure out what they might choose to do after high school, according to Jeretina.
“District leaders conducted meetings to identify new high school courses aligned to college and career readiness and post-secondary pathways,” according to 203’s BoardDocs.
Jeretina also wants to see students excel in high school with the courses they choose, giving them more opportunities to be recognized by different colleges.
“We’re also trying to really create more opportunities for students to engage in pathways that lead to diploma endorsements,” Jeretina said.
New additions include: PLTW Principles of Engineering Design, PLTW Civil Engineering & Architecture PLTW Capstone, Criminal Justice, Modern American History Through Media, Taking Action: Issues & Solutions, Coaching and Officiating, PE 2 Studio Wellness, PE 2 Strength & Performance and PE 2 Competitive Team Sports.
Removal of existing courses include: World Cultures, Legal Issues, Humanities II, Peace & Conflict and Painting 2.
“We’re excited that these [PLTW classes] are year long classes that are very much hands-on, and that they’re already adding to a lot of the great things that are happening within the department,” said Jeretina.
There is a marked improvement in the courses’ opportunities they give students, according to Jeretina.
“We’re excited about the direction that we’re going. We’re very grateful to all the department chairs at Naperville Central [and] Naperville North for taking a lead on this work, because it’s not easy, but they’ve done a really good job with the things that we’ve seen thus far,” Jeretina said.
The board will vote on the proposed changes at a future meeting.
