Archuleta School District (ASD) high school students will have three new elective course options next school year.
During its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 4, the Board of Education (BoE) unanimously approved an AP environmental studies course, a food science course, and a food products and processing course.
Pagosa Springs High School (PSHS) Principal Sean O’Donnell presented the AP environmental studies course, explaining that the course will be available for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors to select as an elective.
“AP courses are definitely gaining a lot of popularity at the high school,” O’Donnell said, “which I think is excellent news.”
O’Donnell explained that AP courses can count toward college credits, but that it is not a guaranteed college credit.
Students would need to sign up and take an AP test outside of the regular course where they receive a score on a 1 through 5 scale, and would receive college credit based on that score depending on requirements from whichever college the student is planning to attend, he explained.
O’Donnell noted that although it is not a guaranteed college credit, “it could translate to college credit if you score high enough on your AP test.”
He noted the course will be taught in person and that there is no prerequisite course required for students to enroll in the class.
He mentioned that all freshmen are required to take Integrated Science 1, but can select this AP course as an additional elective.
BoE member Tim Taylor asked about the difference in AP courses and concurrent enrollment courses, which also let students earn college credits.
O’Donnell explained that concurrent enrollment courses are monitored by the higher learning commission through the state and that teachers generally need to have a master’s degree in that specific content field in order to teach a concurrent enrollment course.
He mentioned that AP courses do not require teachers to have a master’s degree, but rather just need to go through training and have a syllabus approved.
“It will be more rigorous than a regular course,” O’Donnell said.
Superintendent Rick Holt commented in support of AP classes.
“I’m in favor of as many AP classes as we can muster,” he said, explaining that he has found that the rigor of an AP course provides much higher consistency in the final assessment compared to concurrent enrollment courses.
He mentioned that concurrent enrollment end-of-unit assessments vary “wildly” regardless of where the course is taken, noting it can heavily depend on who taught the course.
“I would pick AP simply because it promises a much more rigorous delivery of curriculum,” Holt said.
O’Donnell also noted that the AP test is optional, and that students would need to make a financial commitment and then take the test.
He also mentioned that the district has ways to help students who may not be able to cover the cost for the additional AP test.
PSHS agriculture teacher Garret Fong then presented the other two electives, which are Food Science A and B, and Food Products and Processing.
“So this is delving more into the food science aspect of agriculture,” Fong said, explaining that the food science course is different from the school’s culinary course by looking at the “scientific aspects” of adding certain ingredients, cooking at altitude and talking about food safety.
Fong also mentioned that “students will get ServSafe certified within the first semester” if they take the class.
Fong then explained that the food products and processing course is an advanced course that needs Food Science A and B taken as prerequisites.
He explained that students will learn how to grow food and develop it into a product that can be brought to the market.
Fong noted that students will develop, test “and by the end they will present a food product.”
Fong indicated that Food Science A and B can be taken by sophomores, juniors and seniors, once they’ve taken the Intro to Agriculture course.
Holt commented that “this is exactly the stuff we want to be spending money on” with adding to the school’s career and technical education courses.
“We will find the funds,” he added.
Master plan update
Also during the March 4 meeting, Holt provided a brief update on the district’s Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant application.
“We successfully submitted our BEST grant on Monday,” he said.
Holt indicated that the district “won’t hear anything definitive until May,” in regard to if the grant will be awarded.
clayton@pagosasun.com
>