KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Kalamazoo Public School trustees meet Thursday night for the last time this year with an eye on the future.
On their agenda for final approval are changes in the class offerings for fall 2017. One big change will be the additional variety of courses that will be available through the Early Middle College. The program replaces the traditional four years of high school with a five-year course of study that combines high school and community college credits.
Asst. Supt. Cindy Green says they are adding dozens of new programs that will either lead to a trade certificate, an associate degree, or both. The new offerings include dozens of specialties in several fields including automotive, computer, food service, office skills, engineering, industrial trade skills and healthcare.
The programs will be available to all students county wide through the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency and their education for employment program, in cooperation with Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
Trustees will also be asked to expand programs that are specifically taught in Kalamazoo.
Ninth-grade algebra and several foreign language courses would be expanded from two trimesters to courses that take all three trimesters to teach. Officials say it will allow the teachers to go into greater depth on the subjects and give students more time to learn the material.
