Haverhill Schools Pull Back New Graduation Requirements, Unveil 2025 Program of Studies

Ward 4 School Committee member Mikaela Lalumiere. (Courtesy photograph.)

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Haverhill Public Schools administrators are rolling back certain new graduation requirements after getting feedback from the state, but forging ahead with several new course offerings.

Supervisor of School Counseling Megan Arivella last week told School Committee members, the school system adopted state-recommended graduation requirements for this year’s graduating class in the aftermath of voters repealing requirements last fall. Arivella said, however, the city was unable to meet certain criteria to “make it successful.”

“You need to have a PE substitution in place, a language equivalency or placement substitution in place, you need to have certain funding which we have had to build certain (career technical education) programs, but overall, our students, we found, it was rolled out too quickly without building the capacity for it to be successful so some of our students just didn’t have enough of the credits to graduate at the time we needed them to,” she said.

Arivella said that the school system is awaiting guidance from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education after voters opted to repeal the graduation requirement for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS.

Committee member Mikaela Laluimere encouraged administrators to prepare an additional fourth-year mathematics requirement in the future. “I would highly encourage we solidify a fourth-year math. Financial literacy, math literacy is such a huge component of being successful once you leave school and being able to interact the world and understand the world and not really being taken advantage of by the world,” she said.

Arivella agreed, noting that administrators have met to find ways to include financial literacy courses in future program of studies.  She explained, “As kids change, as families change, as needs change, we’re trying to adapt it, not decrease the rigor. In essence, it allows more availability for kids to have a choice of their interest levels.”

Several courses, including Meteorology, Physical Science, History of Film, the Art of Anime, Intervention blocks have been removed.

New courses, such as Advanced Placement Seminar, English and History research courses for sophomores, juniors and seniors; a full-year Environmental Science course; Advanced Placement African American Studies; additional Portuguese courses; and a sports officiating course for aspiring referees have been added, among others.

Committee member Paul A. Magliochetti called the school system’s program of studies a “great marketing tool” for the city.

“When you look at the curriculum we offer, it’s very impressive. That’s why we graduate students every year and they get into top colleges,” he said. “It’s because of the quality of education they get at Haverhill High School and a lot of times people just don’t get that message.”

In other school news, the Haverhill High School Class of 1980 donated $4,500.92 to the high school to celebrate student achievement.

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