District staff presented a revised program of studies at the Oct. 2 East Stroudsburg Area School District EPR committee meeting that preserves the district’s 26-credit graduation requirement and adds a state-aligned one-credit financial literacy requirement for the class of 2029.

The revision also expands what the district counts as arts and humanities, removes family and consumer science as a standalone requirement, and introduces clearer guidance on grading, Keystone assessments and high-school transcripts, presenters said.

CNI team member, speaking to the committee, said, “It is the minimum requirements for graduation. So we have the 26 credits that we wanted to keep,” and explained that the district reviewed each requirement against Chapter 4 guidance to ensure coverage without adding unnecessary required courses.

Why it matters: the changes affect course planning, counselor placement and how students and families plan four-year schedules. District staff said the update aims to keep student choice while meeting state-mandated topics. The committee was shown a changes document that highlights modified pages so board members and the public can track what has been added or removed.

Key changes and operational details

- Credits and state alignment: The district will retain 26 total credits for graduation. The program adds one required credit in financial literacy for the graduating class of 2029, described in the draft as “financial literacy” to match the state requirement. Presenters said Personal Finance 1 is typically delivered in ninth grade and Personal Finance 2 in 11th grade, and counselors will retain discretion to place seniors who need the credit into an age-appropriate course.

- Arts and humanities: The draft broadens the arts and humanities category to include art, English, music, social studies electives (for example, sociology and psychology) and world language courses. Staff also reviewed specific courses that contain arts/humanities components and added them to the list so students and counselors can see which offerings satisfy the requirement.

- Family and consumer science: The district removed family and consumer science as a standalone requirement after staff reported declines in course enrollment and staffing capacity; some previously earned credits were being met through other courses such as introduction to business.

- Keystone exam transparency and benchmarks: Staff added a prominent explanation of Keystone exam coverage and benchmark practices so parents can see which grades and courses are tied to state assessments. The presenter said district benchmarking for subjects such as biology is still being finalized and the program-of-studies draft will be updated if decisions are made before the document’s December publication.

- Grading, GPA, transcripts and extracurriculars: The grading and reporting language remains largely unchanged, but the program-of-studies now cites policy language on GPA, class rank and dual-credit weighting. Staff noted that the student information system does not currently support automatic inclusion of non-sport extracurricular activities on the official transcript, so the school profile that accompanies the transcript will be used to communicate opportunities and activities not captured in the transcript file.

- Leveling and appeals process: The draft includes a published leveling guide and an appeal path parents may use if they disagree with a teacher recommendation: first conference with the teacher, then counselor, and, if unresolved, a form for administrative review with required data points.

What remains unresolved

Staff said National Honor Society entry criteria and honors reception procedures require further discussion with building-level administrators before those sections are finalized; the presenter asked for time to complete those conversations outside the committee meeting.

Next steps

The draft program of studies is being published in draft form on future agendas and department chairs and principals will continue to review it. Staff invited board members and the public to submit feedback to the presenter before subsequent reviews.