A shift is underway at Summit High School. The 2025-2026 curriculum guide is posted, and it’s one that promises to reshape student schedules and redefine academic priorities. Not only does it tease an advisory period for all, but it also threatens to remove incoming freshmans’ free period. However, both state and federal funding is impeding the district’s ability to finalize any decisions.
“We don’t know The Department of Education’s future,” said Assistant Principal Reno Holler, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding next school year’s budget.
Starting next fall, new classes will be introduced as part of state-mandated changes, including required physics and personal finance courses for freshmen as well as an advisory period for all students. While the changes remain under the radar for most students, discussions among administrators, teachers and district higher-ups are already heating up.
Principal Donna Servignat addressed the changes, emphasizing the state’s role in pushing these mandates without offering any additional funding.
“The state has said, ‘You have to do this,’ but we’re left figuring out how to make it work without impacting student choice or teacher workloads,” said Servignat. Despite the challenges, the school aims to thoughtfully implement these changes, ensuring they meet both educational objectives as well as student needs.
The new requirements aim to broaden the science curriculum, using the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Beginning with the class of 2029, students will follow a new science pathway, starting with a required freshman physics class. The goal is to ensure all students receive a more well-rounded education, covering all science options instead of allowing them to focus on life sciences or any other specific field.
However, these new changes present challenges for students wanting to take Advanced Placement (AP) science classes. To be able to fit everything in, AP courses may need to be taken simultaneously as elective credits with NGSS classes or postponed until senior year. As of now, no decision has been made about who will be teaching the freshman physics course, leaving lots of variability for the year ahead.
At the heart of the initiative is the new advisory period. This new class will focus on social-emotional learning, career readiness and college planning. Students will earn credits for this course over all four years, and it will have activities like academic support and career preparation. The goal is to lower disruptions to the school day by allowing for a set time for assemblies, surveys and other events.
Servignat described the advisory period as a way to provide “intentional time” for activities like college and career planning, more academic support and a more streamlined schedule. However, the specifics are still being worked out as discussions are ongoing with teacher unions and district leaders about whether this period will be combined into the current curriculum or established as a separate class.
Not everyone is fully convinced about these changes. Some students and teachers have raised concerns about how the new requirements will affect schedules, electives and free periods.
“It becomes purely a management challenge rather than an educational improvement,” said longtime teacher Brady Bedsworth who is retiring this year.
The advisory period will also mean shortening each class by about four to five minutes which some teachers worry could disrupt the flow of instruction. For current sophomores and freshmen, the changes could feel even more aggravating given that they will need to adjust their schedules to fit the new graduation requirements but won’t get the built-in classes new freshmen have access to. Juniors, however, are exempt from the new regulations.
“It’s a bummer that we have to find ways to get these credits in while incoming freshmen get built-in classes,” said sophomore Edie Wright, summing up frustrations shared by many of her peers.
Despite these concerns, many administrators are optimistic about the long-term benefits of these changes. They hope the advisory period will help students develop essential life skills like emotional regulation and planning for the future. Personal finance is also expected to become a part of the freshman curriculum, replacing traditional economics courses.
Higher Education and Career Path Skills is another new course that will be introduced as a required credit for the graduating class of 2029. This class will be an opportunity for freshmen to learn about possible postsecondary career paths and internships, as well as setting students up for their next three years working with the Future Center at Summit.
Administrators plan to gather input from students, parents and teachers through advisory meetings in coming months. For now, Summit’s administration is navigating these changes carefully, trying to balance state mandates with the needs and goals of students and staff.
