Waltham Public Schools — Curriculum

Curriculum decisions across Waltham Public Schools over the past school year touched every grade level, beginning with two policy changes at the October 2025 School Committee meeting. Following the statewide elimination of the MCAS graduation requirement, the Committee approved on first reading a new Competency Determination policy that will require Waltham High students to demonstrate mastery in ELA, math, and science through coursework and assessments, with credit requirements rising from 120 credits for the classes of 2026-27 to 130 for the class of 2028. At that same meeting, the Committee approved handbook language creating an opt-out/accommodation process for families regarding curriculum content related to LGBTQ topics, in line with the Mahmoud v. Taylor Supreme Court ruling and state regulation.

In the months that followed, the district continued to refine high school offerings and middle school programming. In November, the Committee approved the high school CTE Department's Chapter 74 recruitment, admission, and retention policy on a contested roll-call vote with one dissent, alongside a related middle school pathway exploration policy. In late February, the Committee approved adoption of the OpenSciEd middle school science curriculum for all students in grades six through eight, replacing the expiring STEMscopes subscription with a phased three-year rollout of six units per year.

In March, the Committee provisionally approved the 2026-27 Waltham High School Program of Studies, a wide-ranging update that eliminates SEI-specific courses per DESE guidance by integrating those students into CP/honors classes, combines PLTW Capstone across pathways, changes CTE Chapter 74 credit structures, and adds and removes electives. The approval was conditioned on keeping the Music Unlimited/Music Express show choir classes unchanged from this year and retaining Screenwriting, LGBTQ+ Voices, and Civics in the book even if they don't run.

Most recently, in July 2026, parents raised concerns during public input about being excluded from the high school schedule development process and about a possible shift from an eight-period to a seven-period schedule, particularly its impact on students with IEPs and in CTE programs. The superintendent confirmed the WHS Schedule Committee will meet later in July to review a staff survey, with the new principal taking over the group.