Specialized courses around such disparate subjects as culinary arts, software engineering, and English composition could be tweaked in the upcoming 2026-27 school year in Naperville School District 203.
A number of specific courses in the subject areas could be added and subtracted, based on a preliminary proposal submitted at Naperville 203’s board of education meeting Monday, Oct. 20.
What could be added and dropped for 2026-27 school year
According to the recent board presentation, four high school courses could be added in the 2026-27 school year, while five could be removed from the list of available offerings.
Based on the proposal, the course additions would include:
- Introduction to Hospitality and Culinary Arts (0.5 credits)
- Blended Software Engineering (1 credit)
- English Composition 1 (0.5 credits)
- English Composition 2 (0.5 credits)
The specific course removals for the upcoming school year could include:
- Culinary Arts and Nutrition 1 (0.5 credits)
- Software Engineering 1 (0.5 credits)
- Blended Software Engineering 2 (0.5 credits)
- Honors Senior Rhetoric (0.5 credits)
- Blended Honors Senior Rhetoric (0.5 credits)
District 203 officials explain rationale behind change-up
Superintendent Dan Bridges noted that fall within Naperville 203 is traditionally a time to begin discussing changes in high school course offerings as preliminary planning for the next school year ramps up.
“Every year, we go through a collaborative, multi-step process to review new high school courses that we’d like to introduce to align with college and career readiness and post-secondary pathways,” Bridges said.
Steve Jeretina, assistant principal of curriculum and instruction at Naperville Central High School, and Kira Mocon, assistant principal of curriculum and instruction at Naperville North High School, discussed some of the drivers behind the specific course changes at the recent board meeting.
“As we have shared in the past, at the high school level, we use a course audit process to help define and streamline curricular offerings that best align with Illinois learning standards, industry trends, student interest, and post-secondary preparation,” Mocon said.
Speaking to the administrative-level recommended changes for the upcoming school year, Mocon added, “These recommendations reflect our ongoing commitment to maintaining a dynamic, relevant, and impactful curriculum, aligning with our Profile of a Learner competencies.”
The culinary arts changes, Jeretina said, are intended to have a “stronger industry-aligned” focus that “serves as an entry point for our hospitality and tourism pathway.”
The software engineering class changes, meanwhile, are intended to combine elements of the current semester courses and offer up more work-based learning opportunities within the new offering.
“By consolidating this content into one year-long class, students will explore more advanced data structures, software engineering processes, and application development,” Jeretina said.
Lastly, the English composition changes are the reflection of Naperville 203’s ongoing efforts toward providing dual-credit opportunities through the College of DuPage.
Speaking to the new proposed additions, Jeretina said, “These courses align directly with college composition standards. This ensures that our students graduate with the advanced academic writing, research and critical thinking skills needed for success in education.”
Board of Education lauds commitment to dual-credit courses
At the recent board meeting, several elected officials spoke favorably of the proposed changes, hinting at possible approval of the wholesale list when the recommended changes come back for a vote on Monday, Nov. 3.
“Overall, I really like the changes,” board member Amanda McMillen said. “They seem like upgrades to help align more with the career components.”
Board member Joseph Kozminski added he has consistently been pleased with the depth of analysis that goes into the recommended changes to high school course offerings.
“I really appreciate the thoughtfulness that goes into this process,” he said.
In the case of English Composition 1 and English Composition 2, board member Melissa Kelley Black thanked administrators for collaborating with the College of DuPage on dual credit opportunities.
“I think our parents enjoy it because this helps with finances down the line,” Kelley Black said. “It’s very expensive these days.”
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