By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
The Freehold Regional High School District has partnered with the University of Texas in a move administrators expect will help to expand student participation in computer science courses.
According to a resolution passed by the district’s Board of Education during a recent meeting, teachers of advanced placement (AP) computer science courses will engage in a week-long professional development experience and will receive curriculum materials and resources.
Specialists from the University of Texas will provide ongoing training and support throughout the 2016-17 school year.
“The University of Texas is offering training and curricular materials in support of implementation of the new AP Computer Science Principles course,” Business Administrator Sean Boyce said. “Teachers who are piloting the course during the next school year will receive summer professional development and resources free of charge. They and their students will also participate in a research study in which the university hopes to measure the impact of their program on the career aspirations of computer science students.”
“The curriculum, training and professional development the University of Texas is offering in regard to the new AP Computer Science Principles course is a great resource for our district,” said Jeffrey Moore, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction. “The AP Computer Science Principles course is very new and at the moment there are few resources available, which makes this partnership all the more attractive to the district. This new AP course continues the district’s commitment to increasing student access to rigorous courses.”
Participating teachers will receive a $1,000 stipend from the university for their work during the summer.
In other business, the board approved a shared services agreement with Marlboro for a School Resource Officer (SRO) at Marlboro High School.
“The district will continue to contribute $45,000 to Marlboro for providing an SRO (a Marlboro police officer) at Marlboro High School for the 2016-17 school year,” Boyce said. “The officer will be present throughout the school day and, when prudent, will attend extracurricular activities held at the school”.
And, the board accepted the retirement of four educators. Marlboro High School heath and physical education teacher Margaret McNamara (37 years), Marlboro High School special education teacher Marsha Reinfield (27 years), Manalapan High School social studies teacher William Toncic (27 years) and Manalapan High School special education teacher Deborah Slick (14 years) will all retire on June 30.
