Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify Montgmery ISD's added high school courses for 2024-25.

Montgomery ISD trustees approved the district’s junior high and high school class selection guides—which feature new offerings, such as American Sign Language and oil and gas production—on Oct. 17.

A closer look

Among the new courses are updated career and technical education courses for junior high and high school students, including automotive, welding and construction courses, and an oil and gas production pathway, according to an Oct. 18 MISD news release.

According to an Oct. 17 presentation from Christopher Summers, MISD's assistant superintendent of secondary schools, the changes for MISD’s high school courses include:

• An online dual-credit course for American Sign Language has been added as a credit for students' language other than English.
• Accelerated Instruction labs and Interpersonal Studies courses were added.

“We have to offer students two years of ... [a] language other than English,” Summers said. “We have Spanish right now, [and] you can do computer science, but that's really the only two options we have. We wanted to explore American Sign Language because we also know that may be a compelling offer for students who might have a [Section] 504 disability.”

According to the Oct. 17 presentation, the junior high school course changes include:

• A seventh and eighth grade math course was added for students who took the sixth grade math course and need a pathway to taking Algebra 1 in eighth grade.
• A sixth grade music appreciation course is among the new class additions for those interested in music or eventually joining choir or band.
• Spanish 2 and 3 courses were created.

Also of note

Trustees approved the 2024-25 course selection guides Oct. 17.

MISD leaders brought the course guides to trustees two months earlier than in previous years so families could have the “opportunity to start planning for the following year sooner,” according to the news release.

“One area we have worked to improve in MISD is the master scheduling process at the secondary level,” interim Superintendent Amy Busby said in the Oct. 18 news release. “Starting this process for next year allows students and families to start thinking ahead in terms of their desired courses and also provides campus leadership teams with the ability to start planning ahead as it relates to looking at staffing and other items to meet the needs of our students.”

What else?

The list of 2024-25 course selection guide changes can be viewed here.

MISD families can pick up the guides at their campus counseling office, according to the news release.