Board weighs restoring dissections and adding proof-oriented geometry; curriculum committee to follow up

The board's curriculum committee reported on several instructional issues: dissection practices in biology classes, next steps for a proof-oriented geometry elective, and a proposed CMS schedule change that could add middle-school recess.

Committee members said general biology students at Governor Livingston currently do not perform dissections while honors biology students have done fetal pig and butterfly dissections; the committee asked administrators to explore whether dissection opportunities could be offered more equitably across programs if budget and curriculum allow. One board member said comparable-district costs to provide dissections for roughly 300 students ran about $15,000 and asked administration to check costs with the New Jersey science-administrators group.

The committee also reviewed a student survey on a proof-oriented geometry course (405 respondents). The breakdown presented was 10 students "very interested," 55 "somewhat interested," 68 "not sure," and 271 "not interested," with 120 respondents from geometry courses (2 very interested, 17 somewhat interested, 26 needing more information and 75 not interested among that subgroup). Administrators said a proof-oriented geometry offering would likely be a semester elective and must go through the course-proposal process.

Committee members also reported initial work on CMS schedule changes intended to increase core-subject time and possibly add a recess period for middle-school students; a mockup schedule will be developed for further review.