Cheltenham high school to restructure PBL cohorts, use new scheduling software; several courses recommended not to run

High‑school administrators told the committee the district is employing new scheduling software to run multiple master schedules and better align staffing with student requests. The administrator said the new tool allowed 24 trial runs of the master schedule this year and will help place courses and teachers earlier in the spring.

As a result of multi‑year enrollment patterns, staff recommended running PBL 9 (about 35 students) but not running cohort PBL 10 and 11 in their current format next year; instead, they proposed integrating project‑based experiences by pairing courses or creating semester‑long blocks so more students can access PBL‑style learning. “The cohorted model is not succeeding in providing our students the strong experience,” the high‑school administrator said, explaining drops in cohort retention over several years.

Administrators also recommended not running certain low‑request courses next year (listed on slides as Calculus II honors, AP Physics 1) but noted growth in dual‑enrollment participation (about 100 students took at least one dual course this year) and committed to counseling students individually if a requested course is not scheduled.

Board members asked whether AP Physics offerings would disappear entirely; staff said AP Physics Mechanics will still be offered and that some lab‑based courses are harder to schedule but could be offered in other years if demand warrants. Administrators stressed they would inform students early so counselors could review options and minimize summer scramble.