Lehighton Area School District officials presented a sweeping proposal Monday night to revise the district’s graduation requirements, introducing a tiered diploma system aimed at addressing student needs and remaining competitive with cyber charter schools.

Superintendent Jason Moser outlined the plan in a detailed presentation centered on proposed updates to Policy 217, which governs graduation requirements.

In response to a shifting educational landscape, the district is proposing a revised graduation system that offers a diploma with a minimum of 22 credits — one more than the state requirement of 21 — but also introduces higher-level options.

Students can continue to pursue the current 26 required credits, but that will now come as a “diploma with academic distinction” when paired with a certain GPA threshold.

“This would actually appear on their transcripts,” Moser said. “It would actually appear on the diploma. That denotes even to a college … that the student went above and beyond the minimum requirements.”

The proposed revisions are also designed to offer students greater flexibility and more individualized support.

“We exist only because of students,” Moser said. “They should be at the forefront of every decision we make and everything we do and every dollar we spend.”

Board President Joy Beers emphasized that staffing levels would not be affected by the proposal.

“We’re not talking about cutting any staff positions by offering a 22-credit option,” she said. “We’re still going to have class offerings, but now that things are less prescribed, the teachers can work with students and come up with some clever ideas for courses that may be more interesting to them.”

The presentation included examples of new course offerings that could arise under the revised structure. One idea discussed was a senior-year construction estimation class for students interested in entering trades, which would integrate real-world math skills such as project cost estimation and profit margins.

“We need to meet the consumer — our students — where they’re at,” Moser said.

The district also aims to bolster academic rigor for college-bound students through expanded Advanced Placement offerings.

Moser discussed the goal of becoming an AP Capstone school by adding AP Seminar and AP Research to the curriculum.

“I have not seen a course that prepares any student overall better for college than AP Seminar,” he said. “If they can do well in that course in high school … they can go into any major in college, anywhere, and do well.”

Currently, about 20% of Pennsylvania school districts offer the AP Capstone program, which is recognized and awarded by the College Board. The district would also seek to become an “AP Bronze Honor Roll” school within two years.

Moser also noted the importance of creating work-based learning opportunities for juniors and seniors through internships and partnerships with local businesses.

“These would be non-credit bearing initially, but cooperative education programs that award credit could be explored in the future,” he said, noting that such programs would require hiring a dedicated certified teacher to coordinate them.

A key component of the proposal is the implementation of individual graduation planning, which would begin in ninth grade. Students would meet with guidance counselors at least three times a year to assess progress and adjust goals.

“The idea here is that, essentially … students will be meeting with their guidance counselors at least three times a year, starting their freshman year,” Moser said. “They don’t have to decide whether they’re going for that 22 or 26 credit option literally until the end of their junior year, beginning of their senior year.”

The proposed changes include multiple diploma tracks that aim to better serve students pursuing both college and career pathways, while also positioning the district to retain more students amid growing cyber charter school enrollment.

“Public education in the state of Pennsylvania is truly an open marketplace,” Moser said. “That requires us to become more competitive. We have to adapt and modify who we are, what we do, and the manner in which we do it for our students, if we expect to keep up.”

The district has seen significant expenditures on outside cyber charter schools since the 2020-21 school year. During that year, the cost reached a high of $3.5 million before briefly dropping and then rising again. Currently, Lehighton pays approximately $2.9 million annually in cyber charter tuition.

“That equates to 30 teaching positions on average, with benefits,” Moser said.

Roughly 175 to 180 Lehighton students in grades K-12 are enrolled in cyber charter programs, which the district said represents about 8% of the total student population. The figure does not include students enrolled in the district’s own virtual academy.

School board members praised the plan.

“I think you’re on the right page, Jason,” director Duane Dellecker said. “It’s the way to go to make sure that our kids are smarter than we were and have more opportunities.”

Beers added, “It puts the students first, and it creates opportunities for students and staff.”