Paradise Valley Unified School District students could have new opportunities to study esports, American Sign Language and education-related careers under proposed high school course changes for the 2027-28 school year.
District officials presented the proposals during the Oct. 22 governing board meeting, outlining plans to expand honors and dual enrollment opportunities, strengthen career and technical education programs and improve access to advanced coursework.
The changes are scheduled for final consideration Nov. 5.
Jackie Clayton, district lead counselor, said the recommendations were developed collaboratively with teachers, school counselors, administrators and district leadership.
"Our proposals focus on increasing academic rigor through additional honors and dual enrollment opportunities, expanding student choice in world languages, career and technical education and fine arts," Clayton said.
Adding Esports courses
Among the proposals is an esports course at Pinnacle High School, where students already participate in a popular and competitive esports club.
The proposed Esports 1-2 course would move the activity into the classroom as a career and technical education offering.
Students would explore game design, coding, broadcasting, digital media, technology and event management while developing teamwork, communication and leadership skills.
"Esports is no longer about just playing video games," Clayton said.
She noted that competitive esports is recognized by the Arizona Interscholastic Association and that colleges increasingly offer esports-related programs and scholarships.
The course would initially be offered only at Pinnacle, although other high schools could add it if staffing and student interest support expansion.
Advantage Membership, Leadership and Education Sciences
Another proposal would establish Advantage Mentorship, Leadership and Education Sciences at Shadow Mountain High School.
The four-course sequence would introduce students to careers in teaching, counseling, psychology, social work, coaching, youth development and educational leadership.
Students would study human development, instructional design, classroom management and mentorship while gaining hands-on experience working with students at Desert Cove.
The program would also offer dual enrollment opportunities aligned with Paradise Valley Community College's bachelor's degree in education.
Clayton said the proposal emerged from collaboration with Shadow Mountain's early childhood education teacher and would restore an education professions pathway previously offered at Pinnacle High School.
Business and Entrepreneurship
The district is also proposing four quarter-long business and entrepreneurship courses at Sweetwater Community School, where students currently have limited elective options.
Those courses would emphasize financial literacy, business management, entrepreneurship and career readiness.
New language offerings
World language offerings would expand through proposed honors Spanish, French and Mandarin courses, along with regular and honors American Sign Language courses at beginning and intermediate levels.
Clayton said the district currently lacks introductory and intermediate honors world language options.
The proposals would allow students to begin language study at an honors level and progress toward advanced coursework, including Advanced Placement classes where available.
Board members questioned whether students would have equal access to those opportunities across campuses.
Clayton said courses would be listed for registration, but actual offerings would depend on staffing and sufficient student enrollment.
Some courses could also be available through PV Online or community colleges.
Board member Amanda Lim emphasized the importance of informing families about options outside their assigned high school, particularly students entering specialized programs who want to continue studying a language.
Clayton said school counselors would work with families individually and that the district expects to communicate course offerings during December and January.
The proposed changes also include an honors designation for Brief Calculus, which currently offers dual enrollment credit but does not carry a weighted honors designation.
The district is proposing a separate dual enrollment honors American government course, providing an option between regular and Advanced Placement government classes.
Lim praised the additional pathway, noting students who are academically advanced but face challenges with standardized testing may benefit from alternatives to AP coursework.
Other proposals would revise course descriptions for Jobs for Arizona's Graduates and business mathematics, expand fine arts honors opportunities and establish marching percussion course levels at Paradise Valley High School.
Clayton said the business mathematics revisions are particularly important because the regular course meets high school mathematics graduation requirements but does not meet Arizona public university mathematics admission requirements.
The district has submitted its dual enrollment business mathematics course for approval as a higher-level mathematics option.
The changes are part of a broader effort to shift the district's annual course approval process to the spring, giving families more time to plan students' four-year academic pathways.
District officials said they do not anticipate needing additional fall course approval cycles after this transition year.
Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Meet Stacy Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.
Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.
Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!
Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.
Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.
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