Districts Pare 'Electives' for Core Courses

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo

Toughen the mathematics and science requirements and see the payoff in higher student achievement. At least, that was the intention of Anne Arundel County, Md., school officials who were aiming to improve middle school students' performance on state exams.

But instead of drawing wholesale approval from parents eager for their children to do better in school, as officials had expected, some in the suburban Baltimore district thought the price was too high. The action would have cut into the time that students had to hone their art and music skills.

Those concerns sent district officials back to the drawing board. Two redrafts later, the school board late last month approved a plan that not only retains student options in the arts but also requires music for...