National Framework Approved

By a vote of 220-0 on Thursday, November 14, the U.S. Catholic Bishops approved the much-discussed National Curriculum Framework for religious instruction of high school youth.

The framework has a strong Christological focus and roots each course in the life of Christ and the saving actions of the Paschal Mystery. There are six required courses in the new curriculum taking the students through the junior year of high school. There are also five options for electives in the senior year.

Here is how the new course of study compares with a common course of study used in many high schools today (click on jpeg to increase its size):



Plans are underway at Catholic publishing houses, including Ave Maria Press, to meet the textbook and resource needs of the new framework while continuing to provide resources to serve the variety of courses taught in Catholic high schools today. The new framework also provides the opportunity to cast materials for catechetical use in parish youth ministry and high school religious education programs.

We are interested in your feedback on the new framework. Feel free to respond below or send an email to Michael Amodei, Executive Editor of Adolescent Curriculum.