Update: This schedule, while still an option, is being tabled while we gather feedback from parents, teachers and students on a new schedule that keeps the basic format of the current schedule, yet still includes an intervention by extending the school day. The below information is all specific to the schedule approved by the board (with contingencies) in January.
If you've heard anything about our work as an action team, it's probably been about the new schedule chosen by the administration. Patches of mystery and confusion seem to have inexplicably materialized around the new schedule, and this page will hopefully clear things up for everyone.
Why Change the Schedule?
Let's start with some background information. The schedule for next year was not why the action team was formed. Establishing an effective intervention was always our goal, and the schedule changes were only made in order to make that intervention possible. Yes, there were a number of other options, and yes, we spent weeks engaged in an intellectual tug-of-war about which of those options would best meet the needs of Logan High. In the end, several schedules remained on the table and the action team was asked if they could live with either one. The answer was yes, so the administration was tasked with making the final decision.
No schedule was perfect, but the administration made the decision to remain on a modified semester because
No schedule was perfect, but the administration made the decision to remain on a modified semester because
- it kept instruction going right up until end-of-level testing,
- the trimester option meant classes only taught for two trimesters have markedly less instructional minutes per year,
- and the semester schedule offered consistent face time with students for the entire year.
How Does It Work?
It's quite simple, really. We keep the current semester schedule, add the intervention hour (tentatively dubbed RE3), and skip one class a day.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so look at this:
The gray classes are the ones that are skipped. On late-start Wednesdays, we skip 3 so that classes aren't shortened and the amount of time spent in each class per week is equal.
To give you another view, here is what the schedule will look like each day with the skipped classes taken out:
Instead of having two lunches, the intervention period (RE3) will be shared with the lunch period. Teachers will stagger their availability during RE3 to alleviate any bottlenecking in the lunchroom.
Why RE3?
We wanted a name that captured the purpose of the intervention period. Does it hurt that it rolls off the tongue? Not at all.
Why Start Earlier and End Later?
This was also a topic of much debate, but in the end it was decided that rather than cut down the time in class, it would be better to add 5 minutes before school and 10 minutes after school. This allowed us to shear only a small amount off seat time while still adding RE3. Class time per day actually goes up from 50 minutes to 58 minutes, which cuts down on transition time and gives teachers the ability to get more done in class. Contract time for teachers remains the same, and we feel that the increases to the school day for students are small enough that students will adjust quickly.
What Are the Actual Times?
Looking at any schedule on a minute by minute basis can be confusing. Hopefully the simplified views provided above have made it clear that the concept is actually quite simple. For those who want to get down to brass tacks, here's the technical version of the schedule:
Students at LHS have activities outside of school and you can't just add twenty minutes of school and think it will work out for EVERYONE in Cache Valley!
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. It won't work out perfectly for everyone, but we are confident we can find a way to work with everyone to come to some sort of solution. It's basic opportunity cost, and nothing worth fighting for comes without a fight. The 5 minutes before school and 10 minutes after will hopefully be a small enough amount that it won't throw anyone for too much of a loop, but we strongly believe we are doing what is best for students.
Delete1. Its 10 minutes earlier which i dont like.
ReplyDelete2. i dont like the classes to be 60 minutes long
3.and the starting scedule is wierd going early then leave later why dont you start early leave early?
It's now only 5 minutes before school, so hopefully that helps. As for classes being 60 minutes long, it will be largely up to your teachers to make use of that time. It's 8 minutes longer per class compared to this year, so that opens some doors for teachers to vary activities and provide more instruction. It also cuts down on the time spent in transition between classes, since you only go to 6 a day instead of 7.
DeleteWe couldn't just start earlier and end earlier because the point of changing start and end times was to allow time in the school day for the intervention period, which is why we are starting a bit earlier and ending a bit later.
1.There is 10 minutes longer each class our.
ReplyDelete2.Go to school earlier and leaving school later isnt what I want.
3.It would be hard to remember each day what class your going to miss.
We understand that it will be an adjustment. For what it's worth, all the schools we visited who adjusted their schedules to add the intervention period say they wouldn't go back for anything - and that's teachers AND students. It may not be what you want right now, but hopefully you'll want it once you see it in action.
DeleteIf you're still confused about which classes you go to on which days, just remember you skip in numerical order - 1 on Monday, 2 on Tuesday, 3-5 on Wednesday, 6 on Thursday, and 7 on Friday. We're also looking into ways of alerting students to which class will be skipped. We've discussed a daily announcement just before school starts, signs hung around the school, modified bell sounds, etc. No one is saying it won't be an adjustment, but we strongly believe it will be worth it.
Why do the class times have to be so random? starting at 8:38 and getting out at 9:36, how does that make any sense. If you think kids are late to class now, just wait until next year! I don't even know when classes start now, how am i supposed to remember all those different times?
ReplyDelete