Dist. 300 says new high school schedule would benefit students

Administrators in Community Unit District 300 are proposing a revamped schedule for high school students they say will shorten lengthy gaps between courses and enable students to develop their skills in core areas.

Ben Churchill, assistant superintendent of high school teaching and learning, said the proposed eight-period schedule would provide continuous learning for students and align the district with the new national curriculum and assessments.

A new schedule would be introduced in the 2012-2013 school year, ahead of the adoption of the Common Core standards in the 2014-2015 school year.

Churchill said the proposed schedule would eliminate the possibility of a student moving through a full calendar year without taking a particular subject, which exists under the district’s four-by-four block schedule. A four-by-four block schedule consists of four blocks over four terms in a year.

“The development of skills takes time,” Churchill said. “We know it takes time to move information from the working, short-term memory to the long-term memory for long-term recall. If we look at skills like reading, writing, math ... world languages, these are all areas that, if given time, the brain can more fully wrap itself around.”

A high school student would graduate with between 28 and 30 credits over their four-year high school career.

The eight period, two-term schedule also allows students to develop relationships with their teachers. In addition, struggling students would have advisory and tutorial experiences available throughout the year.

A new schedule would also affect teachers. Churchill said in an eight-period schedule, teachers could teach up to six, 45-minute classes per day, compared to three, 85-minute classes and one 30-minute advisory in the block schedule. Contact time with students would, however, be reduced by about 15 minutes.

Administrators will now meet with students and members of the teachers union to discuss the proposal. Feedback from each meeting will be given at the Sept. 12 board of education meeting.

The district will then hold a public forum for community members Sept. 19 at Jacobs High School.

A final decision on the schedule change is expected at the Sept. 26 board of education meeting.