NHS Scheduling Change Expected In 2002

By Tanjua Damon

Newtown High School students will see a difference in how their day is set up beginning in 2002 when a new extended time schedule is expected to take effect and replace the traditional 43-minute class periods.

Students in grades nine and ten were recently presented with a survey that asked them to choose their most and least preferred of four options of extended time. Students were told that the faculty would be advised of the outcome of the survey, but the faculty would make the final decision of how the extended time would be set up in the fall of 2002.

“We’re in the process of looking to have a new schedule in place for 2002,” Principal William Manfredonia said. “Why are we looking at this? The high school model is becoming antiquated. Hardly anything is done is 45 minutes anymore. We want students to learn, but we want them to also demonstrate what they learn.”

Schedule Choices

These four schedules have been presented to both students and teachers:

Schedule 1 would be set up with a Day A and a Day B where students would have four classes each day that would meet an hour and 24 minutes.

Schedule 2 calls for students to have eight classes as they do now, but classes would rotate each day with one class meeting 47 minutes and the next class would meet 70 minutes. Students would have six different classes each day, except Fridays, when seven classes would be attended.

Schedule 3 would be a seven class schedule that would have classes on Monday and Friday in 45 minute intervals and classes on Tuesday through Thursday with a rotating period routine of 60 minute classes.

Schedule 4 is set up with eight classes on a four day cycle. Students would drop two different classes each day. Classes would be 47 minutes long.

Students and teachers have decided Schedule 3 is least preferred. Curiously, students in ninth grade chose Schedule 1 as both least and most preferred with 310 of the 362 students voting. Tenth graders chose Schedule 1 as most preferred and Schedule 3 as least preferred with 279 of the 334 students voting. The faculty also chose Schedule 3 as least preferred and have another vote later this week or early next week.

“These changes have been going on for a good 10 to 12 years. We are able to benefit from what other schools have learned. I think our students will benefit from this,” Mr Manfredonia said. “I see no negatives of this. For our entire faculty to have one or more of the extended time, to me this would just allow them to complete tasks.”

Concerns

Some teachers have concern with how subject like math and foreign language will fit into the mix, since most students need the repetition of the subject and extended time may keep that from happening.

“I do have concerns only because of the amount of curriculum we have to cover,” math department chair Karen Sherman said. “Anything, like a snow day, that’s going to put a snag in it is going to impact the curriculum. [Math] is such a sequential subject.”

Teachers who present lectures also are concerned about maintaining student interest and focus in an extended period.

“With teachers that are so used to lecturing for an entire period, it can be difficult for students who have a hard time focusing for 43 minutes. It’s important that we change our format. It has to be a mixture,” Ms Sherman said. “We want the students to take responsibility for their learning as much as we are trying to take responsibility in teaching them. With both it would be golden.”

Student Andrew Cruz really wished the schedule would stay the way it is, in 43 minute blocks.

“I’m totally against it. Kids can only have an attention span for so long,” Andrew said. “Even the best kids are going to zone out. Why fix something that’s not broken.”

Ryan Richardson worries that the new schedule change will affect his schedule that he has worked out for his four years of high school.

“My first thought was it really didn’t bother me as long as I could fit all my classes in. As I saw the different schedules I got more and more confused with them,” Ryan said. “I’d prefer to stick with what we’ve got.”

Christine Daniels will be a junior when the schedule change takes effect and served on the committee that reviewed the idea. She believes that the new scheduling may be positive over the long term, but will not be as effective for students like herself, who will only be getting two years of the schedule.

“In the end we’re supposed to have the same amount of time that we would have had with the 43 minutes,” Christine said. “I don’t see the benefit for the short term, but I see some of the pluses with extended time over the long term. I don’t see why it has to change.”

Student Todd Bolmer will be a senior when the change takes affect. He was a bit troubled by the fact that students were not able to chose whether this should happen or not, but only which schedule they would prefer.

“I myself am bothered that we didn’t get to vote on whether or not it happened or not,” he said. “We only got to vote on the least and preferred schedule. Schedule 1 is easiest to remember.”

Advantages

Some teachers feel the curriculum will be based on the important areas that students need to be taught.

“The need for consistency, settle down time and less movement is going to benefit a lot of basic students. One of the immediate benefits is for students who need to establish a close relationship with the teacher and other students in order to work well and learn well,” English teacher Kerry Baldwin said. “I’m vehemently in favor of it. I know some teachers have concerns and they are legitimate concerns. The fear is how they’re going to fill that time with legitimate learning activities. So there is for many teachers a concern with respect to training.”

Ms Baldwin also believes that extended time will provide her an opportunity to get to know students better and will help cut down on the discipline issues with teachers doing less policing.

“As a school we’re getting enormous. I don’t know a lot of students, and I’m uncomfortable with that,” Ms Baldwin said. “I think the extended schedule will at least give more teachers more opportunities to know students better. I think that can only help the culture, the mood of the school. Research indicated that discipline problems decline. Then we don’t have to be in that extremely uncomfortable factor of policing kids.”

Teacher Jeanetta Miller also favors the extended time schedule because of how life is and what students need to be learning while in high school.

“It is educationally irresponsible for us not to move to this. We’re living in the information age. Nobody is going to be able to know everything about anything,” Ms Miller said. “Educators, especially now, have to be open and flexible about what needs to be taught. I think we do that here. The research out there about how people learn tells us we should make those decisions. We should teach those essential skills.”

Ms Miller prefers the Schedule 1 option because it allows for every subject matter to have extended time.

“I regard it as a get-to not a how-to. I love it,” she said. “We need to take the next step in two different areas. In-depth learning, we want them to go out of here being real thinkers and problem solvers.”

Kristen McGrath is open to new ideas and has experienced the idea of extended time in the past. She says she will adapt to the change, but does not mind the traditional schedule.

“I’m open to new ideas and change. I’m open to how the scheduling is now,” she said. “I’m not against change. I’m accustomed to both schedules. I’m sure the school will adjust to whatever schedule is chosen.”

 

Mixed Views

Ted Yemc will be a senior when the schedule change takes affect. He has mixed views about the idea. Ted also served on the most recent committee that addressed the scheduling issue.

“I’m up in the air about it. I see benefits and I see drawbacks,” Ted said. “The days won’t be as monotonous as they can be. I’m hoping it will reduce my homework. It’s basic human nature that people don’t like change. Since the whole school just got the blue ribbon award, people are wondering why change. Mr Manfredonia wants to keep progressing.”

Chris Thibdeau will also be a senior in 2002. When he first heard about the extended time schedule, he was not for the idea, but does see that additional time can be beneficial.

“I thought it was horrible. I thought it was going to be bad. I closed myself off to everything. I didn’t see what the purpose was; if everything was going fine, why change?” Chris said. “I think that a lot of teachers do need more time, especially in English and social sciences. I feel rushed in there sometimes.”

Chris is concerned with the how the schedule change will affect the workload and if teachers are going to have to teach several lessons in one class period.

Teacher Jay Edwards has worked with extended time already and does not mind which schedule is employed.

“Whatever schedule we select as a school community, there’s going to be pluses and minuses,” Mr Edwards said. “There’s no schedule that fits everyone. There is so much to still be announced. I’m glad we have the next year to deal with this.”

Teachers will take one final vote later this week or early next week to make the deciding factor of which schedule the school will follow in the fall of 2002.