Hello. Thank you for taking the time to go through this presentation - PDF document

Hello. Thank you for taking the time to go through this presentation from the 24 Credit Task Force. The goal for this presentation is to share information with you all about the work we have done so far and to share some information with all of you about our focus and charge. 1

But before we begin, I want to highlight a couple of really important points. First, there is no decision that has been made about a schedule option. The charge of the task force is to research, learn, gather input and make a recommendation. Second, it is very unlikely that a schedule change will be implemented next school year. As I am sure you all know, any change of this magnitude will require a plan for training and professional development for teachers and as part of our recommendation, we will be proposing plans for how to implement a schedule change and prepare our teaching staff to make this happen as smoothly as possible. 2

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So why are we here? Well, as many of you know, Washington has implemented a 24 credit graduation requirement that is in effect for our current 9 th and 10 th graders. In our current model of a 6‐period day, students in high school can earn a maximum of 24 credits in 4 years. Students can earn more than 24 credits, but they have to take 0 or 7 th period classes, eLearning or other outside credit earning opportunities and this creates a system that is inequitable for those students who do not have the means to take additional courses. We are also focusing on ensuring that we have students who graduate from high school ready for the next step in their post‐secondary lives, whether that is college, career, trade school, military or other options. We need to have a schedule that allows students to take the courses that fit their post secondary plans, whatever they may be. One of the current challenges of our 6‐period day at middle and high school is that it limits what electives students can take. As early as 7 th grade, students are forced into making a choice between STEM and Music, Art and other electives. These forced choices become even more limiting in high school as requirements drive students’ schedules. 4

Our district has made a significant focus on ensuring equity of opportunity for all students. Having a schedule that limits options and forces choice does not make for an equitable system. All students should have access to electives, remediation and credit retrieval, and enrichment. It should not depend on which school a student goes to and it should not depend on having to take extra courses outside the school day. Finally, this is about ensuring that our struggling learners can get the help and support they need within the school day. If our stated belief is that all students can learn at high levels, then we need to make sure that as a system, we have a schedule that provides the time and space for students who need it. 4

Our agenda for this presentation is as follows: I want to provide you all with information about who is on the Task Force, and our timeline. Then I want to give you all some information about what is happening across our region and state. I’ll then go over with you some examples of schedules that the task force is researching. Finally, I want to ask you all to engage in reflection and feedback activity before we wrap up. 5

The 24 Credit Task Force is made up 44 individuals including teachers, administrators, classified staff, parents and students. We meet monthly and have had three meetings so far this school year. 6

Our timeline as a task force is very aggressive. We know that we are behind the curve on this issue and that we have work to do if we are going to make any substantive changes to our schedules. With that in mind our goal is to process these issues and come to a recommendation to the School Board and Superintendent by the Spring of 2019. And most importantly, any recommendation made will come with an accompanying plan for professional development so that we can successfully implement any new schedule that we ultimately recommend. 7

Here is some data that I hope illustrates the urgency of this issue for high schools. In the 17‐18 school year, our 9 th graders are the first class required to earn 24 credits. In that year, 412 9 th graders earned one or more F’s and a total of 724 credits were lost, but 110 enrolled in eLearning Summer School and they recovered 103.75 credits. You can see that this number falls far short of the students who failed one or more courses. At the high school level, this is the reason why this work is so critical. 8

We are not alone in this issue. This data from the Association of Washington School Principals shows us where we are compared to district across the state. We requested the two‐year waiver from the state and we are now in the process of pursuing this schedule change. 9

Of 11 surrounding districts in our region, 7 have pursued a schedule change (or already had a schedule that allowed them to meet the 24 credit requirement) and 4 districts (5 if you include us) currently have schedules that do not have room in them for students to earn more than 24 credits. 10

So what are the bell schedule models we are studying? The 6 period day ‐ while we are not actively studying it, it is our current secondary model. We are also looking at the traditional 7 period day, the 7 period alternating block schedule, the 4 x 4 block schedule in both the alternating daily and alternating at semester formats, and the 5 period trimester schedule. 11

The 6 period day schedule is our current model. Five of our schools use the straight 6 period day model and 3 of our schools an alternating block schedule format. 12

This is our current secondary model. Students in high schools can earn 6 credits per year, with 24 credits available over 4 years. It is also the basis of our current time schedule with high schools beginning at 7:20 am, ending at 1:50 pm and middle schools beginning at 8:00 am, ending at 2:30 pm. It is important that we note this as other schedules that we consider will require us to work with Transportation to determine how they can accommodate transporting students. Finally, in our current model, teachers teach 5 out of 6 classes with the equivalent of one 50 minute planning period daily. 13

The next schedule model we are researching is the 7 period day. Essentially, it’s the same schedule structure as the 6 period day, with one additional added within the school day. 14

In this model, students would take 7 classes per day, roughly 5 minutes in length and they would have the ability to earn 7 credits in a school year. There are 28 credits available that students can earn over 4 years, so this schedule would create some capacity for students who failed a course to earn additional credits as needed and would also allow for additional courses to be taken, creating more space in student schedules for electives. Teachers in this schedule model would teach 5 or 6 periods. The major consideration for this schedule model is that it will require additional staffing so that the 7 th period class can be added to the school day. There is a significant dollar cost with the 7 period day as a result. Finally, a 7 period day would require that additional time be added to both the student and teacher day in order to accommodate the 7 th period. 15

For example, in the middle school, the addition of a 7 th period would extend the school day by 20 minutes, moving the end time to 2:50 pm 16

The same time impact is seen at the high school level, again adding 20 minutes to the day, now ending at 2:10 pm 17

A variation on the 7 period day is the 7 period modified block schedule. In this schedule model, students meet in all 7 classes, 3 days per week and then have extended periods two days per week with a “floating block of time” that could be attached to each period rotating through all 7 periods or it could be used as an extended learning time. Schools that have adopted this schedule have a wide variety of ways that they use this extended block of time. 18

The considerations for this schedule model are very similar to the 7 period day schedule – 7 credits earned per year, a maximum of 28 credits available over 4 years, and the same staffing costs needed to add the 7 th period. The time impact is the same as the 7 period day with both the middle and high school days extending by 20 minutes. 19

Let’s look at the first of our “different” schedule models – the 4x4 block schedule, alternating at semester. Perhaps the best way to envision this schedule is to think of it as an 8 period day with students taking their first 4 classes during first semester and their second 4 classes during second semester. 20