MUSIC ADVOCACY: Caring Enough to Put the Student First
May 30, 2006
Educational Reform Movements: Rotating Schedules
This week, we continue to follow the meetings of the Schedule Task Force of Students Central School District (SCSD).
At this meeting, it was determined that one or more of the scheduling reform options discussed must be eliminated as not feasible. The Executive Committee felt this was necessary to allow the Task Force to achieve its primary mission to facilitate a change in schedule. As previously discussed, the following conditions (as established by the School Board and Administration) must be met:
Budgetary limitations require that any change have minimal effect on the district’s anticipated fund balance.
The length of the school day (for teachers) will not change.
The school year will continue to be 180 teaching days (90 per semester).
The teaching schedule for one full-time teacher will continue at a maximum of 275 teaching minutes per day.
The district must provide some way to increase the number of credits a student may take during his/her four years in high school and reduce the 9th & 10th grade scheduling “bottleneck.”
The 8-Period Day
The first item on the agenda was the 8-period day (within the current length of day of 355 minutes). After a short discussion it became obvious that the pros and cons of the 8-period day were similar to those of the 7-period day. The overriding problem with this proposal was the reduction of class period length to 40 minutes. The proposal to switch to an 8-period day was eliminated from further consideration by consent, with the recommendation that it be considered as an option within the concept of a rotating schedule. It was also noted that an 8-period day might be a more viable option at the Middle School level.
The Task Force then divided into two separate committees to determine the issues related to the adoption of a rotating schedule; one committee was assigned the seven-period rotation, and the other discussed the eight-period rotation.
The Rotating Schedule – Pros & Cons
The aim of the rotating schedule is to provide scheduling flexibility while minimizing or eliminating the loss of instructional time. It is often used to assure there are minimal changes to existing contracts between the teachers' union and the district.
Option 1: The Seven-Period Rotation
In this format only six periods of the full seven-period schedule meet on any given day according to the following 8-day rotation schedule:
Day 1: Periods 1 – 6 Day 2: Periods 2 – 7 Day 3: Periods 3 – 1 Day 4: Periods 4 – 2 Day 5: Periods 5 – 3 Day 6: Periods 6 – 4 Day 7: Periods 7 – 5 Day 8: Periods 1 – 6 (Begins the second rotation)
Confusion about daily schedules would be eliminated with a sign at each entrance to the building indicating what day it is, or, in other words, which period begins that day. If the sign says, "Today is Day 3," then the first class period of the day is period 3 and the last period of the day is period 1. Each period meets six out of seven days. Experience indicates that while it may take a short time for adults to adjust to this concept, students have little difficulty with the transition.
Pros:
Students would have more flexibility in their schedule.
Periods would continue to be the same length (55 minutes).
The length of the school day does not change.
Students would be able to take 28 credits during the four years of high school, resolving the issue of increased graduation requirements and the scheduling “bottleneck” for the near future.
Cons:
While the length of class periods remains the same, there will be fewer class meetings per year.
The negative effect of lost periods will probably result in less student achievement of skills.
Undetermined Outcomes:
If teachers continue to teach only 5 of 7 periods, the "prep" time per rotation would increase to 110 minutes. Depending on the actual schedule of the individual teacher there may be some days when the teacher has the full 110 minutes of "prep" time, and other days when the teacher has only one "prep" hour. There would be a net gain of 55 minutes of "prep" time per rotation.
If teachers are asked to teach 6 of the 7 periods per rotation, teaching time would be increased by 55 minutes per rotation.
If teachers do not teach the sixth class per rotation, this option would create the need to hire a significant number of additional teachers, causing increases in demands on the budget.
Option 2: The Eight-Period Rotation
Implementation of the schedule would be similar to that in the Seven-Period Rotation. The daily schedule would continue to include six periods of 55 minutes each. However, it would now take eight days to complete one rotation. Each period would meet six out of eight days.
Pros:
Students would have more flexibility in their schedule.
Periods would continue to be the same length (55 minutes).
The length of the school day does not change.
Students would be able to take 32 credits during the four years of high school, resolving the issue of increased graduation requirements and the scheduling “bottleneck” for the near future.
While teachers would be asked to teach six out of eight periods, they would also be given two "prep" hours per rotation. This may be a much more viable option for the teachers' union.
No additional teachers would need to be hired, assuming the teachers' union agrees to the change.
Cons:
While the length of class periods remains the same, there will be fewer class meetings per year.
The negative effect of lost periods will probably result in less student achievement of skills.
Decision Time on Scheduling Options Presented So Far
As determined earlier, the Task Force meeting ended with a discussion of the various options presented thus far and decided to eliminate the following options:
1. The Eight-Period Day: Eliminated earlier in the meeting. It would reduce class period time to 40 minutes. 2. The Seven-Period Day (with 55-minute classes): Eliminated. It’s not a financially viable or realistic option because it would extend the length of the school day. 3. The Seven-Period Rotation: Eliminated. It’s not a financially viable or realistic option because it would require significant alteration to the teachers' contract and the hiring of additional teachers, making it less appealing than the Eight-Period Rotation.
However, these options are still on the table for continued discussion:
1. The Seven-Period Day (within current school day length with classes reduced to 46 minutes each) 2. The Eight-Period Rotation
Next Up: Adding a Music Education Advocacy Perspective to Block Schedule
At the close of the meeting, everyone was reminded that the administration would present its proposal to move to a Block Schedule at the next regular Task Force meeting. Two other items were quickly presented before adjournment.
1. One parent suggested that the committee was spending a lot of time on the issue of scheduling, and expressed concern that the committee needed some time to re-define the issues. Following a brief discussion, one specific request for information emerged: "How many students are actually affected by the limitations of the Six-Period Day?" The administration indicated it would report its findings at the next Task Force meeting. 2. In anticipation of the administration’s upcoming Block Schedule presentation, the representative from the Music Coalition requested a preliminary meeting with the administration prior to the next regular meeting of the Task Force to discuss the Coalition’s preliminary research on the Block and potential music issues. This would allow the administration to include any relevant information from those discussions in the Block presentation.
In the next article in this series on Educational Reform Movements, you’ll read a summary of the points raised in this preliminary sub-committee meeting between members of the Music Coalition and the Administration. It’s a great example of how to advocate for your music program by laying solid groundwork, collaborating, and keeping lines of communication open.
