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June 30, 2006 Educational Reform Movements: Part 10 of a series Decision Time! At the previous meeting of the Task Force on Scheduling, a sub-committee was asked to compare and contrast the key issues of seven scheduling options. They developed a handy table summarizing the main issues and also shared some important observations to help everyone analyze all the information. Option 1: Traditional Six-Period Day Option 2: Seven-Period Day, maintaining full 55" periods Option 3: Seven-Period Day, shortening periods to fit maximum 355" length of day Option 4: Rotating Seven-Period Day Option 5: Rotating Eight-Period Day Option 6: Block Schedule (4 x 4 or A/B) Option 7: Zero Hour: Traditional Six-Period Day, with Optional seventh period during one or more years for students in the "bottleneck" As you look at the table, pay careful attention to whether the issues are primarily adult-centered or student-centered. Summary Comparison: Scheduling Options
Summary of Primary Observations 1. Adding a full seventh period would lengthen the day for all students, require significant addition of teachers, and be the most expensive option. 2. All options reduce the number of minutes of instruction per course ("time on task"), except Options 2 and 7. 3. The rotating 8-period day and both forms of the Block Schedule cause the greatest loss of student time per course, an equivalent of 9.4 and 8.2 weeks respectively. 4. The Block Schedule formats appear to offer the greatest advantages to teachers by reducing the teaching time per day, while at the same time increasing the length of the preparatory period. 5. Both the 7 and 8-period options lose "time on task" due to the reduction in the number of class meetings. 6. All Options appear to resolve the 9th and 10th grade scheduling “bottleneck,” except for the current Traditional 6-period format. 7. All Options, except Option 7, have major negative effect(s) on students. Following this presentation, the full Task Force engaged in a very student-centered discussion. Members turned their attention to whether or not it was possible to offer the option of an additional period prior to the beginning of the normal school day (Option 7 in the table above). Since the sub-committee had anticipated this idea would be put on the table for discussion, members had already worked with the administration to gather the information needed to make a decision about its potential to solve the scheduling “bottleneck.” “Zero” Hour or the Optional Seventh Period Solution The implementation of a "zero" hour as an optional seventh period for students appears to fulfill the original charge to the Task Force as established by the Board of Education: solve the problem of the 9th and 10th grade scheduling “bottleneck.” Here are some of the issues discussed prior to the Task Force’s final decision to recommend the Zero Hour option. Issue 1: Budgetary Implications The cost factor involved is limited to two primary issues: hiring of faculty to teach "zero" hour and transportation. Since only 10% of the (300) grade 9 students are confronted by the scheduling "bottleneck," it would only require the addition of one teacher per high school to accommodate the approximate 30 students. This could be accomplished in one of two ways: by adding a .167 FTE overload factor (and equivalent additional pay) for one teacher per school OR by altering the schedule of one teacher to teach from "zero" hour through period 5 (periods 0 through 5, instead of 1 through 6). The experiment could be implemented the first year in only grade 9, and then added to other grades as feasible. [Tip: When you are dealing with large budgets where amounts are expressed in millions, cross off the last three digits to make it easier to work with and grasp onto these large figures. In other words, think of $64,000,000 dollars as $64,000,000. Isn’t it easier to comprehend paying a "bill" of $50,000 in a budget of $64,000,000 when you think of it as comparable to paying a bill of $50 out of a budget of $64,000?] Issue 2: Transportation Cost Implications The cost factor for transportation is not expected to be a major problem. Budgetary allocations for the Transportation Fund are rarely as restricted as the General Fund. In this district, an early bus was provided for students who chose to attend a “zero” hour class. Other means of transportation – parents (car pools) or older siblings who drive – may also be available for students. Issue 3: Curricular Implications If elective courses were placed in "zero" hour, Task Force members pointed out it may negate the possibility of participation by the students who most need the option to meet graduation requirements. Therefore, it was decided that only standard core courses required of all students would be offered during the "zero" hour. It’s Thumbs Up for “Zero” Hour! Following further discussion, the Task Force voted nearly unanimously to recommend the Optional Seventh Period for adoption by the School Board. The School Board received the Task Force recommendation and adopted it, by unanimous approval, to go into effect the next fall for 9th grade students at Students Central School District. “Zero” hour turned out to be a very successful ongoing solution: it was instituted the following year for 10th grade students and no further scheduling changes have been needed since that time. While this “happy ending” officially concludes our 10-part series on Educational Reform Movements related to Scheduling, I will briefly discuss two other options in the next CounterPoint. Stay tuned for an explanation of the pros and cons of Year-round Schools and Trimesters. Until then, John Benham |
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