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 9th and 10th graders. In

• ur 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 7th 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 7th 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

• ver 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

• n 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 9th graders are the first class required to earn 24 credits. In that year, 412 9th 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 7th 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 7th period. 15

For example, in the middle school, the addition of a 7th 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 7th 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

In this model, students would take 4 classes per day, roughly 90 minutes in length. Students would earn 8 credits per year with a maximum of 32 credits available over 4

• years. Teachers would teach 3 periods per day with a 90 minute planning period each
• day. In this model, teachers would have a maximum student load of roughly 93

students per semester, based on our current class size norms. Because students can earn 32 credits over 4 years, districts who have implemented the block schedule have needed to increase graduation requirements. For example, Federal Way School District uses the 4x4 block and has increased their credits required from 24 to 26 credits. Again, this schedule provides capacity for students to take additional credits during the school year in order to retrieve credit and this schedule also creates capacity for students to take additional electives. A couple of challenges presented by this schedule format that I am sure you are recognizing is year long classes like Math, World Languages, Music and AP courses– these classes need to meet for the entire year but this schedule format does not allow for that and this is a concern. Finally, like the 7 period day, this schedule model requires time be added to both the student and teacher days. 21

The other 4x4 block schedule model we are researching is the 4x4 block alternating

• daily. This schedule model is the same concept as the 4x4 alternating semesters – it is

an 8 period day. But instead of classes alternating at semester, classes alternate daily in an A day/B day format. 22

The considerations are the same for this schedule model – students take 4 classes per day, teachers teach 3 classes per day. Students earn 8 credits per year with a maximum

• f 32 credits available over 4 years. Graduation requirements would need to be

increased beyond 24. A couple of other considerations… In this schedule model, students manage up to 8 classes per semester, and teachers would teach 6 classes per

• semester. This has workload impacts for both students and teachers that would need

to be taken into consideration and there is a financial impact in moving teachers from teaching 5 classes per day to teaching 6 classes per day. 23

As I mentioned earlier, the time impact for this schedule model does result in an increase in the length of the student and teacher days, by 20 minutes at the middle school and high school levels. One final consideration for either of the 4x4 block schedule models is that both of these schedules reduce the number of transitions between classes for students. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a schedule that has fewer transitions each day for students contributes to a more calming school environment for students and staff. 24

The final schedule model that the task force is researching is the 5 period trimester

• schedule. In this schedule model, the year is divided into three trimesters instead of

two semesters. The school day is 5 periods long. 25

In this schedule model, students take 5 classes per day roughly 70 minutes per class. Students can earn 7.5 credits per year and a maximum of 30 credits are available over 4

• years. Again, this would require an increase in graduation requirements. Each

trimester, classes are worth .50 credit and classes that were formerly yearlong classes in the semester schedule would be two trimesters long in this schedule model. Teachers would teach 4 periods per trimester. Considerations for this schedule model include, 1) the need to significantly revise curriculum to accommodate the shortened length of courses, and 2) schedule needs for students who have course gaps in their schedule (For example: 1st trimester Math and 3rd trimester math). Music courses would be another consideration. And finally, this model requires a very complex master schedule building process. This schedule does allow for students to take additional courses during the year and also does reduce the number of courses students take a one time. The same is true for teachers – 4 classes per trimester instead of 5 or 6 per semester. A question that may be running through your mind right besides, “what the heck are you thinking with this schedule?” is “how is it possible that two trimesters of a course can be worth 1.0 credit?” The answer is that a few years ago, the State Board of Education removed the “seat time” requirement for awarding credit, instead allowing 26

for districts to use standards‐based competency measures for awarding credit. Districts and schools can now choose to do one or the other. But again, this is not easy to do and requires a significant shift in how we approach standards for courses – but it is possible. 26

Here is an example of what a student’s schedule might look like in this schedule model. 27

Finally, here is the time impact for this schedule model. As you can see, it extends both the middle and high school days by 15 minutes. 28

These are the schedules we have studied so far– the 6 period day, the 7 period day, the 7 period modified block, the 4 x 4 block alternating at semester and alternating daily, and the 5 period trimester. 29

So now that you have seen the schedules and learned a bit about the work of the 24 Credit Task Force, we really need your input to help in determining next steps. Please take some time to fill out the feedback form—by typing the web address or clicking on the link to the “Feedback Survey” in the online article. We are not making any decisions, only recommendations. We will only make recommendations that are based on the feedback we get from families, students and staff. 30

One of the things that I hope you can see is the need for a change in how our schedules work at middle and high school. For our middle school students, it is about

• pportunity, choice, and the chance to explore elective programs while also pursuing

those classes that they are passionate about. At the high school it is about equity, the

• pportunity to earn required credits during the school day and the chance to catch up if

a student falls behind. It is about the same opportunity to take electives or other enrichment classes without having to make choices between those classes that you really want to take. While some of this may be mandated by the state’s changes to graduation requirements, this mandate is also an opportunity for us to develop a schedule model that creates opportunity and flexibility. Thank you! Greg Schwab Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education 31