Highlands High School considers master schedule options for the 2022-2023 school year

Elly Wira, Staff|December 3, 2021

Courtesy of Fort Thomas Independent Schools via Facebook

     On November 15, the Site-Based Decision Making Council (SBDM) met to discuss a master possible schedule change at Highlands High School for the 2022-2023 school year.  

     After acknowledging the initial concerns of parents who attended the meeting, Math Teacher Chad Niedert, English Teacher Jennifer Nash, and History Teacher Zach Borgman presented results from surveys taken by teachers, students, and parents/guardians for input on the proposed changes. 

The current 6 period day master schedule provides students with instructional time that supports comprehension of the course material. (Given with permission from HHS Scheduling Committee)

     “Our role is to determine the need for potential scheduling changes and get an idea as to what the needs were on the front end,” said Neidert.

     For the teacher end, the survey results to where there were most agreements among teachers were as followed:

The current 6 period day master schedule provides teachers with opportunities for professional development during the instructional day. (Given with permission from HHS Scheduling Committee)
The current 6 period day master schedule allows students to be prepared for college and career. (Given with permission from HHS Scheduling Committee)
The current 6 period day master schedule provides time for teachers to work collaboratively in support of student learning and achievement. (Given with permission from HHS Scheduling Committee)

     In summary, all the teachers agreed that the student comprehension of the material being taught in the classroom and free-time students have was adequate. But when it came to teachers having enough time throughout the school day to plan for classes, along with time with other teachers to discuss class plans, most of the teachers voted that the time was not sufficient. 

     The surveys teachers mostly disagreed on are below:

The current 6 period day master schedule provides teachers with the opportunity to engage in tiered learning activities and RTI. (Given with permission from HHS Scheduling Committee)
The current 6 period day master schedule provides instructional time that maximizes access to support services for students. (Given with permission from HHS Scheduling Committee)
The current 6 period day master schedule provides a campus climate that encourages teacher well-being. (Given with permission from HHS Scheduling Committee)

     Concluding the teachers’ disagreement, there were more spotted answers across the board. Although the teachers did agree on student understanding of course material, there were mixed answers of the extra time teachers could focus on helping the students that were struggling to understand the material and giving feedback on said material students were learning altogether. 

     For the student and parent/guardian portion of the survey results, they were questioned in response to the length and frequency of class times, focus period, and advisory.

     Whereas most student and parent/guardian answers were similar for the frequency and length of class times which are located below:

To what level do you agree with the following statement: My needs are met by the current bell schedule. (Given with permission from the HHS Scheduling Committee)

     The focus period time was much more debated among both students and parents/guardians. Although the students strongly believe that the focus time is helpful in the school day and valuable to have a small break in between classes to just catch up, the parents/guardian results were indecisive. Yet, it came to the conclusion that the focus period is overall beneficial across both bodies.

To what level do you agree with the following statement: Student needs are met by the current bell schedule. (Given with permission from the HHS Scheduling Committee)
To what level do you agree with the following statement: Focus period is a productive use of time.
To what level do you agree with the following statement: Focus period is a productive use of time for students. (Given with permission from the HHS Scheduling Committee)

     In the advisory portion of the survey, both students’ and parents/guardians’ answers look almost identical throughout.

To what level do you agree with the following statement: I wish I could choose my advisory teacher. (Given with permission from the HHS Scheduling Committee)
To what level do you agree with the following statement: I wish students could choose their advisory teacher. (Given with permission from the HHS Scheduling Committee)

     Taking all of the results from the survey into account, the Ad Hoc Schedule Committee came up with various different schedules. 

     Block scheduling was the first to be presented. “A block schedule is a system for scheduling the day, typically by replacing a more traditional schedule of six or seven 40–50 minute daily periods with longer class periods that meet fewer times each day and week. 

     For example, a traditional block schedule class might last  80 or 100 minutes and meet for a single semester receiving full credit. In a modified block schedule, some or all classes could meet on alternating days (A/B Schedule).”

     The other popular schedule that was suggested was the Hybrid schedule. “A hybrid schedule incorporates elements of our current schedule like the focus period, and periods three through five.  These classes would meet for ~50 minutes and would run, as they do now, for the entirety of the year. The schedule also includes two blocks of 80-100 minute periods that could be used in a traditional or modified manner depending on the needs/wants of the institution.”

     After explaining these schedules, the committee unanimously agreed to sit on the offered schedules for another month until the next SBDM meeting.