Ann Arbor Public Schools

High School Start Times

Committee Report

December 2012

ANN ARBOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

High School Start Times

Committee Report

December 2012

ANN ARBOR BOARD OF EDUCATION

Deb Mexicotte, President

Christine Stead, Vice-President

Irene Patalan, Treasurer

Andy Thomas, Secretary

Susan Baskett, Trustee

Simone Lightfoot, Trustee

Glenn Nelson, Trustee

Patricia P. Green, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Presented by:

Alesia L. Flye

Deputy Superintendent for Instructional Services

Jane Landefeld

Director of Student Accounting and Research Services

Ann Arbor Public Schools

Board of Education

Committee of the Whole

December 12, 2012

5:30 p.m.

Balas, Main Conference Room

High School Start Times

Committee Members

Robert Allen, Deputy Superintendent for Operations

Alesia Flye, Deputy Superintendent for Instructional Services

David Comsa, Deputy Superintendent for Human Resources and General Counsel

Jane Landefeld, Director, Student Accounting and Research Services

Robyne Thompson, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education

Melany Raubolt, AAPAC

Amy Pachera, PTOC, Executive Board Member

Lisa Anglin, Assistant Principal, Pioneer

Jim Kosteva, Director of Community Relations, U of M Transportation Services

Tom Moore, Director of Transportation, WISD

Neal Elyakin, Parent, Forsythe

Marcus Edmondson, Assistant Principal, Huron

Sulura Jackson, Principal, Skyline

Dottie Davis, Athletics, Huron

High School Start Times Committee Report

Table of Contents

Page

1. Executive Summary ........................................................... 1

2. High School Start Times: Considerations for Change ......... 3

3. Transportation Scenarios.................................................... 5

4. Human Resource Considerations........................................ 7

5. In-District Transfers........................................................... 8

6. Schools of Choice .............................................................. 9

7. Block Scheduling ............................................................. 10

8. High School Structure in AAPS and Related Costs.............12

9. Semester Pros/Cons............................................................14

10. Trimester Pros/Cons...........................................................15

11. Washtenaw County School Districts...................................17

12. Potential Next Steps ...........................................................18

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Executive Summary The High School Start Times Committee was formed to review the feasibility of a later start to the school day at the high school level. This review was requested by the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education following a report regarding this topic, which was presented in the spring of 2012. The committee has spent time reviewing the literature and research findings on this topic; researching and communicating with school districts that have moved to later start times at the high school level. Although the research does indicate some positive outcomes related to later start times, the logistics of implementing such time adjustments are challenging and can be costly in tiered transportation systems. In fact, the only way to move to later start times at the high school level without incurring additional transportation costs is to adjust elementary and middle school times simultaneously. The Board of Education also requested review of the following:

• In-District Transfers at the High School Level • Schools of Choice Options at the High School Level

• Semester and Trimester Structures

Thus, the committee reviewed current district practices and numbers regarding In-District Transfers and Schools of Choice Options. Currently, Ann Arbor does not offer In-District transfer options at the high school level. The committee recommends opening a limited number of 9th grade slots for the 2013-2014 school year. Another area the committee examined was Semester and Trimester Structures. The pros and cons of each structure were discussed, along with enrollment data and a cost analysis. In discussing the pros and cons, it became apparent that the major challenge is focused on the fact that the District is running two different structures in the comprehensive high schools, and this is presenting some challenges for internal and external stakeholders. Moreover, the cost analysis does not reflect a significant difference in staff expenditures related to running semester or trimester structures. This is due to the fact that 7th hour courses or 7 class periods are currently offered as a part of the Semester and Block Structures. The High School Start Times Committee continues to meet. However, listed below are some potential next steps, with further details provided in this report:

• Survey students, parents, and staff to get measurable data from stakeholders regarding high school start times, as well as changes at other levels. Consider incorporating this survey into the Climate Survey.

• Adjust High School Start Times by 15 minutes, as well as middle and elementary start

times after surveying parents and other stakeholders regarding impact.

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• Offer a limited number of space available in-district transfers at Huron and Pioneer to incoming 9th graders.

• Consider Schools of Choice Options at the high school level after implementing and

reviewing the impact of in-district transfers.

• Currently, the committee has not made a recommendation regarding the semester and trimester structures. However, the committee highlighted the instructional and systemic challenges of having two of the District’s comprehensive high schools on semesters and one on trimesters. This requires close examination given the current budgetary constraints.

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High School Start Times: Considerations for Change The High School Start Times Committee was established in the fall of 2012 by Ann Arbor Public Schools to explore the options, as well as implications, for shifting high school start times. Some school districts across the country have made changes to high school start times based on sleep research findings about teenage sleep patterns, and have found that there are some positive outcomes in students’ academic performance, mental health, as well as overall health. However, many districts have found a change to later start times challenging for a variety of reasons, such as transportation, athletic schedules and childcare arrangements. Transportation is a critical factor in planning school start times. Most districts have tiered bussing that often comes from concerns regarding the safety of having younger children either waiting outside for buses or walking to school in the early morning when it is possibly dark much of the school year. The High School Start Times Committee consists of parents, administrators, U of M Transportation Services, and the Washtenaw Intermediate School District Director of Transportation. The committee plans to survey students, parents and staff to get their input. Sleep researchers at Stanford University published results of a longitudinal study in a summer sleep lab where sleep opportunity was held constant at 10 hours in children between the ages of 10-12 and ending at 16-18. The study found that sleep remained constant at 9.2 hours, which indicated that sleep needs are not reduced during adolescence. Actually, sleep times diminish as students get older, however they go to sleep later, but with school schedules they wake up early. The tendency to stay up later was attributed to physical factors and biological changes that take place during puberty. The sleep shift results from changes in the timing of melatonin secretion, associated with puberty. School start times appear to be one of the major factors for the need for teens to wake up early. This conflicts with the teens shifting circadian rhythms. High school start times typically shift much earlier as they move from elementary to secondary and they get less sleep as a result. Changing sleep cycles starting around puberty, based on hormone secretions and circadian rhythms, predispose teens to stay up later and making it difficult to wake up early. Sleep researchers have found that sleep changes take place around seventh grade, with only some sixth graders affected. In most school districts around the country, high school students have the earliest start times, with the elementary students having the later start times. Sleep reduction in teens correlates to sleepiness during the day, lower grades, inability to concentrate in school, as well as a tendency to doze off in class. Ongoing sleep problems have been associated with learning difficulties throughout the school years. Some research has shown positive effects such as lower tardy rates, higher test scores, and higher grades as well as attendance. Some suggest that there is a correlation to mental and physical health as well. There is some research that implies that disadvantaged students benefited most from later start times. Researchers at the University of Minnesota documented positive outcomes

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in academics and mental health with the change in start times. Edina, Minnesota changed their high school start times over ten years ago, however they have not collected longitudinal data relative to student performance. Challenges

Changes to our high school start times present a number of challenges. The most important is the need to change elementary start times in order to facilitate busses that serve both elementary and secondary schools. A change to the elementary start time could disrupt family schedules with little or no benefit for elementary students. Other concerns include the impact on after-school child care of younger siblings by teens as well as athletics. Another major concern is the financial impact to the change in high school start times. The change would have a significant impact on our current three tier bussing system. The financial impact is included in this report. While there is research indicating the benefits of changing sleep times, there are also bodies of research that say there is no measurable difference in student performance with a change in high school start times.

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Transportation Scenarios Listed below are various transportation scenarios that the committee discussed, as well as the related costs. The Ann Arbor Public Schools 2012-2013 Transportation Plan consists of a 3-tier system with high school on the first tier, middle school on the second tier and elementary on the third tier. The current plan requires 70 bus routes (buses) with combinations of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tier building schedules. Currently there are 36 high school runs, 50 middle and 62 elementary. The WISD utilizes 103 buses to service Ann Arbor Public Schools (70 – General Education, 25 Special Education, 8 Head Start). Ann Arbor Public Schools currently spends 6.9 million dollars for transportation services (this is the gross amount prior to reimbursements).

Bell Times

Level Times Note

Huron 7:40 – 2:29

Pioneer 7:40 – 2:29

Skyline 7:30 – 2:25

Drop-off time of 7:15 to begin 2nd tier runs

Middle School 8:10 – 2:56 Requires 7:45 drop off for Ann Arbor Open Shuttle

Elementary School 8:48 – 3:42 Requires 8:30 drop off for breakfast program

All bell times below reflect the current length of the school day:

Level Length of

School Day

Note

Huron 6 hrs. 49 minutes

Pioneer 6 hrs. 49 minutes

Skyline 6 hrs 55 minutes This time does not include 7th hour

Middle School 6 hrs 46 minutes This time includes lunch periods

Elementary School 6 hrs 54 minutes This time includes lunch periods

Scenario #1 3-Tier Plan moving high school to 2nd tier & middle school to 1st tier

High School 8:00 – 2:49

Middle School 7:30 – 2:16

Elementary School 8:46 – 3:35

10% increase in daily home to school run hours, from 380 to 420 utilizing current number of buses (70). At $20 per hour (FICA & retirement) daily cost increases by $800 or $140,000 over 175 school days. Higher benefit cost may also be incurred with an increase in the average

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package to greater than 30 hours weekly. All middle school buses would see an increase in run times with earlier bell times.

Scenario #2

2-Tier Plan combining high school and middle school on 1st Tier.

High School/Middle School 7:40/8:00 – 2:26/2:49

Elementary School 8:48 – 3:42

25% increase in number of buses required to transport eligible on HS/MS tier; approximate 4200 students. (approximately 2900 of 6500 eligible currently ride). Would impact and possibly increase the number of eligible students in the current non-transport zone (1.5 miles from home school).

Scenario #3 Move all tiers back, approximately 15 minutes, to accommodate a later high school start time. With the same level of service, the cost is expected to remain the same as the current school year.

High School 8:00 – 2:49

Middle School 8:30 – 3:22

Elementary School 9:08 – 4:08

Based on discussions within the committee, adjusting high school start times by approximately 15 minutes, would not significantly impact related services and activities, such as athletics. Although there are no projected costs currently related to this scenario, start times would need to be adjusted, also by 15 minutes, at the middle and elementary levels. Additionally, the committee, along with appropriate Ann Arbor Public Schools Staff Members, would need to develop a detailed Action Plan to even consider these time adjustments for the 2014-2015 school year.

Scenario #4 Maintain current Bell Times as well as Transportation Schedules.

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Human Resource Considerations In Michigan there are mandatory subjects of bargaining normally referred to as " wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment". An employer cannot make unilateral changes in mandatory subjects of bargaining. Mandatory subjects must be bargained to impasse, and then after following certain procedural rules, may be implemented unilaterally, but only if the impasse procedure is followed. The Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA) Teacher Master Agreement Appendix VI sets forth the current agreed upon school hours. Any change to those hours would require negotiations.

For example, recently it was necessary to change the bus schedule at Bryant-Pattengill for cost savings. There was a legal requirement to negotiate a change in the contractually agreed upon start/ending times even though it did not add to or subtract from the staff workday.

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In-District Transfers For the last several years, a Board of Education Policy 5100.R.01 has been in place that allows for space available transfers at the elementary and middle school levels. The District computes each building’s capacity and determines which buildings will have space available for the following year. A window for applications is opened in the spring of the prior school year of enrolling. All applications are considered at the end of the window. If a school cannot accommodate all of the requests, a lottery is held. At the time this policy was put in place, the comprehensive high schools were large and did not have space for additional students from outside of their school attendance area. Huron and Pioneer were not included in this policy. During redistricting it was decided that the district would wait until Skyline had all 4 years enrolled before considering in-district space available for the comprehensive high schools. The High School Start Times Committee was also charged with making a recommendation regarding opening the high schools to space available. Our recommendation is to offer a limited number of space available transfers at Huron and Pioneer High Schools. The window should open at the same time that Skyline and Community have their respective open enrollment/lottery windows. The number of spaces was not determined by the committee, however we are suggesting a minimum of 25 students per high school (Huron and Pioneer). If more apply than the number we determine, a lottery would be held.

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Schools of Choice For the last 3 years, Ann Arbor Public Schools has offered Schools of Choice to non-resident students who live in Washtenaw County. The first year, a limited number of slots were identified at Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 6. The second and third year slots were identified for grades Kindergarten through Grade 6. The District currently has approximately 200 students enrolled under this option in grades K-8. The Board of Education is required to approve the option of Schools of Choice for each school year. Also, the Michigan Department of Education sets regulations for implementing this option. The Committee considered the option of schools of choice for 9th graders. Our recommendation is to study the impact of offering in-district transfers at the high school level before recommending the Schools of Choice Option.

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Block Scheduling

In contrast with the traditional daily six, seven, or eight period schedule, a block schedule consists of three or four longer periods of daily instruction. The three most common forms of block scheduling are:

1. Alternate day schedule – where students and teachers meet every other day for extended time periods rather then meeting every day for shorter periods

Community High School

Monday through Thursday 4 Periods 95-100 minutes

Friday 7 Periods 55 minutes

2. “4x4” Semester Plan where students meet for four, 90-minute blocks every day over 4 quarters

3. Trimester Plan – where students take two or three courses every 60 days to earn six to nine credits per year

Skyline High School 5 Period Day 72 minute classes Clemente Alternative Program 5 Period Day 75 minute classes

Traditional Semester Structure

Huron High School 6 Period Day/with a 7th Hour Option 56 minute classes Pioneer High School 6th Period Day/with a 7th Hour Option 56 minute classes

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Pros and Cons of Modified Schedules (NEA-National Education Association)

Pros

• Teachers see fewer students during the day, giving them more time for individualized instruction

• With the increased span of teaching time, longer cooperative learning experiences can be completed in one class period

• Students have more time for reflection and less information to process over the course of a school day

• Teachers have extended time for planning

Cons

• Teachers see students only three to four day a week that fosters a lack of continuity from day to day

• If a student misses a day under the modular schedule, that student is actually missing two, or sometimes even more days. In a 4x4, all of the information normally taught in a semester course has to be covered in one quarter. It is difficult to cover the necessary material for Advanced Placement courses in the time allotted

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High School Structure in Ann Arbor Public Schools and Related Staff Cost

Skyline Trimester

Clemente Trimester

Huron Semester

Pioneer Semester

A2Tech Semester With evening classes for Option students

Community Semester Block schedules - Community also houses the Community Resource Program (CR), online classes through Michigan Virtual High School (MVHS), and Ann Arbor customized online courses

7th

Hour Option

Huron and Pioneer offer 7 periods each semester, but not all students take 7 classes. Students must take 6 classes to be considered a full time student in the semester structure. As of Fall count day, 335 students took at least 7 classes at Pioneer and 220 at Huron. The additional cost for the 7th hour is 4.44 Teacher FTE. Community offers four 95-minute blocks Monday through Thursday. On Friday, the schedule is seven 55-minute periods. As of Fall 2012, approximately 100 students took 7 classes plus forum. The additional cost for the 7th hour is 0.8 Teacher FTE. Skyline offers 5 periods each trimester. There is no option for an extra class. Trimester/Semester Comparisons

There is some difference between Teacher FTE for a 6-class semester and a 5 -class trimester. Formula for a 5-class trimester structure with 1,600 students:

• 1,600 students taking 5 classes = 8,000 classes • 8,000 classes divided by 25 (average class size) = 320 sections • Full time teachers in a trimester have 4 periods/sections per day. • 320 sections divided by 4 = 80.0 Teacher FTE

Formula for a 6-class semester structure with 1,600 students:

• 1,600 students taking 6 classes = 9,600 classes • 9, 600 classes divided by 25 (average class size) = 384 sections • Full time teachers have 5 periods/sections per day. • 384 sections divided by 5 = 76.8 Teacher FTE

This is a difference of 3.2 Teacher FTE.

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Fall 2012 FTE for the high schools in Ann Arbor (excluding Special Ed staff):

School FTE Enrollment

Skyline 77.0 1,501

Huron 78.64 1,611

Pioneer 78.4 1,651

Community 25.3 (excluding CR and

online FTE) 477

Clemente 10.00 92

A2Tech 8.2 117

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Semester Schedule

Pros/Cons

Pros Cons

! Master Schedule is less complex ! Pacing is not “rushed” in core content or

assessments ! Less stress on students ! Classes meet daily ! Student only prepares for 2 final exams ! Option for a 7th hour schedule ! Student/Teacher Relationships are stronger

due to more weeks together ! Cost ! Some high schools (Dexter/Muskegon, MI)

reported frustration among struggling students with a 72 min. class period vs. 50

! More students on teacher caseload ! Less opportunity for course recovery ! Students enroll in too many AP courses per

semester/impacts grades & stress level ! Struggling and/or students with Academic

Support have less opportunity to take required electives for graduation

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Trimester Schedule

Pros/Cons

Pros Cons

! Choice (7.5 credits per year) ! Possibility of 1.5 credit classes ! Daily and trimester teacher load ! Daily and trimester student load ! Credit Recovery possibilities ! Acceleration possibilities ! Less stress ! Classes meet daily ! Fewer transitions ! Instruction time is similar to current

schedule ! More class meetings per course ! Aligned with athletic seasons ! More offerings for students ! Fewer classes for students each term ! Fewer students for teachers at a time ! Support Mastery Learning ! Possible acceleration in an area ! Three Annual Parent Conferences ! Three Grading Periods/Progress Reports ! No 7th Hour ! Help struggling students by giving them

more opportunities to repeat classes that they fail

! More opportunities to provide “intervention” courses for struggling students

! Longer class periods for lab courses

! Year-long classes for AP or music could reduce choices

! Continuity ! Pacing for 70 vs. 50 minutes ! Schedule is out of sync with grading

terms in other schools ! Increased scheduling workload on

counselors ! Condensed curriculum ! More students on caseload per year ! Student transfer issues ! Frequent testing ! Students’ classes turn over three times

per year ! More difficult to build relationships with

students due to shorter terms ! Three sets of exams ! Longer class periods that run for fewer

weeks ! Problematic for foreign language study ! Create more stress for students due to

more frequent schedule and lunch period changes

! 1st trimester exams are held the week students return from Thanksgiving Break

! Difficult for some students to stay focused for longer class time

! If a course is not available at a trimester school, it is difficult to pick it up at a semester school (split enrollment)

! Some classes are held each trimester, others for 2 of the 3 *

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*Example with Math for grade 9 and 10: Students only take 2 of the 3 terms. In addition to summer, students have long periods of time with no math instruction

Math 9 Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3 Summer

1/3 of class Math 9 (a) Math 9 (b)

1/3 of class Math 9 (a) Math 9 (b)

1/3 of class Math 9 (a) Math 9 (b)

Math 10 Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3 Summer

1/3 of class Math 10 (a) Math 10 (b)

1/3 of class Math 10 (a) Math 10 (b)

1/3 of class Math 10 (a) Math 10 (b)

More Resources at: http://www.trimesters.org/

Published on Education Northwest (http://educationnorthwest.org) RSS Newsletter - May 2012

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Washtenaw County School Districts The chart below provides a list of the instructional structures implemented in high schools in Washtenaw County. As you can see, some districts moved to trimesters and are reverting back to semesters.

Semesters Trimesters Notes

Chelsea X Began trimesters 2010-11

Dexter X Returned to semesters

2012-13

Lincoln X

Manchester X

Milan X

Saline X Began trimesters 2008-09

Whitmore

Lake X

Returned to semesters 2012-13

Willow Run X

Ypsilanti X

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Potential Next Steps High School Start Times Committee will continue to meet. Surveys Survey students, parents, and staff to get some measurable data from stakeholders regarding high school start times as well as changes at other levels. Consider incorporating this survey into the annual Climate Survey administration. Action Plan Develop a detailed Action Plan for Transportation Scenario #3, which would adjust high school start times by 15 minutes, as well as middle and elementary start times if this scenario was determined as a next step. Surveys should be done regarding impact of this change with elementary, middle, and high school parents and stakeholders. In-District Transfers Our recommendation is to offer a limited number of space available transfers at Huron and Pioneer High Schools. The window should open at the same time that Skyline and Community have their respective open enrollment/lottery windows. The number of spaces was not determined but we are suggesting a minimum of 25 students per school (Huron and Pioneer). If more apply than the determined number, a lottery would be held. Schools of Choice

Our recommendation is to study the impact of offering in-district transfers at the high school level before offering the Schools of Choice option. Semester and Trimester Structure Develop a detailed Action Plan to move all comprehensive high schools to a semester structure.