Central Campus & Central Academy...Band/Marching Band 1. How will this affect Marching Band? a....
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Central Campus & Central Academy 1. How is busing to and from Central Campus and Central Academy going to work with the proposed schedule? a. We are aware that issues with the busing between Central Campus and the home high schools have caused problems this year and the district is working hard to fix these issues. That being said, the cause of these delays is related to a shortage of bus drivers across the district as well as unanAcipated effects of delays in elementary school busing on Central Campus shuCles. Neither of these issues is caused by the schedule of classes. There are two ways in which the proposed schedule allows for travel Ame to and from home high schools and Central Campus/ Academy. First, the home high schools have a 35-minute MTSS period built into the proposed schedule, which allows Central Campus and Academy students to accommodate travel Ame into their schedule without giving up a for-credit course. Second, the start and end Ames of classes at Central Campus/ Academy are off-set from those of the home high schools to allow for students to travel between buildings. This is true in the current schedule as well. By having the MTSS period in the home high school schedule and by having the start and end Ames of classes at Central off-set from those at the home high schools, students have Ame to travel between campuses without having to give up class Ame in order to make it work. 2. How will this affect students’ ability to take classes at Central? a. Students will sAll be able to take classes at Central Campus and/or Central Academy on the proposed schedule. The schedule is designed to allow students to be at Central Campus and/or Central Academy for any number of blocks from one course up to the enAre seven-period schedule. 3. What impact does the schedule have on students aCending Central Campus that have a course that is more than one period? a. The proposed schedule will sAll allow for Central Campus to offer courses that are more than one period long, just like the current schedule allows. These classes would be intenAonally placed within the master schedule to allow for easier transiAons for students and to allow for necessary community support for Central Campus programs, such as internships. For example, a course might be two periods long in the schedule, so would be offered in periods 2-3, 4-5, or 6-7. This means that because of how the proposed schedule works, students would be in that class every day for approximately 90-95 minutes, even on the block days, allowing for more consistency and the ability for those students to do extended projects, labs, community-events, internships, etc. 4. How are you going to deal with Central vs. home high school schedules? a. As with the current schedule, counselors and scheduling personnel at Central Campus, Central Academy, and the comprehensive high schools will work together to coordinate schedules for students aCending mulAple buildings. The scheduling between buildings is all done simultaneously with lots of collaboraAon between counselors to solve scheduling problems and resolve conflicts. 5. This schedule seems like it would really cut those classes short since they are usually a liCle shorter anyway to allow for travel – what about those classes? a. The classes at Central Campus and Central Academy would be the same length as the classes at the home high schools on the proposed schedule, not shorter. The travel Ame for students going to and from Central will be absorbed through the MTSS periods built into the home high school schedules. 6. Will Central Campus have to cut classes they offer with this new schedule? a. The proposed schedule does not require Central Campus to cut any classes or programing. Cuts to Central Campus courses, if any, would be based on budgetary decisions and would happen regardless of a change to the high school schedule structure.
Transcript of Central Campus & Central Academy...Band/Marching Band 1. How will this affect Marching Band? a....
CentralCampus&CentralAcademy
1. HowisbusingtoandfromCentralCampusandCentralAcademygoingtoworkwiththeproposedschedule?
a. WeareawarethatissueswiththebusingbetweenCentralCampusandthehomehighschoolshavecausedproblemsthisyearandthedistrictisworkinghardtofixtheseissues.Thatbeingsaid,thecauseofthesedelaysisrelatedtoashortageofbusdriversacrossthedistrictaswellasunanAcipatedeffectsofdelaysinelementaryschoolbusingonCentralCampusshuCles.Neitheroftheseissuesiscausedbythescheduleofclasses.TherearetwowaysinwhichtheproposedscheduleallowsfortravelAmetoandfromhomehighschoolsandCentralCampus/Academy.First,thehomehighschoolshavea35-minuteMTSSperiodbuiltintotheproposedschedule,whichallowsCentralCampusandAcademystudentstoaccommodatetravelAmeintotheirschedulewithoutgivingupafor-creditcourse.Second,thestartandendAmesofclassesatCentralCampus/Academyareoff-setfromthoseofthehomehighschoolstoallowforstudentstotravelbetweenbuildings.Thisistrueinthecurrentscheduleaswell.ByhavingtheMTSSperiodinthehomehighschoolscheduleandbyhavingthestartandendAmesofclassesatCentraloff-setfromthoseatthehomehighschools,studentshaveAmetotravelbetweencampuseswithouthavingtogiveupclassAmeinordertomakeitwork.
2. Howwillthisaffectstudents’abilitytotakeclassesatCentral?
a. StudentswillsAllbeabletotakeclassesatCentralCampusand/orCentralAcademyontheproposedschedule.ThescheduleisdesignedtoallowstudentstobeatCentralCampusand/orCentralAcademyforanynumberofblocksfromonecourseuptotheenAreseven-periodschedule.
3. WhatimpactdoestheschedulehaveonstudentsaCendingCentralCampusthathaveacoursethatismorethanoneperiod?
a. TheproposedschedulewillsAllallowforCentralCampustooffercoursesthataremorethanoneperiodlong,justlikethecurrentscheduleallows.TheseclasseswouldbeintenAonallyplacedwithinthemasterscheduletoallowforeasiertransiAonsforstudentsandtoallowfornecessarycommunitysupportforCentralCampusprograms,suchasinternships.Forexample,acoursemightbetwoperiodslongintheschedule,sowouldbeofferedinperiods2-3,4-5,or6-7.Thismeansthatbecauseofhowtheproposedscheduleworks,studentswouldbeinthatclasseverydayforapproximately90-95minutes,evenontheblockdays,allowingformoreconsistencyandtheabilityforthosestudentstodoextendedprojects,labs,community-events,internships,etc.
4. HowareyougoingtodealwithCentralvs.homehighschoolschedules?
a. Aswiththecurrentschedule,counselorsandschedulingpersonnelatCentralCampus,CentralAcademy,andthecomprehensivehighschoolswillworktogethertocoordinateschedulesforstudentsaCendingmulAplebuildings.TheschedulingbetweenbuildingsisalldonesimultaneouslywithlotsofcollaboraAonbetweencounselorstosolveschedulingproblemsandresolveconflicts.
5. ThisscheduleseemslikeitwouldreallycutthoseclassesshortsincetheyareusuallyaliCleshorteranywaytoallowfortravel–whataboutthoseclasses?
a. TheclassesatCentralCampusandCentralAcademywouldbethesamelengthastheclassesatthehomehighschoolsontheproposedschedule,notshorter.ThetravelAmeforstudentsgoingtoandfromCentralwillbeabsorbedthroughtheMTSSperiodsbuiltintothehomehighschoolschedules.
6. WillCentralCampushavetocutclassestheyofferwiththisnewschedule?
a. TheproposedscheduledoesnotrequireCentralCampustocutanyclassesorprograming.CutstoCentralCampuscourses,ifany,wouldbebasedonbudgetarydecisionsandwouldhappenregardlessofachangetothehighschoolschedulestructure.
7. WillstudentshavetomissaparJalclasstogotoandfromCentral?
a. No,studentswillnothavetomissaparAalclasstogotoandfromCentral.TheAmetoallowthemtotravelbetweenbuildingsisbuiltintotheschedulethroughtheMTSSperiodinthecomprehensivehighschoolschedulesandthestaggeringofstartandendAmesatCentralCampusandCentralAcademy.
8. IsittruethatCentralAcademywillbelimiJngaccesstothosestudentswhotakethemostclassesthere?
a. Thatisnottrue.CentralAcademywillnotbelimiAngaccesstothosestudentswhotakethemostclassesthereoreventostudentswhotakemulAplecoursesthere.StudentswillsAllbeabletoaCendCentralAcademytotakejustoneclassthereontheproposedschedule.
9. IsittruethatCentralAcademystudentswillnolongerbeabletohaveaDirectedStudyperiod,whichisnecessaryformanystudentstobeabletocompletetheheavyhomeworkloadandsJllbeabletoparJcipateinextracurricularacJviJes?
a. Itistruethatwiththeproposedschedule,8thgradersatCentralAcademywouldnothaveamandatoryDirectedSturdyperiodbuiltintotheirschedule.These8thgraderswouldhavethreeclassesatCentralAcademyandthenreturntotheirmiddleschoolswheretheywouldtakeanaddiAonalelecAveorCTEcourse.Forhighschoolstudents,therewouldsAllbeopAonsforthemtoelecttotakeareleaseperiod,studyhall/directedstudycourse,orteacheraideperiodwheretheycouldcompletehomeworkiftheywantedtoworkthatintotheirschedule.
10. WillCentralstudentsbeforcedtohavefewersubjectsontheirscheduletoincorporatetravelJme?
a. No,CentralstudentswillnotbeforcedtohavefewersubjectsorfewerclassesontheirscheduletoincorporatetravelAme.ThiswastrueinDMPSpriortotheblockschedulewhenthedistrictwasonan8-perioddayandstudentsgoingtoCentralhadtogiveupperiodfourtotravelbackandforth.Ontheproposedschedule,Centralstudentscantakethesamenumberofcourseasnon-Centralstudents.ThetravelAmeinaccountedforintheMTSSperiodatthehomehighschoolsandthroughtheoff-setstartandendAmesofclassesatCentral.
11. WillstudentsaCendingCentralAcademybeforcedtotakemulJpleclassesthereorwilltheysJllbeabletotakeonlyoneortwo?
a. No,studentsareCentralAcademy(and/orCentralCampus)willnotbeforcedtotakemulApleclassesthere.TheproposedscheduleallowsforstudentstotakejustoneortwoclassesatCentralifthatiswhattheywanttodo.
PhysEdRequirement
1. CanyoutellusthequalificaJonsaroundContractPE?Whocantakeit?Whatdoesitlooklike?
a. ContractPEisanopAonforstudentstocompletetheiryearlyPErequirementoutsidetheregularschoolday.TobeeligibleforContractPE,studentsmusthaveafullacademicschool,noprevioushighschoolPEfailures,andparAcipateinasportoracAvityattheirhighschoolthatisoverseenbyalicensedcoach.Iftheymeetthatcriteria,thestudentmayrequesttotakeContractPEinsteadoftakingatradiAonalPEcourseintheirschedule.ForContractPE,studentsmustregularlytracktheirphysicalacAvity,suchastraining,pracAcesandgamesfortheirsportoracAvity,throughanonlinepla_ormandcompletereflecAonsandassignmentsinconjuncAonwiththatfitnesstracking.
2. AreyougoingtomakeContractPEeasiertodo,sokidscansJlltakethoseextraacademicclasses?
a. TherearenocurrentplanstochangetherequirementsforContractPE,butitwillbeanopAonforstudentswhomeetthecriterialistedabove.
3. InthepastwhenDMPShasonly7periods,studentswereallowedtotakeContractPEorEarlyBirdPEsotheycouldtakemoreacademicclassesduringtheschoolday–willthisbeapprovedagain?
a. ContractPEwillconAnuetobeanopAonforstudentsmeeAngthecriterialistedabove.CentralCampuscurrentlyoffersanEarlyBirdPEopAonforstudentswhoaCendthereforthefirstblockoftheday,whichshouldsAllbeavailableasanopAonforstudentsnextyear.ThedistrictisalsocurrentlypiloAngavirtualPEopAonthroughtheVirtualCampusprogramthatwehopetobeabletooffertomorestudentsinthefuture.AllofthesealternaAvePEopAonswouldallowstudentstoconAnuetakingsevennon-PEcoursesintheirscheduleintheproposedschedulestructureandsAllmeettheirPErequirement.
4. Can6amsportstrainingatLincolncounttowardsPEsinceitisledbyteachersandcoaches?
a. Morningsportstraining,suchasthatmenAonedinthisquesAon,couldcertainlybecountedtowardsastudent’sacAvityforContractPEiftheymeettheothercriteriatotakeit.ThetrainingwouldnotreplacethePErequiredbutcouldbeusedaspartofanalternaAvePEopAonlikeContractPE.
5. WillPEbeopJonalforstudentstoaccountforthelossofaclassblock?
a. PerIowalaw,PEisrequiredforallstudentseveryyearofhighschool.Thisisnotsomethingthatthedistrictcontrols.StudentswillsAllberequiredtotakeaPEcourseeveryyear,buttheymaybeabletotakeadvantageofsomeofthePEopAonslistedabovetotakeanaddiAonalacademiccourseiftheysochoose.
Band/MarchingBand
1. HowwillthisaffectMarchingBand?
a. Bandiscurrentlyofferedthefirstblockofthedayatthefivecomprehensivehighschools,someAmesinbothblocks1and5inordertomeetdaily.Ontheproposedschedule,bandwouldmostlikelyconAnuetobeofferedinfirstperiod,whichwouldallowallschoolstomeetdailyforband.Thisisespeciallybeneficialduringthemarchingbandseason,asstudentswouldhavebandbuiltintotheirscheduledailyandwouldnothavetohavetwoperiodsdedicatedtothecourseduringthefallsemester.
2. Lincolnrequiresfreshmantotake3blocksofband–willthatchange?
a. Yes,ontheproposedschedule,bandwouldnolongerneedtobeofferedinmulApleblockstoallowstudentstomeetdaily,sothepracAceofhaving9thgraderstaketwoblocksforbandinthefallsemesterplusablockforbandlessonswouldnolongerbethecase.
3. PleaseexplainwhatwillbehappeningwithbandatRoosevelt?
a. Liketheothercomprehensivehighschools,Rooseveltwouldbeabletoofferbandinperiod1ontheproposedschedule,allowingthemtomeetdailythroughouttheyear.Whilethebuildingshavenotyetbeganbuildingtheir19-20masterschedules,wearenotawareofanyplanstootherwisechangetheformatofhowbandisofferedatRoosevelt.
ScheduleLogisAcs&ImplicaAons
1. Howaredoubleblockclassesgoingtowork?Dowespend90minutesinclassonMonday,Tuesday,andFridayandthen180minutesonWednesdayandThursday?
a. No,thatisnothowdouble-blockedclasseswouldwork.Ifyouhaveadouble-blocked,ortwo-periodclassonyourschedule,youwouldtakethatclassforabout90minutesdailyontheproposedschedule.Forexample,ifyourtwo-periodcourseisscheduledinperiods2and3(or4and5,or6and7,etc.),youwouldhavethosetwoperiodsback-to-backontheregulardaysMonday,Tuesday,and
Fridaytotaling90minutesofclass.Ontheblockdays,youwouldhaveyourblockforperiod2onWednesdaysfor95minutesandthenyourblockforperiod3onThursdaysfor95minutes,allmeeAngatapproximatelythesameAmeofday.Thismeansyouwouldhavethetwo-period,ordouble-blockedclasseverydayinyourschedulefor90-95minutes.
2. Period1meets5daysperweekwhileothersdon’t.What’stheperiod1goingtobe?
a. BuildingswouldintenAonallyschedulecoursesduringperiod1whenbuildingtheirmasterschedulessothatspecificcourses,likeBand,arealwaysscheduledduringthatAme.Specificclasses,suchasalab-heavyscienceorvisualartcoursethatreallyneedtomakeuseoftheextendedAmeprovidedbytheblockdaywouldalsointenAonallynotbescheduledduringthatAme.
3. WillstudentsbeabletotakeAPandDMACCclassesjustliketheydonow,orwilltherebemorerestricJons/limitaJons?
a. StudentswillsAllbeabletotakeAPandDMACCdual-creditcoursesliketheydonow.NonewrestricAonsorlimitaAonswillbeputintoplacebecauseoftheproposedschedule.
4. Ifstudentscan’tfocus,whyhavea95-minuteclassonblockdays?
a. TheideaisthatwhiletheshorterclassAmesfornon-blockdayswouldbeCeralignwiththetypicalteenageraCenAonspanandallowforanincreasedfrequencyofinstrucAon,therearesAllbeneficialwaysforteacherstouAlizeanextendedclassperiodforhandsonlabs,projects,etc.withtheblock.Havingjustonedayineachclasswiththelongerperiod,95minutesontheproposedschedulewouldhelplimitthenegaAveimpactsofalossofaCenAon.
5. WhatdoesastudentdoduringMTSSonWednesdayorThursday?
a. MTSSatthecomprehensivehighschoolsis35minuteseverydayoftheweekontheproposedschedule.DuringthisAme,studentsreceiveaddiAonalhelponcoursesinwhichtheyarestruggling,theygetaddiAonalAmetomake-uptestsorlabs,doexcursionsorenrichmentacAviAes,volunteerprojects,andmuchmore.WhatthestudentdoesduringMTSSAmedependsonhowthestudentisdoingineachclass,wheretheyneedaddiAonalsupport,andsomeAmesalsoistheirchoice.
6. Withrespecttostudent/teacherinteracJonJme,doesn’ttheproposedschedulenegaJvelyimpactstudentsinvolvedinacJviJesthatwillhavetoleaveearlyandmissthesameclassregularly?
a. StudentsdohavetooccasionallymissclassesorleaveearlyforacAviAes.Thisistrueregardlessofwhattheschedulelookslike.Inthecurrentschedule,missingoneclasscanmeanthestudentwillnotseethatteacherforasignificantamountofAmebeforetheirnextclass.TheproposedscheduleremovesthatissuebecausetheincreasedfrequencyofclassesmeansthatwhenastudentmissesaclassforanacAvity,theywillseethatteacheragainthefollowingday.Thisincreasedfrequencymakesiseasierforthestudenttokeepontopoftheclassworkandconnectwiththeteacherdespitetheabsence.
7. HowdoestheWednesday/Thursdayblockdaymakesense?
a. Forblockdays,studentswouldaCendhalfoftheirclassesonWednesdaysandhalfofthemonThursdays.Ontheproposedschedule,studentswouldgototheirevennumberedblocksonWednesdaysandtheiroddnumberedblocksonThursdays.
8. Whereislunchgoinginthenewschedule?
a. Lunchfallsinthemiddleofthedayontheproposedschedule,aroundperiod4.TheexactAmethatalunchoccursdependsonwhichschoolthestudentaCends.Comprehensiveschoolswithonelunchwouldmostlikelyhavetheirlunchfollowingperiod4.Comprehensivehighschoolswithtwoluncheswouldhaveonelunchbeforeperiod4andonelunchfollowingperiod4.Comprehensivehighschools
withthreeluncheswouldhaveonelunchbeforeperiod3,onelunchbetweenperiods3and4,andonelunchfollowingperiod4.TheindividualhighschoolsdeterminehowmanylunchesarerequiredbasedontheirfaciliAesandpersonnel.
9. Whyareblockdays20minuteslongerthanotherdays?
a. Theblockdaysarenot20minuteslongerthannon-blockdays.Intheproposedschedule,theblockdaysandregulardaysarethesamelengthofAme(theyhavethesamestartandendAmesfortheday).ThereasontheyappeartohavedifferentlengthsofAmeisbecausetherearethreemorepassingperiodsontheregulardays.WhenyouaddinthetransiAonsAmebetweenclasses,thetwodaysarethesamelength.Wedidhavedragsoftheschedulewiththedaily,50-minuteperiodbeingthelastblockoftheday.AgerreceivingfeedbackfrombuildingleadershipteamsandteacherssuggesAngthedailyclassperiodbefirstblock,weagreedandimplementedthatchange.
10. AP,Campus,andAcademydailylearningassignmentscanbeveryin-depth–willtheteachersandstudentsreallyhaveJmein45minutestogetseCledandreallydigintothelessonplan?
a. ThedepthofthinkinginthecoursesisdependentuponthelevelofquesAoningandtheinstrucAonaldesign.ThereareadvantagesofhavingAmetowarmuptothosedeepdives.ProvidingPDforteachersthisspringifthischangeisadoptedwillbeimportanttoaddressingthisconcern.
11. Howisthispreparingourstudentsforcollegewherelecturesarelongerandclasssizeslarger?
a. Whilesomecollegelecturesarelongerthan45minutesandsomecollegeclassesarelarger,thelengthandsizeofcollegeclassesvariesdrasAcallydependingontheinsAtuAonandsubjectareaorcourse.Manycollegeshavelargercourseswithperiodsfor45-50minutesonsomedaysandsmallerlabordiscussionclassesfor60-90minutesonotherdays.OthercollegeshaveverysmallclassesthatmeetforlongerperiodsofAme–itdependsontheschool.ThereistoomuchvariaAonincollegeschedulestomakeablanketstatementaboutallcollegeclassesbeinglongerandlarger.
12. HowwouldthisimpactIBstudentstravelingtoHoover?
a. StudentswhoparAcipateintheIBDiplomaProgrammewillhavetoaCend7periodstomeettherequirementsofthecredenAal.TheywillnothavetotraveltoHooverduringtheday,astheprogramwillrequirethattheybethereallday.
13. Whathappenswithclassesthatwere2blockslongbeforethischange?
a. TheproposedscheduleallowsforclassestobemulApleperiodslongifnecessary.Thoseclasseswouldbescheduledinadeliberatemannertoensurethebestplacementwithintheproposedschedulestructure.
14. HowisthisgoingtoworkforSPED?
a. OurSpecialEducaAonstudentswouldtakeclassesontheproposedscheduleifitisapproved.SpecialeducaAonteachersanddistrictconsultantswererepresentedthroughouttheprocessofbuildingleadershipteamandteacherfeedback.Intheproposedschedule,specialeducaAonstudentswouldbeabletotaketherequiredcoursestheyneedfortheIEP’sandwouldbenefitfromtheincreaseininstrucAonalAmeandfrequencyofinteracAonswiththeirteachers.
15. Arestudentsgoingtohavetoredoschedulefornextyearsincethey’vealreadysubmiCedscheduledbasedonhaving8periodsA/BBlocks?
a. Studentsshouldnothavetoredotheirschedulerequestsforthe19-20schoolyear.Counselorswereinstructedtohavestudentsenterrequestsfor7coursespersemesterplusalternates,whichallowsustousetheirrequeststobuildaschedulewitha7or8classbase,dependingonthesuperintendent’s
decisionregardingthescheduleproposal.Ifstudentsneedtoadjusttheirrequests,therewillopportuniAestodothat.
16. HowwillMTSSbeused?
a. TheMTSSperiodwillconAnuetobeusedasaAmeforacademicandbehaviorintervenAonatthecomprehensivehighschoolswherestudentscanreceiveaddiAonalsupportsinthesubjectareasinwhichtheymostneedthosesupports.Forthosestudentswhoareon-trackandnotidenAfiedasneedingaddiAonalsupport,theMTSSperiodcanbeusedasaAmeforenrichmentandspecialprojectsbeyondtheirregularcoursework.
17. YouarecuangJmeinclassandincreasingclasssizes–howwillthestudents’interacJonswithteachersimprove?
a. Theproposedschedulehastheoppositeimpacts–Ameineachclasswillincreaseandclasssizeswillstopincreasingiftheproposedscheduleisimproved.Students’interacAonswithteacherswillbemostimprovedduetotheincreasedfrequencyoftheirclasses.Studentswillseetheirteachersatleast4daysperweekontheproposedschedule,allowingthoserelaAonshipstobeCerdevelopthroughouttheschoolyear.
18. HowwillthisimpactelecJves?
a. StudentswillhaveaccesstothesameelecAveopAonsthattheyhaveonthecurrentscheduleandwillsAllneedtoearn7.5ElecAveand1.5Fine/AppliedArtscreditstograduate.WhiletheywillulAmatelytakeonelesscoursepersemester,theywillsAllhaveroomintheirschedulesoverfouryearstofitinalltheirrequiredelecAvecoursesplusaddiAonalcoursesbeyondthoserequirementsiftheychoosetotakethem.
19. HowdoestheproposedscheduleimpactcurrentseniorsandjuniorswithcreditstowardsgraduaJon?
a. Thevastmajorityofnextyear’s11than12thgraderswillhavenoissuefiinginthecoursesthatarerequiredforthemtograduateontheproposedschedule.Forexample,ifwelookatthecurrentseniorclassandtheircreditlevelsgoingintothisyear,over55%ofthemarealreadyatorbeyondtherequired23.0creditstograduate.Justover92%ofcurrentseniorswouldbeconsideredon-trackontheproposedscheduleandbeabletofiteverythingintotheirschedulethattheyneedtomeetgraduaAonrequirements.Oftheremaining7.6%ofstudentsthatwouldnotbeontrack,86%ofthemwouldsAllbeconsideredunder-creditedonthecurrentschedule.ThesamebasicstaAsAcsholdtrueforthecurrentjuniorclass.TheproposedscheduledoesnotcreateasituaAonwherestudentscannotmeetgraduaAonrequirementsandresultsintheapproximatelysamenumberofstudentsbeingunder-creditedasthecurrentschedule.
20. Howwilldoingthe7-periodeverydayschedulestopincreasingclasssizes?
a. Bychangingtoaschedulethatisbasedon7classesratherthan8classes,teacheruAlizaAonwillincreasebyapproximately11%.Onthecurrentschedule,mostofourteachersspend75%oftheirdayteachingclasses.Ontheproposedschedule,teacherswouldspend86%oftheirdayteachingclasses.Thismeansthatatanygivenperiodintheday,86%ofteacherswouldhaveaclassbeingoffered,asopposedto75%ofthemonthecurrentschedule.ItyoulookataschoolthesizeofRoosevelt,forexample,thismeansthatonthecurrentschedule,about55teachersareteachingacourseeveryperiod.Ifweassumetheyhavetheaverageclasssizeof30students,thatwouldmeanthereareapproximately1650seatsavailableforstudentseachperiodoftheday.Ontheproposedschedule,about63teacherswouldbeteachingacourseeveryperiod.Assumingthesameaverageclasssize,thatwouldmeanthereareapproximately1890seatsavailableforstudentseachperiodoftheday.Thisresultsin240addiAonalseatsforstudentseachperiodofthedayforthesamenumberof
students.Becausetherearemoreavailableseatsintheproposedscenario,youcanabsorbstaffreducAonswithoutclasssizesincreasing.
21. Howdoesasingleabsenceresultinastudentnotseeingateacherforaweek?A/Biseveryotherdaysowouldseeteachereveryweekregardless?
a. BecauseoftherotaAngA/Bblockschedule,ifastudenthasaclassonaTuesday,forexample,andisthenabsentonThursday(thenextAmethecoursemeets),thenextAmetheclassisscheduledtomeetwouldbethefollowingMonday,assumingitisastandardweekwithoutanyholidaysorprofessionaldevelopmentdays.IfthereisanydaywithoutschoolinthatAmeframe,thenextAmetheclasswouldmeetwouldthefollowingTuesday,afullweekagerthestudentlasthadthecourse.
22. ItnotesthatclassJmeincreasesintheproposedschedule–isthisduetothefullWednesdayoristhatfactoredintothecurrentscheduleifusednextyearaswell?
a. ThecalculaAonsforboththecurrentscheduleandtheproposedscheduleweredoneusingtheproposedcalendarfor19-20,whichdoesnotincludeearly-outWednesdays.
23. Theproposalisgoingtoa7-perioddaywhichwouldmeaneveryonegetsareleaseblockifweswitched–howishavingareleaseblockaconcernorconwhenitisaproposalwithinthenewschedule?
a. Theproposedschedulewouldnotmeaneverystudentgetsareleaseblock.Infact,wewouldhopethatthefrequencyofstudentshavingreleaseblockswoulddecreaseontheproposedschedule.Thechangefrom8blocksofclassesto7periodsofclasseswouldmeanthatstudentstakeonefewerclassintheirschedule,andbecauseoftheproposalsincreaseinteacheruAlizaAon,wouldresultinmorekidsinclasseseachblockwithoutincreasingclasssizes.
24. Ifthischangesfornextyear,whathappensifjuniorscan’ttakeeverythingtheyneedforallgraduaJonrequirementsandcollegeexpectaJons?
a. TheproposedscheduleallowsforstudentstotakeallthecoursestheyneedtograduateplusaddiAonalclasseseachyear.Justlikewiththecurrentschedule,thereareopAonsavailableforthosestudentswhohavefallenbehindorneedanalternaAveseingtoearncredits.TheseopAonswillsAllbeavailablewiththeproposedscheduleshouldastudentneedthem.
25. What’sbeingdonetomiJgatethenegaJveimpactsonlabtypeclasses(science,foods,woodshop,etc.)?
a. Themodifiedblockisspecificallydesignedtoallowfortheselab-typeclasseswhilealreadyincreasingfrequencyofinstrucAon.Byhavingblockdaysbuiltintotheschedule,teachersaresAllabletodointensivelabs,projects,experiments,etc.duringtheextendedblockAmeonWednesdaysandThursdaysbutalsogettoseestudentsaminimumoffourdaysperweek.Classeslikelabsciences,foods,woodshop,etc.wouldbeabletodotheirmorein-depthandAme-consumingacAviAesontheblockdays.Teacherswouldreceiveprofessionaldevelopmentonhowbesttoaddressthechangestothescheduletoworkwithinitsstructure.
TeacherSchedules
1. Doteachersnotteachall8blocks?Can’ttheyplanaderthelastclassofthedayunJl5:00-ish?
a. No,teachersdonottypicallyteacherall8blocksinthecurrentschedule.Justover70%ofcurrenthighschoolteachersteach6outofthe8blocksandjustover26%ofcurrenthighschoolteachersteach7outof8blocks.Whentheyarenotteachingaclass,theyusetheirAmetoplan,whichincludesdevelopingcurriculum,lessonplanning,gradingassessments,collaboraAngwithcolleagues,analyzingdata,workingonprofessionaldevelopment,andmanyotherthings.Evenwiththebuilt-inplanningAmethatteachersreceive,manyofthemsAllplanwellbeyondtheregularworkday.
2. HowwillteachersthatarefullJmebutonlyteach4or5on8beuJlizedbeCer?
a. Onlyinextremelyspecialcircumstancesdoesthiseverhappen,andthoseteacherswhodonotteachafullloadofclassesareeithernotonfull-AmecontractsorhaveotherresponsibiliAesduringtheircontractAme.
3. WouldallteacherstransiJonto6outof7?
a. Yes,ontheproposedschedule,allhighschoolteacherswouldteach6outof7classes.
4. WhatarethedifferencesinminutesforteacherplanningJmeforeachschedule?
a. OnthecurrentA/Bscheduleappliedtotheproposedcalendarfornextyear,teacherswhoteach6on8haveplanningAmeeveryday,totaling840minutesofplanningAmeeverystandardtwo-weekperiodandteacherswhoteach7on8haveplanningAmeeveryotherday,totaling420minutesofplanningAmeeverystandardtwo-weekperiod.Ontheproposedschedule,allteacherswouldhaveplanningatleast4daysperweek,totaling460minuteseverystandardtwo-weekperiod.
5. Ifallteacherswentto7on8,wouldn’tthathelpsupportmorestudentsjustlikethenewschedule?
a. Movingallteacherstoaloadof7on8isnotsustainable.ThiscreatesascenariowhereallteachershaveplanningAmeonlyeveryotherdayandevenasmoreandmoreteachershavemovedfromteaching6on8toteaching7on8overthelastthreeyears,thedistricthassAllseenasignificantriseinclasssizesandthenumberofreleaseperiodsinstudents’schedules.ThismaycouldtheoreAcallyhelpwithclasssizeissuesintheshortterm,butisnotalong-termsoluAonanddoesnotprovideamethodforabsorbingstaffreducAonstothesameextentastheproposedschedule.
6. Ifyouareworriedaboutteachersnothavingenoughplanningwhileteaching7outof8blocks,howitisbeCertohavemoreteachersteaching6outof7periodswheretheywouldhavelessJmeinasingleplanningperiod?
a. Whiletheywouldhaveshorterindividualplanningperiodsthreedaysoftheweek,theywouldsAllhavemoreplanningAmetotalthaniftheywereteaching7on8inthecurrentschedulestructure.Teacherswhoteacher7on8inthecurrentschedulehaveplanningAmeeveryotherday,whichconverselymeanstheyhavenoplanningAmeeveryotherday.Ontheproposedschedule,teacherswouldhaveplanningAmeaminimumoffourdaysaweek.ThiswouldbeanincreaseinboththefrequencyofplanningAmeandinthetotalnumberofminutesofplanningAmeforthoseteachers.
7. So,teacherswhohave4-5prepswillnowgofrom435minutesofplanningto180?Isthisaccurate?
a. Teacherswhoarecurrentlyteaching6on8,whichisapproximately70%ofcurrenthighschoolteachers,wouldgofrom850minutesofplanningAmeeverytwoweeksto460minutesofplanningAmeeverytwoweeks.Thisisadecreaseof390minutesoverthatsameAmeframe.Teacherswhoarecurrentlyteaching7on8,whichisover25%ofcurrenthighschoolteacherswouldgofrom425minutesofplanningAmeeverytwoweeksto460minutesofplanningAmeeverytwoweeks.Thisisanincreaseof35minutesoverthatsameAmeframe.Ifyoulookattheactualteachingassignmentsofthosetwogroups,theteacherscurrentlyteaching7on8havesignificantlymoreprepsthanthoseteacherswhoteach6on8,asmostofourcurrentelecAveandCTEteachersfallintothatgroup.Veryfewoftheteacherswhofallintothe6on8categoryhaveasmanyas4or5prepsoutsideofthespecialeducaAonorELLdepartments.Wehavealsoseenthenumberofteachersmovingfromteaching6on8toteaching7on8increasesignificantlyoverthelastthreeyearsduetobudgetcutsandstaffreducAons,atrendthatwillhavetoconAnuewithoutintervenAon.
8. IsincreasingteacheruJlizaJonreallyawaytoaskteacherstodomorewithlessJme?
i. IncreasingteacheruAlizaAonisaboutredistribuAnghowteachersspendtheirAmemorethananything.Ontheproposedscheduleteacherswouldteacher6courses,meaningtheyhavethesamenumberofclassesiftheycurrentlyteach6on8(oronelessclassiftheycurrentlyteacher7on8)andapproximatelythesameclasssizes,assumingtheproposedschedulewas
approved.Theywouldspendabiggerpercentageoftheirdaywiththosestudentsthantheydointhecurrentschedule,whichiswheretheincreaseinuAlizaAoncomesfrom.
Budget,BudgetCuts,&Finances
1. RegardingteacherreducJons–whataboutnextyear’sfinancialcuts?Everyyeartherearebudgetcutssowhataboutnextyearandtheyearaderthatandtheyearaderthat?
a. WearealwaysconsciousofreducAons.TeachersarethelastplacewelookforreducAons,buttherealityisthatwehavenotreceivedthefundingnecessarytomaintainourstaffing.
2. Whyareonlyteachersonthebudgetcuts?Don’twehave41non-teachingdirectors?
a. Thedistrictchiefsarecurrentlyworkingonthebudget,andnospecificdecisionshavebeenmadeastowhichindividualpersonnelorposiAonswillbecutatthedistrictorbuildinglevels.WhenthebudgetrequiresstaffreducAons,likeitwillthisyear,alldistrictposiAonsareconsideredaspossiblereducAons.
3. Ifbudgetwasnotanissue,wouldthischangebeproposed?
a. Discussionsaboutchangingourcurrentschedulehavebeengoingonsinceweadopteditinthe2010-2011schoolyear.Whilethebudgetissuemakesthenecessityofconsideringthischangemorepressing,wesAllbelievethisscheduleisbeCerforstudentsgiventheadvantagesithasforincreasedinstrucAonalAmeandfrequency.
4. Howmanyteachersarebeingcutperbuilding?
a. Nodecisionsregardingspecificstaffingcutsorthenumberofcutsperbuildinghaveyetbeenmade.
5. Haveyouthoughtaboutincreasingschoolfees?
a. ThedistrictcanonlychargefeesbasedonwhatisallowedbyIowacode.AddiAonally,allfeesmustbewaivedforstudentswhoparAcipateinthefree/reducedlunchprogram,whichisapproximately76%ofcurrentDMPSstudents.Increasingschoolfeeswouldnotsolveourcurrentbudgetissues.
6. Wheredoesthebudgetcomefrom?
a. TheCFO,chiefs,andbudgetcommiCeeworktogethertocreatetheannualbudget,whichisbasedonthedistrict’senrollmentandstatefunding.
7. WillyoubeincreasingteacherpayiftheywillbeuJlizedmore?
a. No,teacherpayisnotbasedonuAlizaAonrates.Forexample,teacherswhoteacher6on8arecompensatedthesameasteacherswhoteacher7on8.Thisisdeterminedbythecontractsmadebetweenthedistrictandtheteachers’union.
8. Howwillgoingtothisplansavethedistrictmoney?
a. Theproposedschedulebyitselfdoesnotsavethedistrictmoney.Itisnotdesignedtodothat.TheproposedscheduleismerelyatooltoallowhighschoolstoreacttobudgetcutsandstaffreducAonswithoutconAnuingtoincreaseclasssizesforitsstudents.
9. IthinkIamhearingthattheblockschedulehasacademicbenefitsforstudentsandistooexpensivetomaintainwiththebudgetcutswearefacing–isthisanaccuratesummaryofthefirstfewslides?
a. Therearedefinitelysomebenefitstothecurrentblockschedule,buttherearealsosomesignificantnegaAvestoitaswellthatareindependentoffinances.Oneofthebenefitsoftheproposedschedule
isitsabilitytohelpmiAgatetheeffectsofcomingbudgetcutsonclasssizes,butthereareotherfactorsabouttheproposedschedulethatareposiAveforstudentsoutsideoffinancesaswell,suchasincreasedinstrucAonalAmeandfrequency.
10. WillCentralCampusandCentralAcademyprogramsandteachersbecut?Whichprogramswillbemostheavilyaffected?
a. TheproposedschedulewouldnotrequireCentralCampusorAcademytomakeprogramingcuts.AnycutstoCentralCampusorAcademyprogrammingorteacherswouldbedeterminedbydistrictbudgetconsideraAons,regardlessoftheschedulestructure.ProgramsatCentralwouldobviouslyhavetobeadaptedtoworkwithintheproposedschedulestructureifitisadopted,butCentralCampusandAcademyadministratorsandschedulingpersonnelwouldworktogetherwithcomprehensivehighschoolstoadjusttheirmasterscheduleinthebestmannertoallowstudentstotaketheclassestheyareinterestedintaking.
Proposal,Feedback,&Decision-MakingProcess
1. Whereothersimilarschoolsexaminedoutsideofthedistrict?
a. Yes,thecommiCeelookedattheschedulestructuresofthesurroundingsuburbandistrictsaswellasotherurbandistrictsinthestateofIowatoseewhattheywereusing.
2. Howdoesthiscomparetootherdistrictsaroundus?
a. Therearealotofdifferentschedulessurroundingusandinotherurbandistrictsaroundthestate.Ofourneighboringsuburbs,therearedistrictsonatradiAonal8-periodday,atradiAonal7-periodday,mulApleversionofamodifiedblock,andatradiAonalblockschedule.WestDesMoines,Urbandale,andJohnstonalluAlizeamodifiedblockschedulefortheirhighschools,WaukeeusesatradiAonalblockschedule,NorwalkandAnkenybothuseatradiAonalperiodschedulewitheachclassmeeAngdaily.AcrossotherurbandistrictsinIowa,thissamevarianceisalsofound.Whilethereareexamplesofalltypesofschedulestructures,therearealsodistrictswhooperatewithascheduleof6,7,and8classesasthebase.Themajorityofdistrictsrunaschedulewith7classesasthebase.
3. IsthisaschoolboarddecisionoranAhartdecision?
a. ThedecisiontochangethehighschoolschedulewillbemadebyDr.Ahart.
4. HowdoyouexpectstudentstoaCendthesemeetswithshortnoJceortomissclasstoaCend?
a. ThetownhallmeeAngsonDecember10thand11thwereintendedforparentsandcommunitymemberstoaCend.StudentfeedbackwasobtainedfromstudentfocusgroupsthattookplaceinNovemberateachcomprehensivehighschoolandbothCentralCampusandAcademy.
5. AretheretestscorestoindicatethatlackofmeeJngJmesaffectssuccessrates?
a. Schedulesarenotlinkedtoperformance.Youcanfindresearchthatsupportsanyschedules.Somanyfactorsaffectstudentperformance,solinkingthemtoascheduleisnotveryresponsibleoraccurate.
6. Whydidn’tyouaskstudentsandteachersforinputorletusknowsowecouldprepare?
a. Bothteachersandstudents,aswellasbuildingadministrators,wereaskedforinputandprovidedfeedbackontheproposedschedule.InformaAonwaspresentedinasimilarformattothetownhallmeeAngstobuildingleadershipteams,comprisedofteachers,administrators,counselors,andsupportstaff,andtostudentsinfocusgroups.TheTeacherAdvisoryCouncil(aDMEAcommiCeemadeupofhighschoolteachersfrommulAplebuildings)wasalsogiveninformaAonaboutthescheduleproposalandgivenopportuniAestoprovidefeedbackandaskquesAons.Feedbackwasgatheredfromeachof
thesevariousgroupsintermsofadvantagesoftheproposedschedule,disadvantagesoftheproposedschedule,andquesAonsorconcernsabouttheproposedschedule.
7. Areyousurethatthestudentvoiceisaccountedfor?
a. WethinkthathavingstudentinputandvoiceisveryimportantandworkedtomakesuretheywereabletoparAcipateinthisprocess.WeconductedstudentfocusgroupsateachcomprehensivehighschoolaswellasCentralCampusandCentralAcademy.Thesefocusgroupsincludedstudentsfromalldemographicgroups,ELL,SPED,andmulAplegradelevels.TheywerepresentedwithinformaAonabouttheproposal,givenAmetoaskquesAons,andprovidefeedback.ThisfeedbackwassharedinitsenAretywiththecommiCeeandthenwithDr.Ahartforhisreviewaswell.
8. Wouldn’titbesimpleforeachschooltoholdanassemblyandthengivetheirstudentsasurvey?
a. WhileitwouldcertainlyhavebeeneasierforthecommiCeetogetfeedbackbyhosAngassembliesanddoingsurveys,wefeltthisfeedbackwouldnotbeasmeaningfulasthefeedbackfromtheopendialogueallowedbythefocusgroupformat.ThefocusgroupsallowedustogetmoresubstanAveandin-depthfeedbackfromstudentsbecauseoftheabilitytoengagewiththemindiscussion.
9. DoesthisscheduleaccountforpeoplewhoneedJmetoprocessextrainfo?
a. Yes,itdoes.TheproposedscheduleprovidesmoreinstrucAonalAmethanthecurrentscheduleandprovidesmorefrequentclasssessions.AddiAonally,theextendedclassperiodonblockdaysprovidesstudentswhoneedextraprocessingAmeanopportunitytodothatifnecessary.
10. Wheredidthenewschedulecomefrom?
a. ThenewschedulewasdesignedandproposedbytheschedulecommiCee.ThemodifiedblockformatisacommonschedulestructurethatisseeninschooldistrictsaroundIowaandotherstates,sothecommiCeedidnotstartfromscratchindesigningtheproposedschedule.
11. Whatresearchistheretosupportthesuccessoftheschedule?
a. Thisisoneofthedifficultpartsofdesigningaschedulestructure–thereisnoconsensusintheresearch.ThereisresearchavailablethatbothsupportsandrefutesalltypesofschedulestructureopAons.ItispossibletofindresearchsupporAnganyschedulestructureandresearchdenouncingeveryschedulestructure.UlAmately,theresearchisclearthatstudentsuccessismoreimpactedbyqualityinstrucAonthanthestructureoftheschedule.
12. WhatistheJmelineforthisdecision?
a. Theproposaliscurrentlybeingconsideredforthe19-20schoolyear.TheSuperintendentisworkingtodecideonitassoonaspossibletoallowforschoolstoplanaccordingly.
13. Wasthisscheduleproposedbyateacherorabudgetbuilder?
a. TheproposedschedulewasdesignedbytheschedulecommiCee,whichismadeupofdistrictandbuildingadministrators,adistrictschedulingspecialist,andateacher.Whilefinancialimpactwasconsidered,andtheproposalwaspresentedtothedistrict’sCFO,noonefromtheBusinessandFinanceDepartmentwasdirectlyinvolvedinthecreaAonandlayoutofproposedschedule.
14. Isthisaone-yeartrial,thenbacktonormal?
a. No,theproposalisnotintendedtobelimitedtojustthe2019-2020schoolyear.
15. HasthisdecisionalreadybeenmadeandthesemeeJngsforformalityandappearance?
a. No,thisdecisionhasnotyetbeenmadeandthefeedbackfromtheseparenttownhallmeeAngsisanimportantstepinthedecision-makingprocess.ThefeedbackfromthesetownhallmeeAngs,along
withthefeedbackfromteachers,buildingleadershipteams,andstudentfocusgroupswillbegiventothesuperintendentforhisreviewtoaideinhisdecisionmaking.
16. DoesanyonesupporJngthisplanoronthecommiCeehavestudentsinthesystem?
a. Yes,mulAplemembersoftheschedulingcommiCeehavestudentsaCendingDMPS.
17. WhatabouttheresearchhaschangedthatcausedthedistricttomakethisdrasJcchangesosoonaderimplementaJonoftheblockschedule?
a. Thedistrictfullyimplementedtheblockschedulein2010,sohasoperatedwiththecurrentschedulestructurefor9academicyears.Whenthedistrictimplementedtheblockschedule,wewereexcitedaboutthepotenAalbenefitstostudents.InpracAcewehavefoundthatthepotenAalofthatblockschedulehasnotbeenrealized.Theproposedschedulehopestotakeadvantageofsomeofthegoodpartsoftheblockstructurewhilealsoaddressingitsbiggestflaws,suchasalackoffrequencyofinstrucAon.
18. WhatarethenamesofthemembersofthecommiCeemembersworkingonthis?
a. ThecommiCeemembersare:MichaelVukovich(DirectorofHighSchools),DavidJohns(DirectorofIBSchools),KaitlynEvans(DistrictSchedulingSpecialist),NoelleTichy(ExecuAveDirectorofTeaching&Learning),TaschaBrown(DirectorofCentralCampus),JessicaGogerty(DirectorofCentralAcademy),
19. WillasurveybesenttoparentsonalargerscaleasaverysmallpercentageofparentsaCendedthemeeJngs?
a. Wedonotcurrentlyplantosendoutadistrict-wideorlarge-scalesurveytoparentsregardingtheproposedschedule.Becauseofthecomplicatedcontextoftheproposal,wefeelitisessenAaltoprovidethenecessarybackgroundinformaAontogetmeaningfulfeedback.Therefore,wewentwiththemeeAngformat(andstudentandteacherfocusgroups)toreceivefeedbackandinput.
20. Shouldotherworkbedonefirst,likehowtochangeinstrucJonalmethods?
a. ProfessionaldevelopmenttosupportteachersinhowtoadjustinstrucAonalmethodstobeCeroperatewithintheproposedschedulewouldtakeplacepriortotheimplementaAonofthenewscheduleforthe19-20schoolyear.Onceadecisionismaderegardingtheschedule,plansregardingnecessaryprofessionaldevelopmenttosupportthechangewouldbegin.DiscussionshavealreadystartedontheschedulecommiCeeastowhattypesofsupportswouldbeneededforteachersiftheproposedisadopted,andthesediscussionswouldconAnuetotakeplace.
21. Isthisthesuperintendent’sdecision?IsthisarecommendaJonproposedtotheschoolboardforapproval?
a. Changingthehighschoolscheduletotheproposedmodifiedblockisthesuperintendent’sdecisionandnotsubjecttoformalboardapproval.
22. Haveotherschoolsbenefitedfromthischange?
a. WehavenotfoundasimilardistrictwhomovedfromatradiAonalblockschedulestructuretoamodifiedblockschedulelikethisproposedchange.ThesurroundingdistrictsthatarecurrentlyonamodifiedblockschedulewerepreviouslyonatradiAonalperiodday.ThevariaAoninschedulesacrossthestatemakeitverydifficulttodoadirectcomparisonwithanotherdistrict,astherearemanyfactorsthatvarydistricttodistrict.
23. OncemoreinformaJonissolidified,willyoucirclebackandholdasecondsessiontosharethethoughtprocess?
a. WewillconAnuetoanswerquesAonsandshareinformaAonthroughoutthedecision-makingprocess.Presently,thereisnotaplantohaveaddiAonalmeeAngstosharethisinformaAon,asitwouldbesharedviaothermeanssuchasthedistrict’swebsite,socialmedia,andmessagestoparentsthrough
InfiniteCampus.IfitisdeterminedthataddiAonalmeeAngsareneededtodisseminateinformaAon,thenthatopAonwouldbeconsideredaswell.
24. Couldyoupost/emailalinktothepresentaJon?
a. ThepresentaAonisavailableonthewebsite.BothavideoofthetownhallpresentaAonandalinktodownloadthepowerpointisavailablehere:hCp://www.dmschools.org/hsschedule/.
25. WerestudentswhoaCendCentralCampusandCentralAcademyincludedinthestudentfocusgroups?
a. Yes,therewerefocusgroupsheldatCentralCampusconsisAngenArelyofstudentsaCendingCentralCampus,andtherewerefocusgroupshelpatCentralAcademyconsisAngenArelyofstudentsaCendingCentralAcademy.AddiAonally,thereweresomestudentsonthecomprehensivehighschoolfocusgroupswhoaCendedCentralprogramsaswell.
26. WhatqualitaJvefeedbackhasbeenobtainedfromstudents,teachers,andschooladministrators?Surveys,focusgroups,etc.?
a. WereceivedsimilarfeedbackfromthemulAplegroupsofteachersandadministratorsateachbuilding:theyfoundthattheincreaseininstrucAonalminutesandfrequencyofinstrucAonwereprosoftheproposedscheduleandwereconcernedwiththedecreaseinplanningAmeforthoseteacherswhocurrentlyteacher6on8schedules.Theseresponseswereconsistentacrossthedifferentbuildingleadershipteamsandteachergroupsfromwhomweobtainedfeedback.Studentfocusgroupsprovidedfeedbackthatwascontradictoryinnature,meaningthatwhatonestudentwouldidenAfyasapossiblebenefitoftheproposal,anotherstudentwouldidenAfyasapossiblenegaAveoftheproposal.Thiswastrueformuchofthefeedbackwereceivedfromstudents.Therewasconsensusfromstudentsthatseeingtheirteacherseverydaywouldbehelpfultotheirlearning,aswellastheabilitytofocusononelessonperdayontheshorterclassperiods.StudentsconsistentlybroughtupaconcernaboutnothavingenoughclassAmetocompletehomeworkassignmentsasanegaAvetotheproposedschedule.
27. Whyareyoucombiningblockscheduleandregularschedule?Whynotoneortheother?
a. Theproposedscheduleisasortofhybridthatusesaspectsofaregular,7-perioddayscheduleandaspectsofablockschedule.TheideaisthatstudentsgettohavemorefrequentcontactwiththeirteachersintheclassroombutalsosAllhaveaccesstoalongerclassperiod(orblock)wheretheycanmakeuseoftheextendedAme.
28. Whatdatawasusedtomaketheseproposedchanges?
a. ThecommiCeelookedatbothquanAtaAveandqualitaAvedatawhendesigningtheproposal.DatasuchasinstrucAonalminutes,frequencyofinstrucAon,planningminutes,andteacheruAlizaAonrateswasusedtodesigntheproposal.QualitaAvedatafromteacherandadministratorfeedback,studentfocusgroupfeedback,andnowparenttownhallfeedbackisalsobeingconsideredtoensurethatconcernsareaddressedandissueswiththeproposedscheduleareconsideredpriortoitspotenAalimplementaAon.
29. Howcanthispossiblybereadyforprime-Jmenextyear?
a. WehavegonethroughmanydragsanddifferentconfiguraAonsofAmeswithintheproposalandareconAnuingtorefineittobestaddressconcernsthathavebeenraisedabouttheschedule.TheschedulecommiCeeisconfidentthatifDr.AhartdecidestogowiththisscheduleproposalitwillbereadyforimplementaAoninthe19-20schoolyear.
30. WhatdifferencesarosefromthefocusgroupsbetweenstudentswhouJlizeCentralvs.thosewhodonot?
a. SomeofthefeedbackreceivedfromthefocusgroupsatCentralCampusandCentralAcademydidvaryslightlyfromthatreceivedfromthecomprehensivehighschools.Whiletherewasalotofoverlap,betweenthegroups,studentsintheCentralCampusfocusgroupsaskedquesAonsabouthowtheproposedschedulewouldworkfortheirspecificcourseprogramsatCentralCampus.StudentsintheCentralAcademyfocusgroupsraisedconcernsaboutincreasedhomeworkloads,thedecreasefrom8to7coursesintheschedule,andthepotenAalimpactofshorteningperiodsonlessonsandlabsfortheirupper-levelcourses.BothgroupsraisedconcernsabouttransportaAontoandfromCentralCampus/Academyandtheirhomehighschools.ThoseinthefocusgroupsatthecomprehensivehighschoolsidenAfiedmoreposiAvesintheproposedschedulethanthoseintheCentralAcademygroupsanddidnotraisequesAonsaboutthelogisAcsoftravelingbetweenbuildings.
31. Whenwillthisdecisionbemade(orhasitalready)andwhenwillstudentsbeabletoadjusttheirplannedschedules?
a. ThedecisionregardingthehighschoolschedulestructurehasnotyetbeenmadeandwillbemadebythesuperintendentintheverynearfuturetoallowthedistrictandhighschoolsnecessaryAmetoplanforthe19-20schoolyear.Counselorsateachhighschoolwereinstructedtohavestudentsselectenoughcoursestofilla7-periodscheduleplusalternatestoallowtheirrequeststoworkontheproposedscheduleortobeadjustedtothecurrentscheduleifthereisnochange.Becauseofthis,studentsshouldnothavetomakeanysignificantchangestotheircourserequestsiftheproposedscheduleisapproved.Ifastudentdoesneedtoadjusttheirrequestedcourses,theywillbeabletodosoagerthedecisionregardingtheproposedschedulestructureisfinalized.
32. Hasasurveybeensenttothestudentsaskingthemwhattheyprefer?
a. No,wedidnotsendoutasurveytostudentsaskingthemwhattypeofscheduletheyprefer.Giventhenatureoftheproposedchange,wefeltitnecessaryforstudentstobeeducatedabouttheproposedbeforerenderingfeedback.Byobtainingstudentfeedbackinthroughfocusgroups,wewereabletoprovidethenecessarycontextandinformaAonforstudentstounderstandtheproposalandprovidemeaningfulfeedback,somethingthatisn’tpossiblewithalarge-scalesurvey.
OtherScheduleOpAons&Ideas
1. Whynotswitchfrom8classeseveryotherdayto8classesdaily?
a. TheschedulecommiCeedidlookatthepossibilityofuAlizingadaily8-periodschedule,butfoundthatdoingsoresultedinadecreaseininstrucAonalminutes,requiredstudentsaCendingCentralCampusorAcademytogiveuponeclassfortravel,anddidnotprovideanywaytoaddressissueswithincreasingclasssizesandreleaseAme.
2. IsthereawaytotransiJontoa7-periodschedulewithouteliminaJngblockscheduling?
a. Giventhenumberofminutesneededineachschooldaytomeetstaterequirements,itisnotpossibletooperateatradiAonalblockschedulewithanodd-numberasthebaseoftheschedule.Doingsowouldrequireanearlyoutbuiltintothescheduleeveryotherday,whichisnotfeasible.AddiAonally,theissuewithfrequencyofinstrucAonisnotaddressedinatradiAonalblockschedule,regardlessofhowmanyclassesareused.
3. Woulda7-perioddayeverydaybeabeCeropJon?
a. TheschedulecommiCeedidconsidera7-perioddayasapotenAalopAon.Agergatheringfeedbackfrombuildingleadershipteams,administrators,andteachers,wefoundthathavingtheoneperiodofextendedAmeallowedinthemodifiedblockwaspreferabletoaregular7-perioddaybecauseit
allowedformorein-depthprojects,labs,etc.tobeplannedintotheclassAmewhilealsoincreasingthefrequencyofcontactforeachcourse.
4. IsamodifiedblockbeCerthanblockscheduling?
a. Yes,theschedulecommiCeebelievesthatamodifiedblockisabeCerscheduleforstudentsthantradiAonalblockscheduleliketheoneDMPSusednow.BecauseofincreasedinstrucAonalminutesandthesignificantincreaseinfrequencyofeachcourse,themodifiedblockisabeCeropAonforstudentswhilealsohavingtheaddedbenefitofallowingschoolstomiAgateimpactsofbudgetcutsonclasssizes.
5. HaveyoulookedatflexedorstaggeredstartJmes–havingonegroupofteachersteachblocks1through7andanotherteach2through8togivestudentsmoreopJons?
6. Whynotputthedaily50-minuteclassattheendoftheday?
a. Atonepointduringtheproposalprocess,thedaily50-minuteclasswasattheendoftheday.Agerreceivingfeedbackfrombuildingleadershipteams,teachers,andadministrators,thecommiCeedecidedtomovethatdailyclasstothefirstperiodoftheday.Thisimprovedconsistencyforstudentsandteachers,allowingthemtostarteachdaywiththesameclass.AddiAonally,havingthedaily50-minuteclassbeattheendofdaywouldcreateasituaAonwhereanyAmeastudentlegearlyforacAviAesorathleAcstheywouldberequiredtomissthesameclass,regardlessoftheday.Topreventthisissue,andtoallowstudentstostarttheirdayinthesamelocaAon,weplacedthedaily50-minuteclassduringthefirstperiodoftheday.
7. WhatotherscheduleopJonswhereconsideredwhenworkingonthisproposal?
a. TheschedulecommiCeeconsideredavarietyofscheduleswhenworkingonthisproposal,includingscheduleswith7and8periods.WeconsideredatradiAonalblockscheduleliketheonecurrentlyinuse,amodifiedblockschedule,aregularperiodday,andaMWF/THschedule.
8. HowhaveyoutriedtomaketheABscheduleworkbeCer?Non-earlyouts?Teach7on8?Extendedclassday?
a. ThebiggestproblemswiththeABblockscheduleareinthelackoffrequencyofinstrucAonduetothenatureoftheschedule.Thisproblemisnotsolvedbychangingteacherloads,early-outAmes,thelengthoftheclassday,etc.WehavelookedatmanywaystobeCeruAlizetheblockschedulebutcouldnotfixtheissuewithlackoffrequency.
9. Havewelookedatan8-periodmodifiedblock?Ifso,whatisthenegaJve?
a. Wedidlookatthepossibilityofdoingan8-periodmodifiedblock.Whileitwouldhavesomebenefits,suchasworkingnicelyontheblockdayswithfourblockseachday,itresultsinclassesbeingtooshortonthenon-blockdaysanddoesnotprovidetheneededmechanismtoaccountforstaffreducAonswithintheschedulestructure.ThismeanswewouldconAnuetoseeincreasingclasssizes,moreforcedreleaseAme,andmoreteachersgoingtoteachingloadsof7on8.
10. Manyschoolshaverecentlymovedtoblockschedulingtoprovidelongerclasssessionsandmorein-depthgroupwork/experiments–howdoyourespondtothisreasoning?
a. Thisisn’tenArelyaccurate–wehavenotseenschoolsaroundtheDesMoinesareaorthestatemovetowardblockscheduling.Wehaveseensomesurroundingdistrictsmovetowardamodifiedblockscheduleinrecentyears(JohnstonandUrbandale,forexample).TheproposedscheduleisdesignedtosAllallowsomelongerclasssessionsformorein-depthgroupwork/labs/projects/etc.onblockdayswhilealsoincreasingthefrequencyofinteracAonsbetweenstudentsandteachers.
ReleaseTime
1. Howwilllessclassesmakelessreleaseblocks?
a. Movingfromaschedulebasedon8classestoonebasedon7classeshelpsaddresstheissueofreleaseblocksbyincreasingteacheruAlizaAon.Becauseagreaterpercentageofteacherswouldbeteachingclasseseachperiod,therearemoreseatsavailableeachblockintheschedule.Thismeansthattherearemoreseatsavailabletostudentstopickfrominsteadofbeingforcedintoareleaseblockduetocoursesbeingfull.
2. WhysomanyreleaseJmes–whyareclasssizesnotjustincreasing?Asclasssizesincrease,wouldn’tthatreducereleaseJmes?
a. Weareseeingbothtrendshappensimultaneously.ClasssizesareconAnuingtoincreasewhilemorestudentsaretakingreleaseblocksandmoreteachersaremovingtoteachingloadsof7on8.Theclasssizeswouldbeincreasingatamuchfasterrateiftheotherfactorswerenotalsohappeningsimultaneously.Classsizescannotincreaselimitlessly.AsclasssizeshavegrownclosertotheircapaciAes,morestudentshavebeenrequiredtotakereleaseAmeandmoreteachershavehadtopickupanaddiAonalclassinplaceofmuchneededplanningAme.Theseareallconnected,andeachwillconAnuetoworsenwithoutachangetothestatusquo.
3. Ifstudentscan’tgetintoclassestheywant,whyaren’ttheybeingencouragedtotakeotherclasses?
a. Studentsareencouragedtotakeothercourseswhentheclassestheywanttotakeareunavailableorfull.TheissuethatstudentsarerunningintowithmorefrequencyisthattherearenoelecAveopAonsavailablebecausetheyareallfull.Whenthishappens,thestudenthasnoopAonbuttotakethereleaseblock.
4. Whyareyousoworriedaboutreleaseperiods?
a. ReleaseperiodsareproblemaAcforafewreasons.ReleaseperiodsareproblemaAcinthosecaseswherestudentsdonotwanttotakethembutarerequiredtobecausethereisnoclassinwhichtoputthem.ReleaseAmeisalsoanissuebecauseinmanycases,thestudentsdonotleavethebuildingduringtheirreleaseAmewhichthenrequiresstafftosupervisethem(thisisanissuebecausethereasstaffreducAonshappen,therearenotalwaysadultsavailabletoprovidethenecessarysupervisionforthesestudents).ReleaseAmeisalsoaprobleminsomeareasforourcommunitypartners,wherestudentsareoutsidetheschoolandgeingintotroublewhileunsupervised.
5. ThepossibleforcedreleaseJmedotoovercrowding,canthisbeinthemiddleoftheday?
a. Yes,releaseAmecanfallinthemiddleofthedaybetweenotherclasses.Thisistrueofforcedreleaseperiodsandreleaseperiodsthatthestudentrequests.
6. WhatplansarebeingmadetostaffforthosestudentswhoremaininthebuildingduringreleaseJmes?
a. ThisisoneofthedifficulAeswithhavingstudentsonreleaseAme.ManystudentswithreleaseperiodsdonotleavethebuildingduringthatAme,whichmeansthattheyareremainingoncampusandneedtobesupervised,whichrequiresstafftosupervisethem.AsschoolsdealwithbudgetcutsandstaffreducAons,itbecomesevenmorechallengingtoallocatestafftosupervisestudentsonreleaseAmewhoremainoncampus.Schoolsareworkingtosolvethisissueatthebuildinglevelwithintheirownpersonnel.
7. Ofthe30.34%thathavereleaseJme,whatpercentageoftheseareforcedreleasebecauseofclasssizeissues?
a. Unfortunately,wedonothaveanywaytotrackthisdisAncAon,asarequestreleaseAmelooksidenAcalinourdatasystemtoaforcedreleaseAme.Weknowthatstudentsarebeingforcedtotake
releaseAmebasedoncontactwithparentsandstudentsinthatsituaAon,butitnotcurrentlypossibletoquanAfyhowmanyofthe30.34%ofstudentswithreleaseAmefallintoeachcategory.
8. Howwillthisproposedchangereduceforcedreleasesifnonewcoursesarebeingoffered?
a. TheproposedschedulewouldcreateareducAonofreleaseAmeoverallbecauseoftheincreaseinteacheruAlizaAon,whichresultsinmoreseatsavailabletostudentseachperiodoftheday(evenwithprojectedstaffreducAons).Furthermore,bychangingthebaseofthescheduleto7classespersemester,studentswillhave28opportuniAestoearntherequired23creditstograduate.Currently,theyhave32opportuniAestoearnthe23requiredcredits,meaningtheyhavealotmorespaceintheirscheduletotakereleaseperiodsinthestatusquo.OverAme,thischangewillalsoreducethenumberofstudentstakingreleaseperiods.
Early-OutWednesdays&StartTimes
1. WillstartJmebethesame(8:25AM)orwillitchange?
a. TheSuperintendentanddistrictleadershiparereviewingthestartAmesandanydecisionsaboutthisissuewillbecommunicatedassoonaspossible.
2. Whathappenstothecurrentearly-outonWednesdays?
a. ThereisaproposedcalendarthateliminatesearlyoutsonWednesdays.Anydecisionsregardingthecalendar,includingearlyoutWednesdays,aredecidedbythedistrict'scalendarcommiCeeandgothroughboardapproval.Whiletheproposalisobviouslyimpactedbycalendardecisions,thosedecisionsaremadebyadifferentcommiCeeandseparatefromthescheduleproposal.
3. AreyoueliminaJngearlyoutWednesday’sduetothisschedule?
a. No,earlyoutWednesdaysarenotbeingeliminatedduetothisschedule.Anydecisionsregardingthecalendar,includingearlyoutWednesdays,aredecidedbythedistrict'scalendarcommiCeeandgothroughboardapproval.Whiletheproposalisobviouslyimpactedbycalendardecisions,thosedecisionsaremadebyadifferentcommiCeeandseparatefromthescheduleproposal.
4. Willthishaveanyimpactonschedulesforelementaryandmiddleschoolsearly-outWednesdays?
a. Anydecisionregardingchangestoearly-outWednesdayscomesfromthecalendarrecommendedbythedistrictcalendarcommiCeeandapprovedbytheschoolboard.Changestoearly-outWednesdays,ifapproved,wouldbedistrict-wideandimpactelementary,middleandhighschools.ThisdecisionandapprovalprocessisseparatefromtheschedulecommiCeeandproposal.
5. HowwouldWednesdaysbecomingafullacademicdayimpactthe7-periodschedule?
a. TheproposedschedulewasdesignedaroundacalendarthathasWednesdaysbeingaregular,fullacademicday,sothiswasalreadyaccountedforintheinformaAonpresented.
6. Withtheblockscheduleandnoearlyouts,howmanyminutesdoesthataddtothecurrentschedule?
a. AlltheinstrucAonalminutecalculaAonspresentedweredoneusingtheproposed19-20calendarwithnoearly-outWednesdays,sothe425instrucAonalminutespertwo-weekperiodonthecurrentschedulealreadyaccountsfornothavingearlyreleases.
ImplicaAonsofChangingto7Classes
1. ByofferingfeweropportuniJestostudents,youarerestricJngthenumberofcreditshighachievingstudentscantaketowardscollege–thisessenJallycostsstudentsmoneyatcollegeandrestrictstheirchancestoexploreinterests.PleasejusJfythis.
a. StudentswillsAllbeabletotakeadvantageofAPanddual-creditopportuniAestoearncreditstowardscollegeontheproposedschedule.Dependingonwhattheychoosetodowiththeirschedules,studentswouldbeabletotakealternaAvePEopAons,suchasContractPEorVirtualPEortakerequiredcoursesduringsummerschoolorDMPSVirtualCampustoallowthemtotakeaddiAonalelecAvecoursesintheirregularschedulethatcancounttowardscollegecredits.TheseopportuniAesarenotlostintheproposedschedule.Ifanything,theabilityofstudentstotakethesekindsofcourseswillbemorerestrictedifthescheduleisnotchangedbecauseclasseswillconAnuetoincreaseinsizeandmanyofthehighachievingstudentswhoareworkingoncollegecreditswouldbeforcedtotakereleaseAmeinsteadofaclasswhentheclassesarefull.TheproposedscheduleprovidesawaytolessentheimpactsofstaffreducAonsbyincreasingteacheruAlizaAonandtherebyallowingmorestudentstotaketheclassestheywanttotake,includingourhigh-achievingstudentswhowanttotakecoursesforcollegecredit.
2. Ifastudentissickforafive-dayperiod,wouldn’titbemoredamagingtomissclasses?
a. Missingfivedaysofclassesisdetrimentaltoastudent,regardlessoftheschedulestructure.Inthecurrentschedule,thatstudentwouldseetheirteacherseveryotherdaytotrytogetthingscaughtupwhilealsolearningnewmaterial.Intheproposedschedule,thestudentwouldseetheirteachersmorefrequentlyandforalongeramountofAmewhentheydoreturn.Whileitwouldbedifficultforthatstudenttocatchupineitherschedule,webelievethatbyseeingtheirteachermorefrequentlyandformoreAmewhentheydoreturn,theproposedschedulewouldprovideabeCermechanismfromwhichtorecover.
3. Ifstudentsarenotabletogetmorethan28credits,doesn’tthisdiscreditthemwhenitcomestothecollegeacceptanceprocess?
a. No,itwouldnotdiscreditthemordisadvantagestudentsinthecollegeadmissionsprocess.Mosthighschoolsoperateonaschedulewith7classesatthebase.Furthermore,collegeslookatspecificcourseworktakenbystudents,suchasmath,science,English,socialstudies,andworldlanguagecourses.Ontheproposedschedule,studentswouldbeabletotakeallthesecourseseachyearinhighschooliftheychoosetodoso,allowingthemtobecompeAAveatanylevelofpost-secondaryinsAtuAontowhichtheyapply.CollegeswouldnotviewDMPSstudentsaslesscompeAAvebecauseofthisproposedschedulechange.
4. Whydidyouhavestudentsplan4-yearschedulesifyouwerechangingtheschedule?
a. Studentsarerequiredtodo4-yearacademicplansperIowalaw.ThisisregardlessofthescheduleorpotenAalchangestotheschedule.AddiAonally,counselorsatthehighschoolswereinstructedtohavestudentsselect7coursesplusanalternateduringthescheduleselecAonprocessthisyeartoaccommodateboththeproposedscheduleifitisadoptedorthecurrentscheduleifitisretained.
5. Howareyougoingtohandletherequirednumberofcredits(totalandineachsubject)tograduate,sincekidscan’ttakeasmanyclasses?
a. TheproposedscheduleallowsforstudentstotakeallrequiredcreditsforgraduaAon,bothintotalandineachsubject.Studentsmusttake23totalcreditstograduateandtheproposedscheduleallowsstudentstoearn28creditsiftheytakeonlytradiAonalcoursesintheregularschedule.Intermsofsubjectareacredits,studentsmustearn4.0creditsofEnglish,3.0creditsofmath,3.0creditsofscience,3.0creditsofsocialstudies(including1.0UShistory,0.5government,0.5economics,and1.0history),1.0PEcredits,7.0creditsofelecAves,1.5creditsofFineAppliedArts,andmeettheir21stCenturySkillsrequirementsandCPRcerAficaAoninordertograduaAon.Thesewillallfitwithintheproposedschedule.StudentswouldbeabletotakeanaddiAonal5.0credits,or10semestersofcourses,intheproposedschedulebeyondthoseneededforgraduaAoniftheychoosetodoso.
6. HowdothelessenedcreditopJonscomparetoschoolsnotjustinIowabutnaJonwide?
a. Havingaschedulebasedon7coursespersemesterisinlinewiththemajorityofhighschoolschedulesinIowaandnaAonwide.WhilethereissignificantvariaAoninhowthoseschedulesarestructured,therearehighschoolschedulesbasedon6,7and8coursesperterminmanydifferentconfiguraAons.
7. Howwillchangingfrom8to7classopJonsimpactstudents’opportuniJesofincludingelecJvesintheirschedule?Howdoesthisnewschedulesupportteachingthewholechild?
a. Ontheproposedschedulewith7courses,studentswillsAllbeabletotaketheelecAvestheyareinterestedintaking.Overthecourseoftheir4yearsinhighschool,studentswillbeabletotake28semesters(or14credits)ofelecAvecourses,assumingtheydoaregularscheduleincludingatradiAonalPEcourse.Studentscantakemusic,art,worldlanguage,CTE,orotherelecAvesduringthisAme.StudentswanAngtotakeanaddiAonalelecAvecourseintheirschedulecandosobytakingarequiredcoursevirtuallyorthoughsummerschoolorbytakinganon-tradiAonalPEcourse,suchasContractPEorthein-developmentVirtualPEcourse.ThisallowsstudentstotakethecoursestheyenjoyandinwhichtheyareinterestedastheirelecAvesintheproposedschedule,whilesAllbenefiAngstudentsintermsofincreasedinstrucAonalAmeandfrequency.
EquityIssues
1. StaJsJcally,tradiJonalschedulesshowsuccessinGTandupperwhitesocialclassesonly.Howareyougoingtoinsuresuccessforall?
a. AcademicresearchhasbeenconductedontheeffecAvenessofblockschedules,tradiAonalperiodschedules,andmodifiedblockschedulesandhasfoundthatwhiletherearebenefitsineachschedulemodel,thereisnotdemonstrableadvantagefromonemodeltothenextintermsofstudentachievement,includingacrossvarioussubgroupslikeGTorstudentswithhighsocioeconomicstatus.ThedistrictiscommiCedtothesuccessofallitsstudentsandtheschedulecommiCeebelievesthisproposedscheduleisastepintherightdirecAonforbeCerservingallstudents.
2. Howwillyouworktoservetheneedsofacceleratedstudentsvs.poorstudentsforwhichthisseemstobetargeted?
a. Thedistrictworkstobestservetheneedsofallitsstudents,includingthosewhobenefitfromacceleratedcoursework.OpportuniAeslikeCentralAcademywillsAllbeavailableforstudentswhowanttotakeadvancedclassesandacceleratetheircourses.Itisincorrecttostatethisscheduleistargetedtopoorstudents.TheschedulecommiCeeisconfidentthisschedulewillprovidethebestopportuniAesmovingforwardforallourstudents,includingthoseonanacceleratedcoursepathway.
3. Howwillthischangeimpacttheequityofstudentswhocanacceleratetheircoursework?
a. StudentswhoareonanacceleratedcoursepathwillsAllbeabletoconAnuewithacceleratedclassesandadvancedcontent.Theprogramsthatservemanyofthesestudents,likeCentralAcademy,wouldconAnuetoservethosestudentsneedingacceleratedcoursework.AddiAonally,thosestudentswhoareacceleratedandhavemorecreditsthannecessaryforgraduaAonaretheonesmostlikelytoloseopportuniAesifweconAnuetousethecurrentschedulestructurenextyear,withclasssizesconAnuingtoincreaseandmorestudentsrequiredtotakereleaseAme.
Goals&RaAonaleofProposal
1. WhyisincreasingteacheruJlizaJonagoal?
a. Aswemoveforwardwithnecessarybudgetcuts,thedistrictisalwayslookingforwaystomakebeCeruAlizaAonofcurrentresourcesandteachersarenoexcepAon.IncreasingteacheruAlizaAonisanecessaryconsequenceofthebudgetrealityinwhichwecurrentlyfindourselves.IfitwasnotanecessitytoincreaseteacheruAlizaAon,wewouldnotbelookingtodoso,buttherealityisthatwe
areincreasingteacheruAlizaAoninthecurrentscheduleaswemovemoreandmoreteacherstoaloadof7on8.TheproposalisactuallyalowerteacheruAlizaAonratethanat6on7thanwhatthoseteacherswouldhavetoeventuallygotointhecurrentschedulestructurewithaloadofteaching7of8classes.
2. Howwillthischangebemonitoredforitsimpact,goodorbad?
a. Wewillusethesamedatapointsaroundstudentachievement,butjustlikethecurrentschedulewewillnotdirectlylinkthescheduletotheonefactorofsuccess.IfweareabletoabsorbourreducAonsandmaintainclasssizefornextyear,thenthatwouldbeoneindicatorthatitwasagoodmove.
3. Canyoupleasejustadmitthatthisisaboutsavingmoney?
a. Thescheduleitselfdoesnotsavethedistrictmoney–thatisnothowitworks.Thebudgetcutsaredeterminedindependentlyfromthescheduleandwillhappenregardlessofwhattheschedulelookslike.TheproposedschedulemerelyallowsustoadjusttothesecutswithoutconAnuingtoincreaseclasssizes.
4. WhatistheraJonalebehindthisdecision?
a. TheschedulecommiCeeisproposingthe7-periodmodifiedblockschedulebecauseitisconfidentthatthisisthebestopAonforstudentsasitallowsthedistricttoincreaseinstrucAonalAmeandfrequencywhilealsoprovidingamechanismforthedistricttomediatetheimpactofnecessarystaffreducAonsonclasssizesandmaintainingstudentopportunityandaccesstoprogramming.
5. Iftheblockscheduleisnotworking,whyareyoukeepingtheblockscheduleforWednesdayandThursday?
a. Therearesomeaspectsoftheblockschedulethatarebeneficial,andbyuAlizingamodified-blockschedulestructureforWednesdayandThursdayintheproposedschedule,wecansAllaccessthosebenefitswhilealsoimprovingtheareaswheretheblockscheduleislacking,suchasAmeandfrequencyofinstrucAon.ThemodifiedblockscheduleletsusincreasethefrequencyofinstrucAonbyhavingclassesmeet4or5daysperweekbutsAllallowsfortheextendedclassAmeonblockdayssostudentscandolabs,projects,andothertypesofworkthatbenefitsfromthelongerclassAme.
Homework&Textbooks
1. Willstudentsbeexpectedtohandlehomeworkforallclasseseverynight?
a. Professionaldevelopmentandstrategieswouldneedtobeprovidedtoteacherstoeducatethemhowtobestoperatewithintheproposedscheduleifapproved,andpartofthatincludeshowtostructureclassesandexamsschedulestopreventstudentsfromhavingoverwhelminghomeworkloadsandanabundanceoftestsononeday.AdministraAonanddistrictleadersareawareofthisissueandwillworktoensureitisproperlyaddressediftheproposedscheduleisapproved.
2. Willmystudenthavetocarryall7classes’textbookswithhiminhisbackpackeverydaybecausehedoesn’tusealocker?WhatsoluJonsdoyouproposehere?
a. Studentswouldnothavetocarrytextbooksfor7periodsworthofclasses.Therearelockersavailableateachhighschoolforstudentstouse.Currently,manystudentschoosenottogetalocker,buttheopAonisthereiftheywanttotakeadvantageofit.AddiAonally,manyclassesuseclassroomsetsoftextbooks,sostudentsdonothavetocarrytheirbookstoandfromschool.Iftheproposedscheduleisapproved,thehighschoolscanencourageallstudentstouAlizelockersratherthantryingtocarrybooksthroughouttheday.
PassingPeriods&StudentTransiAonsBetweenClasses
1. HowmuchpassingJmeisbeingconsidered?
a. Theproposedscheduleincludesfive-minutepassingperiodsbetweenclasses.
2. WilltherebeshortertransiJonJmesbetweenperiods?
a. No,theproposedscheduleincludesfiveminutesforpassingperiods,whichiseitherthesameamountofAmeinthecurrentscheduleoroneminutemorethanthecurrentamountofAmealloCedforpassingbetweenperiods.
Other/Miscellaneous
1. Haveyouconsideredthefactthatifyoudonotofferclasses(andthatmeansthateveniftheclassesareonthebooksandapprovedthroughthedistrict,butourstudentsdonothaveaccesstothoseclasses)–studentsmayrequesttotaketheminotherdistricts?
a. ThedistrictisawareofthestaterequirementsforthesetypesofsituaAons.ThisquesAonoversimplifiesthelegalrequirementsforstudentstobeapprovedtotakeacourseoutsideofthedistrictinthisscenarioandwouldnotreallyapplytothediscussionsurroundingthescheduleproposal.Forastudenttorequesttotakeacourseoutsidethedistrictduetoalackofaccess,itmustbeaclassthatisnotofferedbythedistrict.Itisnotenoughfortheclasstonotfitintothestudent’sschedule,aslongastheyhavetheopAontotakeitiftheyprioriAzedoingsoovertheirotheropAons.
2. Istheterm‘over-credited’studentacommonterminotherdistrictsinIowa?
a. Wedonotknowifotherdistrictsusethistermspecifically.WemerelyuseitasawayofdescribingthenumericalcreditsituaAonofstudentswhohaveearnedanamountofcreditsovertherequirementsneededtograduate.Similarly,weusethephraseunder-creditedtodescribestudentswhohavetoofewcredits.
3. Canyouaddresstheitemsinthenewsthathavebeenincorrectlyreported?
a. ThereweremulAplereportsinvariousnewsreportsindicaAngincorrectscheduleproposals,withbasesof6and8classes.TherewasalsomisinformaAonprovidedthatthisschedulechangewasbeingusedtocutteachingposiAons,whichisnotaccurate.Theschedulechangeisbeingproposedforseveralreasonsandisnotameansofcuingteachers.Anycutstostaffarehappeningregardlessoftheschedulestructure.TheproposedscheduleismerelyawaytomediatetheimpactofpotenAalstaffcutsonclasssizes.
4. IfastudentwantstotakeanAPclassthatisonlyofferedatonehighschool(notCentralortheirhomehighschool),butusingCentralasatransferpointfortransportaJon,wouldthatbefeasiblewiththeproposedschedule?
a. No,itwouldnotbefeasibletouseCentralCampusasatransferpointfortransportaAonbetweenotherhighschools.ThewaythetransportaAontoandfromCentralCampusworks,therewouldnotbeAmeforstudentstogetfromtheirhomehighschooltoCentralCampusandthenfromCentralCampustoanotherhighschoolinbetweentwoperiodsintheproposedschedule(orinthecurrentschedulestructure).Thereareoccasionswherestudentsfromonehighschooltakeaclassatanothercomprehensivehighschoolbecauseitisnotofferedattheirhomeschool,buttheytypicallytransportthemselvesbetweenthetwobuildings.
5. WhatistheEQCommiCee?
a. TheEQCommiCeeistheEducatorQualityCommiCee.TheEQCommiCeeisgovernedunderIowaCode284.1StudentAchievementandTeacherQualityProgram.
6. WouldDMACCorDrakebeopJonsinsteadofforcedreleaseJme?
a. Whenstudentscanenrollatapost-secondaryinsAtuAonlikeDMACCorDrakewhilesAllinhighschoolisgovernedbyIowalawregardingPSEO,orpost-secondaryenrollmentopAons.IfastudentmetthestateanddistrictcriteriaforsomethinglikeaPSEO,itmightbeanopAonforthatstudentinplaceoftakingareleaseperiod.
7. Ifclasseshaveenoughspacefor35kids,isthatbestforstudentsasitlowerstheirchangeofreceivingoneononelearning?
a. Wewouldliketoseeallclasssizeskeptassmallaspossible-35studentsinaclassisdefinitelyalargenumberandcanpreventstudentsfromreceivingone-on-oneaCenAonduringclassAme.ClasssizeshaveconAnuouslyincreasedoverthelastfewyearsasthedistricthashadtomakebudgetcuts,atrendthatwillconAnueifwedon'tchangetheschedule.ThisispartoftheraAonalebehindtheproposedschedulechange.
8. WhatdoesMTSSstandfor?
a. MTSSstandsforMulA-TieredSystemsforSuccess.
9. HowareteachersbeingtrainedregardinghowtobuildrelaJonships?
a. WearecurrentlyworkingonaninfrastructurearoundSocialEmoAonalLearning.Thiswillhelpuscreateaframeworktotrainourteachers.CurrentlywehavemanystafftrainedinRestoraAvePracAcesandCPI.Thisisahighpriorityrightnowforourdistrict.
10. Howdoesthenewfinancialliteracyrequirementfitintoyourdecision?
a. TherearesAllalotofunknownssurroundingthenewfinancialliteracyrequirement.WearewaiAngonclarificaAononsomeofthosequesAonsfromthestate.InthemeanAme,thecurriculumdepartmentisworkingtocomeupwithmulApleopAonsforstudentstomeetthisrequirement,includinganonlineversion.Studentswillbeabletoaccommodatethisrequirementwithintheproposedschedule.
11. Youlookatclasssizesomuch–sowhywasmyRooseveltstudentsiangona5-gallonbucketforthefirst3-weeksofschool?
a. HighschoolclasssizeshaveincreasedsignificantlyacrossallcontentareasinDMPSoverthelastfewyearsasthedistricthashadtoreducestaffandmakebudgetcuts.ThesituaAondescribedinyourquesAoniscertainlyindicaAveofthatproblem.Inmanycases,classeshaveincreasedtothepointofcapacityintermsofthephysicalspaceoftheroomorthenumberofavailabledesks.TheproposedscheduleisdesignedtohelpmiAgatethisproblembyincreasingteacheruAlizaAon,whichresultsinmoveseatsbeingofferedeachperiodoftheday,helpingtostoptheincreaseinclasssizes.
12. Whyisourdistrictfocusingmoreonschedulesthanacademics?
a. WearetryingtobestrategiconusingourresourceseffecAvelytosupportourcoremissionofacademicdevelopmentofallourstudents.WearefocusingonthescheduleasastructuralsupporttoaddresssomeacademicneedswearenoAcinginourstudents.Thescheduleisthestructurethroughwhichweeducateourstudents,soisimportantindiscussionsaboutacademics.
