SLC Master Schedule Implementation

“From Paper to Practice”

Mike Neubig, PresidentMike@capture-education.com

Handoutswww.capture-education.com

Program Materials:

• Master Schedule Presentation• Presentation Templates• ScheduleSMART Master Schedule Sample

http://www.capture-education.com/index.cfm?content=6&Menu=5

How to create:

Academic Teams

Smaller Learning

Communities

Career Academies

Develop vertical course

sequences

Align courses and

vertical sequences

Prescribe and reduce course

offerings to allow

common planning time for teachers

Strategies used to implement successful structures to:

SLC Scheduling Issues

Multiple levels of core courses

Lack of vertical course sequences

Assigning teachers by department and

choice first

“Sacred cow” courses maintained for

tradition, not as part of vertical sequence

Lack of curriculum analysis

Inability to use SIS for cohort scheduling and a process to maintain

purity

Key Elements of Scheduling

Prescribe and ReducePhilosophyPlanning

PHILOSOPHYA school must first address the philosophy and culture within the school in order to: create a belief system that ALL students can learn and ALL teachers should be expected to teach high level curriculum.

There is EXTREME power in common teachers sharing common students and meeting regularly

regarding their needs.

De-Tracking

SLC’s are designed to provide equal opportunity within each community by providing less segmentation and more flexibility to move between course levels.

Segmentation by Expectation

Students are placed into a tracking sequence by providing multiple labels to students based upon past performance and other data:

Teacher recommendations Grades Attendance/discipline Test scores

To be successful, this system must be changed to one for heterogeneous grouping. (Equity)

Curriculum Analysis

The size of the “SLC Box” (student time spent in each SLC) depends upon how much a school is able to:

prescribe vertical course sequences reduce core course levels and assign teachers by SLC - not by department. (Process)

SLC Sample

Team A Team B Team C

Outside TimeLearning

Community Time

Outside Time

Learning Community Time

Outside Time

Outside TimeLearning

Community TimeOutside Time Outside Time

Purity

Student PurityThe percentage of students in each SLC specific

class who are actually in that community:

should be above 90% in grade 9 should be above 80% in grades 10-12

Teacher Purity Teachers in each SLC should teach the majority of their courses within the SLC and have 3 hours per

week of common planning time.

Consider these 9th grade course options

Math Foundations

Algebra A

Algebra A and B

Algebra 1

Honors Algebra

Honors Geometry

Sample schedule of too many course levels and assigning teachers to limited preps

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Period 5

Period 6

Period 7

English

Found. English

Found. English

Common Plan

English 1Found.

English 1Found.

English 1English 1

English

Honors English

Honors English

Common Plan

English 1Honors

English 1Honors

English 1English 1

Math Math Found.

Math Found.

Common Plan

Math Found.

Math Found.

ALG 1 ALG 1

Math Honors ALG 1

Honors ALG 1

Common Plan

Honors ALG 1

Honors ALG 1

Honors Geometry

Honors Geometry

Math ALG A ALG ACommon

PlanALG 1 ALG A ALG A ALG 1

Science

Physical Science

Physical Science

Common Plan

Found. Science

Physical Science

LABPhysical Science

Science

Honors Physics

Honors Physics

Common Plan

Honors Physics

Honors Physics

Honors Biology

Honors Biology

SS Global 1 Global 1Common

PlanGlobal 1 Global 1

Found. Global 1

Found. Global 1

SS Honors Global 1

Honors Global 1

Common Plan

Honors Global 1

Global 1Honors Global 1

Honors Global 1

KeyHonors Global 1

Health Academy

Arts Academy

Stem Academy

Global Course

vs. these

Algebra 1

Honors Algebra 1

Sample schedule for a school who has “prescribed and reduced” and assigned teachers preps for purity

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Period 5

Period 6

Period 7

EnglishFound English

Found. English

Common Plan

English 1

Honors English

1

English 1

Math ALG 1 ALG 1Common Plan

ALG 1 ALG 1Honors ALG 1

Science

Physical Science

Physical Science

Common Plan

Physical Science

Honors Physical Science

LABPhysical Science

SS Global 1 Global 1Common Plan

Global 1Honors Global 1

Global 1

Elective 1

Medical Service

Health Science

1

Common Plan

Health Science

1

Health Science

1

Elective 2

Intro to Health

Common Plan

Intro to Health

Intro to Health

Medical Tech

KeyHonors Global 1

Health Academy

Arts Academy

Stem Academy

Global Course

Consider these 11-12 grade science courses

Biology + Honors

Chemistry + Honors

Ecology + Honors

Geology + Honors

Physics + Honors

AP Biology

AP Physics

vs. these

Grade 11• ALL SLC – CHEMISTRY OR PHYSICS (OR HONORS)

Grade 12• ALL SLC – ECOLOGY, GEOLOGY (OR HONORS• AP OCCURS AS “GLOBAL” CLASS ACROSS ALL SLC’S

Note: Biology is not offered as a repeat.Must take in summer school, online, or in alternative setting.

PLANNING

Curriculum Analysis (rules for including courses in SLCs)

Vertical Course Sequencing (Pathways) reflecting the ADDITION of core courses working with CTE, with common planning time

Deciding upon the minimum half day focus for purity, at each grade level, per SLC

Adjusting the registration sheets to reflect the SLCs

Gathering course requests by SLC, not in a conglomerate number

Dividing courses as SLC specific, suggested electives, and global classes

Sample Templates

Pemberton, NJNashville, TNAlbuquerque, NMRochester, NY

Rules for courses in personalized learning programs

1. Have no more than three levels (or options)2. Ability to be taught by one teacher3. Occur in similar time periods as other SLC

classes4. Are common to almost all students5. Have similar enrollment numbers to other

teamed courses6. Integrate well with other courses

Sample ScheduleSMART Master

Result of Smaller Learning Environment

Better safety nets for students / adult

connections

Equal opportunity for advance course work

Teachers working together around student needs

Relevance to curriculum by addition

of interest courses

Streamlined communication

between teachers, parents, and

administration

Access to change instruction within each

community

Other Resources

Scheduling Guide by Mike Neubig The Practitioner’s Guide to Scheduling SLC’s and Career Academies; Equity in Action

$39.95 each

DVD Master Scheduling For Academic Teams, Small Learning Communities and Career Academies

$169 eachDVD Workbook: $19.99 each

ScheduleSMART Automated Schedule Builder

Contact us to order:cindy@capture-education.comwww.capture-education.com