Return to shorter classes examined
The superintendent and high school principals are looking into six- or seven-period days to address FCAT preparation, costs and other concerns.
By BARBARA BEHRENDT
Published February 28, 2005
INVERNESS - The pressures of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, the class size reduction amendment and concerns about funding are pushing Citrus County's three high schools to rethink their schedules.
Superintendent Sandra "Sam" Himmel has asked school principals to research and recommend a new class schedule format to replace the current block schedule that has been in place since 2000.
The block schedule gives high school students four 90-minute blocks of instruction per day. That format allows students to take courses that once ran a full year and complete them in just one semester.
Now the principals are looking at possibly returning to a seven-period day or a six-period day or some modified version of the block. They are visiting and talking to other school districts, many of which also used a block schedule in the past but have since returned to a more traditional schedule.
While Himmel would like to see changes in the schedule for the next school year, she said she is really shooting for August 2006 for the changes to be implemented. "I don't want to start the new year without all the pieces in place," she said.
Changing to a different schedule would help in several key areas, Himmel said.
The most important change would be that freshmen and sophomores would return to a schedule in which they would have math and reading every day. Under the block schedule they could go several semesters without math or English classes. They would not cover information needed before taking the critical FCAT in the second semester of their sophomore year. They must pass that test to earn their diplomas.
There is also a savings to the district if the block schedule is dropped.
Himmel said that switching to the six-period day would mean a savings of about $2.6-million in payroll costs. That is because, under the block schedule, at any one time, one quarter of the teachers are in their planning periods. In other schedules, planning periods are shorter and the amount of student contact time is extended and fewer teachers are needed.
"A lot of districts are coming off of the block and a lot of it is money," she said.
With the current requirements of the constitutional amendment voters approved to limit class sizes, Himmel said that the district would have to hire 68 new elementary school teachers next year - and that doesn't count the needs for middle and high school teachers. Facing those potential expenses, she said that she has no choice but to make decisions in which saving money is a major factor. "Dollars are a big issue to us," she said.
One of Himmel's priorities has been to be sure that, before a change is made, that she is assured that switching schedules won't hurt advanced placement classes, arts programs and career and vocational programs.
"All of those are important to me and the district," Himmel said. "We need to make sure that we've got well-rounded students."
More class opportunities are part of the reason why the schools wanted the block schedule in the first place. Under the block schedule, a student can earn up to eight credits a year, four in each semester. Under a six-period day, they could earn just six credits in a year. A student needs 24 credits to graduate.
The block schedule has allowed high school students to take additional classes and make up failures. That is part of the reason why school administrators told the board in 2003 that they were sticking by the arrangement after examining the pros and cons throughout the previous year.
Himmel said she believes many of the concerns about losing class opportunities can be worked out before a new schedule is implemented. For example, she said the schools are looking at taking the career class now required for all high school students and offering it in the summer instead of during the regular school schedule.
Other ideas include finding ways to give teachers common planning times so that they can meet with their departments and finding more ways to tie the programs at the Withlacoochee Technical Institute into the high school programs. Himmel also said that she wants to be sure that the school's specialized academies are not hurt by the change.
There are also benefits to exceptional students who do better with shorter class times, she said.
While parents and staff have had mixed feelings about the block schedule in the past, Himmel said she wants to be sure that the correct yardstick is used to make the final decision. "We've got to make a decision based on students and student achievement," she said.
--Barbara Behrendt can be reached at 564-3621 or behrendt@sptimes.com