The BHS Scheduling Forum will be held on January 18 at 8:00am and 3:00pm and on January 19 at 6:00pm, in the Innovation Learning Center at Brewster High School 50 Foggintown Road in Brewtser.
For additional information, please click on Frequently Asked Questions (copied below for your convenience
Why Change Schedules?
Changing the high school schedule has benefits for students, teachers and our community.
1. Increase student achievement and ensure that all students graduate
Achieving a 100% graduation rate requires that we work together to improve instruction across the district. Extended periods to enable students to focus on critical thinking is directly in line with the district's’ Strategic Coherence Plan.
2. Provide expanded learning opportunities for students
Currently, student instruction time is 39 minutes. With the proposed schedule students will have between 46/49 minute periods. There are no block periods. Teachers will be able to enrich and intervene throughout a class period. Thoughtful adherence to objectives, group work, pairs, and expanded real projects, teachers will be able to make the longer periods more engaging. All subjects will be given equal time for instruction.
3. Become more efficient
Additional courses can be offered without adding staff. This increases options for students and should reduce class size in many classes. Nearly all students have at least one study hall. Most students have 2 or more study halls in their schedules. Some students even have schedules with 3 or 4 study halls built into their day. This proposed schedule will greatly reduce the number of study halls. It will not eliminate study halls.
Decision-Making Process: How Did We Get Here?
The conversation about changing the schedule started many years ago with a scheduling consultant. In May 2016, a 9-member work group was convened to review the pros and cons of different schedules and attend a scheduling workshop.
The group looked at the following to evaluate scheduling options:
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Meets the needs of each student to be college and career ready
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Provides for focus and rigor
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Is sustainable and realistic, given our resources
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Provides consistency, minimizing gaps in learning
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Is flexible and engages students
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Continues to maximize student opportunity to take AP and college classes
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Fosters relationships between teachers and students and among students
The group studied different scheduling options in detail, considered the strengths and concerns for each schedule, and considered input from two faculty forums and student surveys before deciding to recommend moving forward with this schedule.
January 18th at 8am and 3pm and January 19th at 6pm are the times for the Parent Forums January 18th at 2:20 is the time for the Student Forum sponsored by Demo Congress. The Board of Education presentation is on January 24, 2017.
Why was this schedule selected?
Last year, the high school scheduling team met with Michael Rettig. The group was shown multiple options for scheduling. At the beginning of this year, administration hosted many Open Forum Meetings with faculty. On December 1, 2016, a scheduling team met again with Michael Rettig and designed a schedule. The group decided that this schedule was one option that fit their criteria for depth and rigor, student engagement in learning, scheduling flexibility and sustainability.After a discussion with Liaisons and the entire faculty 3 other scheduling options were created.
There are advantages and disadvantages to any schedule; some advantages of the schedule are:
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7 46- 49 minute periods will provide for focus, depth and engagement in each subject.
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No blocking. Each class will meet everyday.
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The schedule is nimble for both students and schools, allowing students to take different classes if their needs or interests change, and allowing schools to adjust course offerings to meet student needs.
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A 30 minute mini-course will be offered everyday. During this period, students will be able to select a study hall, wellness course, extra help, enrichment and many other selections. Students would be scheduled into the focus period every 5 weeks. This will allow student individual choice.
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Teacher collaboration for the purpose of supporting students could be enhanced.
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Additional courses can be offered with the same amount of teacher FTE, which can increase options for students.
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30 minute period for lunch.
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Give teachers more opportunities to use the new library for a variety of things especially during the blocked times.
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More time on task: With longer class periods, classroom learning is less rushed; less time is spent on transitions between classes and classroom management activities, such as calling attendance and organizing and focusing the class.
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Depth and breadth: With more time, teachers can delve more deeply into subject matter, because they are no longer pressed by the clock to squeeze as much content as possible into a single lesson. The longer periods allow students the opportunity to experience subject material through a mixture of learning contexts and media. Added time to conduct more in‐depth exercises and lab experiments.
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Stronger adult‐child relationships: More time allows for greater interaction between teacher and student; when teachers have fewer students in class and students have fewer teachers, more in‐depth relationships can be forged.
Will students gain or lose instructional time?
Fully scheduled students will get the same or more instructional time compared with current schedules.
How will AP and college classes be affected?
The new schedule provides more instructional time for most classes to prepare for the AP (Advanced Placement) or college level classes.
Will teachers be given support to adjust to the new schedule?
Yes. The district is supporting teachers and counselors by providing planning and professional development time to prepare for the schedule change.
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Time will be set aside for professional development.
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Time will be set aside at each school throughout the school year to reflect and adjust to the changes.
Did teachers have a voice in the decision-making process?
Yes. While decisions like this don’t entail a staff vote, every portion of this schedule has been created with teacher input. Teachers, counselors, the BTA and district office administration were an integral part of developing a schedule recommendation.
What if the student has attention issues?
Students who have difficulty with focus and attention in our current schedule may also be challenged in this new schedule design. Students will need to adapt to this new structure and, if the students at the high schools we have visited are any indication, our students will adapt quickly and will enjoy the improved pace of the day.
How will this affect college admissions for our students?
Students will continue to be given opportunities to participate in rigorous college preparatory programs. The number of courses a student takes is not directly tied to college admission.
How will you accommodate more students eating lunch at one time?
BHS will be able to accommodate the lunch period as designed in any new schedule. The cafeteria staff has worked out how this can be accomplished. The cafeteria will be run more like a food court. Technology upgrades and new seating have already been discussed.
Lunch is shorter than it currently is. Don’t the kids need to wind down a bit longer?
We believe thirty minutes is ample time for students to eat and have a break in their day. We have looked at other districts and many have lunch periods that are at 30 minutes or even shorter.
How does this work with programs such as Music, Art, BOCES and NJROTC? We do not anticipate significant changes in these programs due to the new schedule.
What will the start and stop times for student be?