Curriculum Pacing and Preparation for Trimester:
· According to teachers and administrators, teachers need to have time to prepare for the transition to the trimester schedule. Instead of trying to simply shorten or cram the curriculum to accommodate the trimester, teachers need to reconsider and redesign their courses, outcomes, and pacing guides.
· Curriculum breadth was not as extensive when compared to the schools’ previous block-style schedules, in which classes met three times a day (once for 50 minutes and twice for 90 minutes); some teachers reported having to put aside specific elements of curricula that were now considered non-essential in the trimester arrangement. According to teachers, teaching in the trimester feels more quickly paced compared to the modified block.
· At both schools, the decision for fall implementation of the trimester schedule was made in December of the previous school year; teachers and administrators felt that Homestead’s 14-month timeline was sufficient to prepare for this change.
Seventy-minute Class Periods:
· Classes did not feel long to team members, teachers or students.
· Teachers reported having time for two or possibly three cognitive sets/distinct activities in a period.
· Regardless of content area, grade, or ability level of course, students were engaged for the full class period.
Student Reaction to the Trimester:
· Students of all grade levels were largely positive about the system.
· Students often discussed their appreciation for being able to take more core or non-core elective classes and explained that they usually had no problem getting what they wanted in terms of course selection. When conflicts in scheduling do arise, students make choices, just as they do now at Homestead.
· Students did not have concerns/worries about the strength or depth of their relationships with teachers. Often, they discussed that 70 minutes of everyday contact provides excellent opportunities for relationship-building.
· Students discussed their feeling that the length of class periods affords them the opportunity to ask questions and have them answered to their satisfaction.
· Students did not express concern or negative feelings about the common occurrence of having a different teacher for each trimester of a two-trimester course like Algebra or Biology. Many students explained that they like this variety.
Curriculum Alignment Between/Among Teachers:
· Per teachers and the principal, curriculum alignment was improved to implement the trimester; that alignment has gotten much tighter over time. Generally, teachers of common courses meet at least once a week to work on alignment.
· Students explained the importance of alignment between/among teachers and were aware of that alignment in the system.
Impact on Achievement:
· Regarding Advanced Placement
o AP enrollment, participation in exams, and passing rate were not significantly changed by the move to the trimester schedule. At Seaholm High School, AP participation is at its highest level in school history, as is the school-wide pass rate.
o AP teachers often hold before, during or after-school review sessions for AP courses that end following the second trimester (late March). Students explained that they need to be more self-disciplined when studying for these AP exams.
o Both high schools run two and three-trimester AP courses. In both schools, all calculus courses are three-trimester courses. The schools were inconsistent in which other AP courses were taught over three trimesters. At North Farmington, fewer than one-third of all AP courses meet for three trimesters; at Seaholm, half of all AP courses are three trimesters in length.
· Regarding ACT:
o Scores have remained consistent after implementation of the trimester schedule. Seaholm continues to rank number one in its county, a region filled with high-quality public schools, in average ACT composite score.
o Per Michigan law, all juniors are required to take the ACT in March.
Gaps in Teaching/Learning Between the First and Third Trimesters:
· According to students, teachers sometimes spend up to two weeks providing intermittent review to accommodate gaps between first and third trimesters. Some other students reported that such reviews occur for no more than a week.
· As anticipated, teachers and students reported some dip in student retention between first and third trimesters. Many teachers were not overly-expressive about this concern.
· At both schools, teachers and administrators explained that after two weeks in a course that meets during the third trimester, it is nearly impossible to determine which students just took the first half of the course and which students experienced the mid-year gap.
· At North Farmington, average student grades in the second half of a course were the lowest when students took the first half of a course in trimester #2 and the second half in trimester #3. Students’ second term grades were the highest when they took the first half of a course in trimester #1 and the second half in trimester #2. Students experiencing the gap (taking the first half of a course in trimester #1 and the second half in trimester #3) did not have the lowest average grades in the second half of the course.
