The HSST continues to meet, anticipating a vote on the trimester schedule proposal on March 30. Over the past two weeks, the team identified three essential questions/topics that members want to continue researching and discussing prior to the vote. These issues were prioritized based on the fact that one or more members identified them as essential questions that needed additional explanation/study/discussion before a firm opinion on the trimester schedule could be developed.
The three questions/topics are:
1. Could the current MTSD graduation requirement of 22 credits be increased if the trimester schedule was implemented?
2. What courses would be offered for three trimesters if the schedule was implemented, what impact would three-trimester courses have on students' and teachers' schedules, and how would decisions about the length of courses be made?
3. What options for flexible time exist in the trimester schedule as it could be implemented at Homestead, and what are the pro's and con's of those options?
Topic #1: Graduation Requirements
At the most recent HSST meeting, team members learned that the School Board is willing to discuss and reconsider the current 22-credit graduation requirement if the trimester schedule is recommended and approved. Ultimately, graduation requirements are a policy matter that requires School Board action to be adjusted.
The HSST is no longer studying or discussing this issue.
Topic #2: Three-trimester Courses
HSST members continue to discuss this topic, a key point of consideration for the past several months. At the most recent HSST meeting, team members reviewed enrollment data for AP and music at Homestead, as music and select AP courses are some of the courses that might be allocated three trimesters if the schedule change was to occur. Currently, approximately one-fifth of all students is enrolled in one or more AP courses; approximately one-quarter of students is enrolled in a music course; approximately one-tenth of students is enrolled in both a music and AP course.
In examining the charge of the team and the elements of the trimester schedule, everyone understands and agrees that three-trimester courses need to be offered sparingly in that schedule. Two primary factors drive that decision: (1) for the schedule to remain cost-neutral, meaning that no additional teachers can be hired, most current year-long courses (two terms) need to remain two-term courses, keeping staffing needs even between the semester and trimester, (2) regardless of the number of teachers that a school employs, the more three-trimester courses that exist in the schedule, the more difficult it is for students to take their preferred courses.
The HSST will continue to discuss this topic at its next meeting.
Topic #3: Flexible Time
HSST members have become increasingly interested in the concept of flexible time embedded in the trimester schedule since seeing that model implemented at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan. When flexible time (otherwise known as resource or student assistance time) is embedded into a schedule, students have the ability to access teachers inside the school day but outside of an actual class period. Often, this time is placed on the schedule once or twice per week (as was the case at Seaholm). During that time, any student needing help or clarification can access a teacher; struggling students might be required to attend re-teaching or help sessions. During the six-week gap between the end of a two-trimester AP course (mid-March) and the AP exam window (early May), teachers can hold review/refresher sessions for their students. The list of options for how this time is structured and used is lengthy.
At the last meeting, HSST members were presented with a sample trimester schedule and some options for how time might be allocated to provide some amount of flexible/resource/student assistance time while still meeting the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's requirement of 1,137 hours of instruction per year at the high school level.
The HSST will continue to discuss this topic at its next meeting.
