PHS looks to change class format
By Donna Barker
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dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Princeton High School board and administration are considering changing the school’s four block schedule to something more beneficial to the students and school.
At Wednesday’s board meeting, Principal Barb Schmidt gave an update on meetings being held by staff and students to discuss options for the scheduling change. The change is needed to meet requirements of the federally-mandated Response To Intervention (RTI) program, Schmidt said.
In the current four block schedule, students take the same four classes each day for 18 weeks, and then go on to another four classes for the next 18 weeks. The benefit of the four block is to give students more elective choices.
However, under the four block schedule, students can go up to 12 months without taking English and/or math, which is a definite obstacle in meeting the guidelines of RTI, Schmidt said. PHS adopted the four block schedule about 10 years ago.
The primary alternative scheduling plan being considered for PHS is the eight block schedule, which is used by Bureau Valley High School. In the eight block system, students take the same four classes every other day, for a total of eight classes per semester. A group of Bureau Valley students were to meet with PHS students before school on Thursday to discuss how the eight block works for them, Schmidt said.
At Wednesday’s meeting, board member Jane Fredenhagen talked about concerns she’d heard from the public and some students about the scheduling change. Fredenhagen said she wanted to make sure the community, teachers and staff were well-informed and supported the change.
In response, Superintendent Kirk Haring said a scheduling change is something the administration has considered for more than a year. The RTI Committee should make a recommendation to the school board in November, with possible action taken at the board’s December meeting. PHS has to complete the RTI mandate by the 2010 school year.
On Thursday, Schmidt further discussed the proposed scheduling change, saying the biggest concern with the four block schedule and RTI is students are not receiving instruction in reading and math all year. If a student needs intervention, or additional help, in either or both subject, he/she may not have the actual core curriculum, or class time instruction, at the same time as the needed intervention.
PHS is not looking at a traditional schedule of seven or eight periods a day at this time, Schmidt said. It would be a very difficult, if not impossible, transition from a four block, but more importantly, a traditional schedule limits the number of courses and electives a student can take, she said.
The administration and staff is also looking at developing a daily homeroom time to allow teachers time to provide interventions for students needing help, Schmidt said.
As far as preparing for a change, Schmidt said the RTI committee began meeting at the start of the year and has presented a plan to the rest of the faculty. The faculty, as a whole, has continued these discussions and hopes to reach a consensus on how best to move forward, Schmidt said.
“Our goal is not to change the schedule for the sake of change,” Schmidt said. “Our goal is to meet the federal mandates involved with RTI and to do what’s in the best interest for all students.
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