Milton High moving to eight-period days
MILTON — One student wants to be in FFA and show choir at the same time.
Another needs extra time with teachers to tackle algebra.
Down the hall, a teacher is searching for a better way to drive home a tricky biology concept.
They'll all have an easier time under a new eight-period schedule next year at Milton High School, school officials say.
For years, Milton High School has operated under a seven-period model for the school day. School officials have spent months developing a model for an eight-period day they say will give students more access to the curriculum and extra help with course work.
The change means students will have an extra period each day to take an elective course, add an extra study hall or get individualized help. It would give teachers and staff dedicated time a few times a week to meet in groups for professional development and to improve instruction and services.
A panel of high school administrators and staff presented the planned change to the school board this week.
The change is allowed to go in effect without school board authorization, Superintendent Mike Garrow said, because the district has no policy that requires board approval for schedule changes in its schools.
Milton High School Principal Jeremy Bilhorn says the change would:
-- Give students more access to the curriculum. Students in some grade levels have part of their schedule eaten up by mandatory coursework in core areas of science, math, social studies, English, and physical education.
In the current seven-period day, the demand leaves those students little room to take elective classes in areas such as art or business.
"We have some students who might be interested in trades or business prep or engineering, and they just haven't had time to take the specialized classes," Bilhorn said. "Or say they really want to be in FFA and show choir, but right now they may not have enough time in the day."
Under the new schedule, students would have the option to schedule up to two study hall periods during the day. Graduation requirements would stay the same.
-- Create assigned class periods for individual student learning "interventions." It's part of the high school's plan to implement Response to Intervention, a learning improvement model that focuses on individual instruction for students who are struggling academically.
The district plans to focus learning interventions in areas of reading and math.
-- Create dedicated time for teachers to meet in groups twice a week to study student learning data and work on ways to improve instruction and curriculum.
Bilhorn said it's more than time for teachers to grade papers or do lesson plans. It would allow them to share ideas and collaborate on school goals for learning.
"For such a long time, teachers have been in silos. You're teaching what you teach, you teach your content, and you're not collaborating with other staff," Bilhorn said. "We have teachers who teach the same class, and they never have time to meet together. We really do need ongoing time for teachers to talk with each other and improve."
Under the model, teachers would go from having five teaching assignments a day to six. Some of those assignments could be guided study halls or learning intervention periods, Bilhorn indicated.
The new schedule would trim the length of classes from 53 minutes to 47 minutes but would add about 5 minutes to the length of the school day. On days with scheduled staff professional development, class lengths will be 42 minutes.
The district is studying how the change would impact transportation.
Feb 5, 2012 at 1:32 p.m.
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wait. Do I need more math? If you take 6 mins from class but give them 47 additional minutes of individual time=41 minutes MORE, not less, of individualized attention for the subject they are struggling with...like math and reading, which are subjects that are critical for real-world, daily functioning.
Feb 5, 2012 at 2:07 a.m.
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Fortunately my kids don't go to Milton schools where this messy union greed is taking place. My heart goes out to the students that go there and will graduate with only a portion of the knowledge they should have learned. Support private schools where the unions can't steal education from the kids!
Feb 5, 2012 at 1:57 a.m.
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This shows that the teachers union will sacrifice the students education to get what they want - pitiful isn't it?
Feb 4, 2012 at 11:23 p.m.
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Shortening class periods by 11% will shorten specific student learning by 11%. The students' end-up paying the price for the teacher's desire to have a scheduled 'gab session'. What a setback for education.
Feb 4, 2012 at 1:58 p.m.
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I'm not sure if adding a class period is good or bad. But what I do know is that many students that want to be involved in band and choir have been taking online classes in the summer in order to get their credits for graduation. Many of them are taking AP courses for college and this would also give them a possible study hall they have not had in the past because of an overload schedule. (I for one did this 3 of my 4 years at Milton and I was only in band and no AP coarses.) So this added period is a bonus to them. Freeing up some of their summer so they work and save for college or be more involved in the community which is even more important to receive college scholarships and enterance to college.
Feb 4, 2012 at 1:14 p.m.
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I rarely do this, but this situation nearly demands it: on a blog this past week, Sigma40
(Feb 2, 2012 at 3:38 p.m.) said, "Blaming something else or someone else is exactly what is wrong with this country.... no one knows what personal accountability is. ..Epic failure of a society." Sigma is now blaming Milton High School for his/her inablility to accept complete responsibility for his/her own error. CLASSIC hypocrisy from someone who has a self-esteem issue where one believes one is better than/smarter than/more important than someone else. <heavy sigh>
Sigma, just admit you made an error and move on. "oops" does WONDERS in these situations.
Related to the story: It is a great move. I get frogger's question, but in actuality, from the way I read the article, with this model, a student will now have less "class confusion" and more individualized assistance. I think it's a great change.
Feb 4, 2012 at 12:33 p.m.
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Frogger
Every solution generates a new set of problems......
I agree....this takes time away from core content courses like math, Language arts, science, ..areas in which some students need extra time.......
Feb 4, 2012 at 10:08 a.m.
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Question- how do you get more time to learn when you cut time out of all the other classes?
Feb 4, 2012 at 9:21 a.m.
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Yeah...spelling is a high tech skill for the future.......
Feb 3, 2012 at 11:04 p.m.
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li713 - Internet explorer which I use at work does not have spell check. Firefox, which I'm using now, does. Stupidity isn't that people don't know how to spell properly. It's that in this day and age they make "assumptions" with out knowing what they are talking about.
Ya.. "stupidity" and "assumptions" are synonymous.
Feb 3, 2012 at 10:53 p.m.
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Why_think - Sorry I am in and out of my office and likely type faster than you think.. I'm never at my desk, just passing through so i have to be fast. I couldn't care less about spelling. So my online image suffers...wooo. You wont see me losing sleep over it. You don't even capitalize the beginning of your sentences, don't throw rocks when you live in a glass house there grammar Nazi.
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My inability to spell might be a result of attending Milton High. You cant get any better feedback about a school than the evidence you pointed out yourself. How do you like those apples? Milton High graduate right here.
Feb 3, 2012 at 3:07 p.m.
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why_think - good one! The stupidity isn't that people don't know how to spell properly. It's that in this day and age they still haven't figured out how to use spell check.
Feb 3, 2012 at 2:43 p.m.
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more ignorance
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assumptions about what is taught at the high school...or not taught and the inability to spell CURRICULUM after calling it dumb.
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Good Grief, it is FRIDAY!
Feb 3, 2012 at 2:25 p.m.
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Auto shop is still taught at the high school
Feb 3, 2012 at 11:21 a.m.
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abass80- Milton is a quality school system from top to bottom. You would be hard pressed to find better. I'm sure it was just as painful for them to tolerate meeting with you!
Feb 3, 2012 at 9:33 a.m.
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Perhaps Milton School District should reform from the top and get rid of their centralized management system where it seems as though figureheads who are running the individual schools (principals) have little to no leadership skills and no room to grow or make positive changes. Bilhorn seems to be the exception to the rule. *Seems*
I sat in a very painful meeting with a leader of a Milton school. Painful due to the persons displayed inefficacy. I tried to imagine this person running a staff meeting or just leading the school as a whole. I couldn't.
Milton has a long way to go in terms of progress. God speed to them though.
Feb 3, 2012 at 7:23 a.m.
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I ment learn my bad apoligies to the spelling police
Feb 3, 2012 at 7:22 a.m.
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I wish they would have done this when i went to school there it would have been nice to have the extra time to get home work done. It is to bad to lear that auto shop was eliminated because that is a class that I found was useful and learned a skill from that class they should bring that class back. Class of 1988 Milton Redman
Feb 3, 2012 at 6:12 a.m.
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Did they ever bring back auto shop class? So kids can learn to take care of one of their biggest investments? Or are they still pressing Shakespear and Hamlet (so useful) and death and dying class - something that can only be learned by experience? They had kind of a dumb bass ackwards ciriculum.
Feb 3, 2012 at 4:45 a.m.
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This will help some students. it will hurt others. increasing the amount of things they can experience, watering down what they will learn.
Feb 2, 2012 at 7:46 p.m.
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Great move, Milton Schools!!! Nice to see a school district making improvements.
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