In order to provide Jefferson City High School students the opportunity to enroll in more classes, a new 10-block schedule has been created and will be implemented in the fall.
The new schedule will affect students at Simonsen 9th Grade Center, Nichols Career Center and JCHS.
A committee of teachers, counselors and administrators were asked to create a new schedule offering students more scheduling flexibility; the faculties at the three buildings were then given three options to choose from.
On Wednesday, 83 percent of the faculty members (144 people) surveyed voted in favor of the second option, which features 10 blocks of learning time through the course of a school year. It also will provide planning time for teachers to collaborate together on Wednesday and Thursday mornings and will offer students more access to academic labs.
Under the new organizational schedule, the school day for students will start at 7:55 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and 8:25 a.m. Wednesdays and
Thursdays, giving teachers a small window of planning time to work together two days a week.
The new start times do not disrupt the district's busing schedule; on Wednesdays and Thursdays, bus riders will still arrive at school prior to 7:55 a.m. They will then be directed either to academic labs in the building - where they can get some extra early-morning help - or they will be allowed to congregate in the building's public areas such as the library and cafeteria.
Tammy Ridgeway, assistant superintendent for secondary schools, said the changes will address long-standing concerns the existing eight-block schedule was too rigid and prevented students from taking a wider variety of courses.
Under the current schedule - which has been in place for approximately 15 years - students typically take four courses or blocks in the fall semester and four more courses or blocks in the spring semester, for a total of 32 courses in a four-year high school career.
Under the new program, students will be able to fit in 36 courses in the career, plus the four FAST classes.
Currently students must earn 29 credits to graduate; that won't change for graduating seniors this year or the next, but likely will be adjusted after that.
Under the new schedule, students will shift every other day from their "A" day schedule to the "B" day schedule.
So, for example, a student might take chemistry, English III, American history, art and orchestra on an "A" day. On a "B" day, they might be enrolled in Spanish III, Algebra II, astronomy and orchestra.
Some classes - for example, band, choir, orchestra and a few of the Advanced Placement courses - will be on both "A" and "B" days.
She noted the ability to take extra courses will open up opportunities for students.
For example, a student interested in focusing their studies on math will be able to take Algebra I through Calculus II, a total of eight different courses.
"This way, the students can bundle their math and continue to be able to get to the highest level math courses, if they choose," Ridgeway said.
The new schedule will also make it easier for performing arts students to take more of the music courses they enjoy, without having to resort to summer school and zero-hour (early morning) classes to obtain credits for physical education and health.
Currently, high-achieving students might have enjoyed taking an art class but didn't have room in a schedule jam-packed with AP courses. Or a Nichols Career Center student wouldn't have time in his or her schedule to take a foreign language.
They will have a greater opportunity to do so under the new schedule.
"It gives them more space in their schedule," she noted.
Almost every student will also be required to take a FAST Class, which stands for "Focused Academic Success Time." The class is aimed at making sure all students are successful and prepared for the additional courses they'll be taking under the new schedule. For some students, it will serve as a study hall, while for others it will be an opportunity to get additional help from teachers. Students will be able to get some work done in a computer lab or meet in small groups to complete projects.
Student organizations might also use the time to meet. Business partners from the community might use the time to talk with students. And counselors can use the period for college planning purposes.
"Sophomores and juniors might use it for ACT preparation," Ridgeway said.
While almost all students will be required to take at least one FAST Class per year, unique circumstances sometimes arise with student schedules, so there might be times when that requirement is waived, Ridgeway noted.
The FAST Classes will be scheduled during the middle of the day, for the practical reason that school leaders didn't want to give students an excuse to miss school.
Ridgeway said planners "worked really hard for that to be a successful option for students."
The new schedule was approved with the consent of the faculty.
The first option - also based on a 10-block schedule, but lacking the time for teacher collaboration - garnered 10.4 percent of the vote. A third option - based on a nine-block format with a daily advisory time - recieved 6.3 percent of the vote.
Ridgeway acknowledged the changes will have an impact on both teachers and students.
"It's a change and it takes a little while to get used to it. There will be some bumps, but we'll work through those."