Curriculum structures

curriculum

1. ALTERNATIVE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
Harvard High School

2. ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULING COMMITTEE
CONSIDERATIONS USED IN EXAMINING
CURRICULUM MODELS

3. HIGH SCHOOL DAY STUDY FAQ
Lincoln High School
Considerations for evaluating schedules
District Concerns:
•Cost
•Curricular modifications
•Professional development
•Building issues:
passing time
lunches
•Student Achievement
Curricular Concerns:
•Graduation requirements
•Electives
•AP offerings
•Career & Tech Ed (CTE)
•Grades/progress reports
•Credit Recovery
•Test Prep Class

4. HIGH SCHOOL DAY STUDY FAQ
Lincoln High School
Teacher Concerns:
•# of students/day
•# of preps
•Impact on (work day)
class length
prep length
Courses/preps
# students/day
Student Concerns:
•Test Prep opportunity
•Credit recovery
•Extracurricular activities
•Course options
•Support for struggling
students
Examined sample schedules, plans & research from other districts
Evaluation Considerations –cont’d.

5. VARIOUS CURRICULUM MODELS
1.TRADITIONAL DAY
2.BLOCK: 6-WEEK, 4 X 4,etc.
3. SEVEN PERIOD ROTATING DAY
4.ABC ROTATING DAY
5.TRIMESTERS: 5 -PERIOD
6 -PERIOD

6. Harvard HIGH SCHOOL
Lincoln High School3rd Hour
4th Hour
5th Hour
6th Hour
TWO 90 DAY SEMESTER
YEAR LONG & 1/2 YEAR CLASSES
60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes
TRADITIONAL DAY
60 Minutes
60 Minutes
1st Hour
2nd Hour
PROS:
1.Lots of instructional time for classes
2.Maximum days of instruction
3.Requires only a base amount of staff (Westerburg)
4.Easy on administration and counseling to build and operate
CONS:
1.Lack of choices for students
2.Students will have to many classes on their load
3.Teachers have to prep more
4.Students cant repeat classes

7. HARVARD HIGH SCHOOL
Lincoln High School
PROS:
1.More choices for students
2.Daily schedule is easier on staff
3.Allows for fewer attendance problems
4.Creates seminar times for students
5.Classes run the full instructional year
CONS:
1.Least amount of instructional time for classes
2.Periods of the class are either too long/too short
3.Students have limited ability for repetition on classes
4.Increase staff for operation purposes
5.Seminar classes can be ineffective7 pe r i o d Ro t a t i n g D a y
2n d H o u r 50 Mi n u t e s
Teach 5 of 7 Classes
1s t H o u r 50 Mi n u t e s
4 t h H o u r50 Mi n u t e s (This will cost 4 more staff)
3r d H o u r 50 Mi n u t e s
Teach 6 of 7 Classes
7t h H o u r 50 Mi n u t e s
6 t h H o u r50 Mi n u t e s
5t h H o u r 50 Mi n u t e s

8. HARVARD HIGH SCHOOL
Lincoln High SchoolB
A B C ROTATIN G D AY
3
C
1s t H o u r 70 Mi n u t e s 1 2 1
A
6
2
3r d H o u r 70 Mi n u t e s 5 4 Se m . 5
2n d H o u r 70 Mi n u t e s 3
6
5t h H o u r 70 Mi n u t e s 8 7 8
4 t h H o u r 70 Mi n u t e s 7
PROS:
1.Students have more choices
2.Increase prep day for students
3.Appropriate amount of block time in class
4.Classes run the full instructional year
5.More instructional time for classes (Westerburg)
CONS:
1.Inconsistent days of class meetings
2.High class load for staff and/or students
3.Ability to repeat classes is limited
4.High need for more staffing
5.Seminar can be a waste of time
6.Teachers may no prep days (Westerburg)

9. HARVARD HIGH SCHOOL
Lincoln High School14
5th Hour 70 Minutes 5 10 15
4th Hour 70 Minutes 4 9
12
3rd Hour 70 Minutes 3 8 13
2nd Hour 70 Minutes 2 7
1st Hour 70 Minutes 1 6 11
Period range
68 - 75 minutes
* AP Classes, Band and Choir are all three
trimesters
60 Days long
12 Weeks
"A" and "B" classes
First Semester &
Second Semester or
1 term only
60 Days long
12 Weeks
"A" classes
First Semester or 1
term only
60 Days long
12 Weeks
"A" classes
First Semester or 1
term only

10. TRIMESTERS
DESCRIPTION OF TRIMESTERS
ADVANTAGES & CONCERNS

11. WHAT IS A 5-PERIOD TRIMESTER SCHEDULE?
Lincoln High School
•Three 12-week trimester terms per year
•5 periods/day approximately 75 minutes each
•½ credit courses meet for one 12-week term
•1 credit courses meet for two 12-week terms
•Teachers teach a maximum of 4 periods/day
•Students may earn 2.5 credits/term, 7.5 credits/year, 30 credits in 4 years.

12. Advantages of a 5-period Schedule
Lincoln High School
•Research indicates:
increased grades
increased attendance
fewer discipline referrals
decrease in failure rates
•Less stressful learning environment and school climate.
•Fewer textbooks needed, resulting in reduced costs.
•Better use of school day as there are fewer class changes.
•Teacher are better able to implement instructional goals such as
integrated curriculum and a variety of teaching methods.

13. Advantages of a 5-period Schedule
Lincoln High School
•Curriculum is re-evaluated and realigned.
•More room for the creation of new courses.
•Provides more course options and learning opportunities for students
(music, AP courses, electives). (Robbins)
•Provides for a longer block of time for students to participate in School-
to-Work and Youth Options programs.
•AP courses run three terms providing for more seat time for students.
•Lighter class loads for students.
•More frequent and timely evaluation of student progress.

14. Advantages of 5-period Schedule
Lincoln High School
•Students see fewer teachers per day –opportunity to develop closer
relationships and manage workload.
•More opportunities for students to get individual attention from teachers.
•Students have more time for active engagement and participation in labs,
small group discussions and other activities.
•Students can take more electives.
•Students are more willing to take a challenging 12-week course than they
are in a semester structure.
•Opportunity to repeata class if a student fails.

15. Concerns of A 5-period Schedule
Lincoln High School
•Need for staff development –different teaching strategies are more conducive for
longer class periods –teaching strategies must change from a straight lecture format
•Need for transition to new graduation standards (increased credit requirements)
•Adapt credit requirements for transfer students.
•Address impact on special education and at-risk programs.
•Three master schedules need to be developed each year.

16. Concerns of 5-period Schedule
Lincoln High School
•Teachers may initially have more preparations over the course of the
year, especially if they are teaching newly developed curriculum.
•Need to make sure AM and PM RCTC (Vo-Tech) remains an option for
our students.
•Transferring credit to or from schools not using the trimester schedule.
•Determining # of terms for current classes.

17. TRIMESTERS
An alternative scheduling solution to
meet the needs of all students, while
maintaining excellence and assisting
those at-risk.

18. OUR GOALS:
Lincoln High School
To meet graduationrequirements
To provide remediation and relearning opportunities
for at-risk learners
To prepare students to meet the challenges of the
new Michigan Merit Curriculum
To help students prepare for the ACT/MME and
scholarship dollars attached

19. OUR GOALS:
Lincoln High School
To assist staff in:
•Managing curriculum content
•Instructional delivery
•Common class assessment
To provide students elective opportunities:
•Within the core curriculum
•Outside the core curriculum

21. Lincoln High School1st Hr.
2nd Hr.
3rd Hr.
4th Hr.
5th Hr.
FALL WINTER Spring
9
10
1
2
3
4
15
TRIMESTER
11
12
13
14
5
6
7
8
TRIMESTERS

22. Lincoln High School
POSSIBLE SCHOOL CALENDAR
First Trimester:
13 weeks -61 student days
Second Trimester:
12 weeks -56 student days
Third Trimester:
13 weeks -61 student days
During each trimester:
•Progress reports using
PowerSchool
•Parent teacher conferences
during the 8
th
week
•Final exams given the last week

23. Lincoln High School
MASTER SCHEDULE
Provides opportunities for:
•Offer more classes of guided academics
•Growth in core & non-core elective classes
•Career exploratory opportunities (Canady)
•Core Review for Juniors
•Looping

24. Lincoln High School
AFTER A SCHEDULE IS DEVISED
Teachers would only be supportive of a schedule that
has the following:
•The schedule has to contain:
same amount or more for preparation period
same number or fewer classes requiring teacher preparation.
•Class sizes need to stay close to the same in the core areas.
•There has to be a clear benefitfor the students.

25. Lincoln High School
AFTER A SCHEDULE IS DEVISED
Parents & students would only be supportive of a
schedule that has the following:
•Contain more opportunities for AP classes.
•Provide the same opportunities for all students -does not
favor either high or low achieving students. (Westerburg)
•More elective choices for students. (Westerburg)
•Provide students with preparation time for fewer classes.

26. Lincoln High School
What Current Research Says About Trimester
Scheduling
•Trimester scheduling is quickly becoming more and more
common.
•With more graduation requirements and budget restric-
tions, the trimester model is a favorable alternative to many
of the current schedules.
•In Massachusetts, over 25% of the school districts will be
following a trimester schedule.

27. Lincoln High School
General Questions & Answers
1.Can students survive a class that lasts 68 –75 minutes
or more? Won’t students become bored and tune out?
This would be true if teachers only lecture, but a longer
period “kills the lecture method.”
Researchers say that a trimester schedule has forced the
teachers to become more creative in the classroom.
The longer period facilitates more engaging teaching
techniques, students and teachers find the day goes faster.

28. Lincoln High School
General Questions & Answers
2.Will the parents and community support a trimester
schedule?
Schools thinking of changing their curriculum structure
should engage parent and community in discussion
from the beginning. There may be some detractors
because this is not how school was when parents were in
high school. When the advantages and disadvantages are
explored openly, parents and community members can be
strong allies.

29. Lincoln High School
General Questions & Answers
3.Don’t students have more difficulty making up 70 plus
minutes than the traditional 55 minutes when they are
absent?
They may, but they only have 3 or 4 classes to make up.
Students should come to feel that good attendance in each
class is very important. For those students who are
chronically absent, teachers and administrators will be able
to intervene much sooner. When students attend class
they are in effect attending two classes.

30. Lincoln High School
General Questions & Answers
4.Does the schedule hurt departments with elective
courses?
NO! Trimesters create more room in a student’s schedule,
not less. This helps make electives more accessible. More
courses are offered during the year in a 5-period day
trimester.

31. Lincoln High School
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Lincoln High School
Set Program
Objectives &
Academic
Work Groups
Program
Development
Cycle
This is where
Classes are build off
The Michigan Standards
Model Standards to
The HSCE’s & Benchmarks
Create Models based
on the MME.
(Percentage/Questions)
Pacing Guides
Are created by what is
being taught in a particular
Class.
Curriculum Mapping
Overall Curriculum
Structure based by grade
Level or sequence.

32. References
•Robert Canady. Teaching In the Block,
•Pam Robbins. Thinking Inside the Block Schedule
•Westerburg, Mark. Creating the Trimester School.
http://www.eup.k12.mi.us/cms/lib/MI01000134/Centricity/Domain/16/T
RIMESTERS_AND_BEYOND1.pdf?&session-
id=207417edb7593706c414faa4538a6645