How can we create a
master schedule that improves student achievement, teacher happiness, and our
school culture?
Needs Assessment
In a survey that was completed by
the teachers at SHS, 90% of the teachers believed that school morale could and
needed to be improved. 70% believed that the school master schedule should and
needed to be improved. Classes were very
unbalanced and the same teaching prep can range from 11- 35 kids. With a teaching staff of 37, 30 teachers had
multiple preps in 2011-2012. Twelve of
the teachers teach electives and there are not enough sections to decrease to
one teaching prep. That means that the
true numbers are that of 25 core teachers 18 teach (72%) multiple preps. Even
more troublesome in conversations with our counselors and new principal I was
informed that due to scheduling conflicts some students could not take college
readiness classes such as Dual Credit, AP courses, Athletics, Band, etc due to
scheduling conflicts. With a student population of 725 students and
a traditional 7 period day I believe that this situation could be and needed to
be dramatically changed.
Objectives and Vision
The goal of my research project is
to improve student success, teacher productivity, and our overall school
culture by refining the process that is used to create our master schedule.
- Create a timeline and process for
creating our master schedule that can be referred to from year to year.
- Provide all students with the
opportunity to take appropriate grade level college readiness classes
without interference from other college readiness classes or important
school organizations.
- Limit as many teachers as
possible to one teaching prep. (1 max per core area and they are limited
to two teaching prep max).
- Create balanced class sizes
within each subject area.
- Move from a traditional 7 period
day to an 8 period day to help accommodate the above stated goals and
objectives.
Literature Research
According to Dr. Patricia Fioriello
there is a very clear process to follow to create the ideal master schedule for
your school. (Fioriello, 2008) At SHS we do not have a process at all, the
creation of or our master schedule is a grab bag was left up to two people with
too many things on their plate. They got
the job done but did not get the job done well, students and teachers were not
kept in mind.
*I need to
find some more literature that speaks to an 8 period day so that I may see more
point of views of a 7 and 8 period day.
Articulating My Vision
The vision of my research project has
reached many camps. Our staff has
participated in the project and learned of our vision through surveys, email
communication, and our Campus Improvement Committee (CIC). At this point
parents and students have been briefed on why our school is moving to an 8
period day and why we have chosen to do so via mail and a public forum. Other community members have not been
targeted but were welcome to attend our public forum.
Organization and
Management
The team for this project consists of
our Principal, 2 Guidance Counselors, and myself (Teacher and Principal
Intern).
·
The
Counselors primary job has;
o
been to communicate with students to help them
select the courses they need to take to graduate on the appropriate plan and
prepare for their future.
o
Based
on the information received map out teacher demand and course loads (Rough
Draft)
o
Run
Simulations to Final Schedule
·
The
Principal’s has;
o
Created
Curriculum and Course Review/Offerings
o
Convinced
the Superintendent and School Board to move to an 8 period day.
o
Final
say of the master schedule, specifically content course offerings and area each
teacher will teach.
o
Determine
if there is a demand for new hires or certification.
o
Make
any necessary adjustments prior to the beginning of the year
·
My
primary job has been;
o
to survey our staff
o
research
the process of creating a master schedule and create a working timeline
o
Based
on the information from the counselors regarding teacher demand and course load
create a rough draft of the master schedule
o
Look
for and manage potential scheduling conflicts from the rough draft
o
Work
with the Principal as she makes any adjustments to the schedule.
There has been very little financial
needs for this project. We have utilized
computer programming we already owned for scheduling, paper already purchased
by the school for surveys, and a white board.
The only items bought thus far are magnets for the rough draft of the
master schedule. Additional work time
has increased for each member of our team but due to our salary structure this
has not cost the district any money.
Student learning is the center of this
project. Reason number one for the project
is to increase opportunity for students to take needed coursework for college/job
readiness. Reason number two is to
create an environment where teachers can be more productive by focusing all of
their time and energy into one content area.
This increase in productivity and teacher morale will benefit the students
greatly. The additional time to prepare
and focus in one area will improve the quality of instruction that our students
are receiving.
Managing Operations
I used the needs assessment to prove
to our principal that we needed to change the way we created our master
schedule. Our scheduling process was not
streamlined or efficient. Our old
process or lack of a process ultimately hurt our students and our
teachers. Unbeknownst to me our new
principal already was leaning towards a new process. She put me in charge of communicating with
our staff to see what their feelings were and if they felt the same way that I
did. She also put me in charge of researching
and creating a new process. We were able
to build consensus from our students, parents, faculty, and community by
showing them how a new process will create better opportunities for our
students. Just by showing this the
morale has increased and there has been less conflict or whining about
schedules from the teachers or students.
The process is ongoing and I will learn more about my project as the
next school year begins and progresses.
Responding to community
interests and needs
This project benefits all
students. It benefits those with dreams
of college by helping them prepare by taking college prep classes. It helps those with dreams of going straight
into the workforce prepare through a variety of electives and trade
classes. There is potential to build in
tutoring and remedial courses for students struggling. It is not biased based on Gender, Race,
Ethnicity, Goals. Etc. To sum it up it
provides more opportunities for every student and the more opportunities our
students have the greater impact they will one day have on our community.
Works Cited
Fioriello, D. P. (2008,
April 22). Building a Master Schedule. Retrieved August 1, 2012, from
Slide Share:
http://www.slideshare.net/drfioriello/building-a-master-schedule-dr-patricia-fioriello-april-2008-presentation
