New Schedule for 2014-15
January 27, 2014
Dear Parents:
Bishop Manogue is excited to announce that we have approved a seven period rotating schedule (SPRS) that we will implement beginning in the 2014-2015 school year. The new seven period schedule will have no impact on the length of the school day, with the official school hours remaining at 8:00 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. The seven period rotating schedule allows for increased instructional time, more efficiency in scheduling courses, smaller class sizes, and more opportunity for specialized instruction. We hope you will share in our enthusiasm about the positive changes this schedule will bring to our academic community.
The decision to adopt a SPRS is the recommendation of the master schedule advisory committee, which was comprised of both teachers and administrators. This committee met weekly from August to November over the course of the first semester to research and develop a schedule to maximize opportunities for student learning during the school day. The following are the guiding principles under which the committee worked.
- Increase the overall minutes of instruction.
- Maintain and/or improve class size
- Provide an appropriate variety and quantity of courses and logical sequencing.
- Develop a schedule where courses meet at the same times each week
- Each class meets four times per week
The committee met weekly for four months to arrive at multiple schedule possibilities. This work led to a schedule consisting of seven periods with 5-6 classes meeting each day. This schedule increased the instruction time for each period by 23 hours over the course of the academic year, which is the equivalent to about an additional five weeks of instruction. This is significant for all students in Nevada proficiency areas (English, Math, Science, and Writing), but particularly for those on the AP track. This extra time will provide teachers the ability to adjust the pace of instruction allowing for deeper learning and more specific skill development.
In order to reduce the class size of many of the core academic classes, we must increase our scheduling efficiency. When we have singleton electives (meaning the class meets during only one period) it decreases our efficiency and boosts class sizes in other departments. The benefit of deeper instruction through additional class time and smaller class sections provides a richer overall education.
We have added optional before and afterschool periods to our Course Bulletin. We have added before school periods in the areas of student council, internship, and advanced weights. We have also added an afterschool period for PE which is open to all grade levels who may want to open an additional elective course in their schedule. Taking afterschool PE will enable students to double-up in math or science or take foreign language alongside an additional elective. You may obtain more information about those courses in our 2014-2015 Course Bulletin which is accessible on our school website: www.bishopmanogue.org/CourseBulletin.
You may view the new SPRS at the following link on our website: www.bishopmanogue.org/SPRS, and we have included some additional information below. We are excited about the new schedule and the positive changes it will bring to our academic program. We look forward to a great second semester and appreciate your continued support.
Respectfully,
The Bishop Manogue Administrative Team
BMCHS Quick Answers to Your Questions about the New Schedule
Q: Why was there a need to change from the 8-period modified block schedule to the new 7-period rotating schedule (SPRS)?
A: Our goal in evaluating any program at BMCHS is to ensure we are providing students with the highest quality education possible. One of the primary issues affecting our ability to deliver the very best education is that the block schedule resulted in classes meeting only 2 -3 times per week. This had a negative impact on learning, especially in math, science and foreign language, where consistent practice is essential to learning. Second, instructional time was limited, and occasionally teachers were unable to effectively complete all the course material in the allotted time. This resulted in a semester-end panic where classes became rushed and extra homework was assigned to help complete the coursework.
Moving to a SPRS will allow teachers to employ best practices in their instruction and should eliminate the need to use homework as a teaching method, but rather as a means of reinforcement of quality instruction. More time in the classroom is a win-win, as teachers will become more effective instructors and students will have additional opportunities to study topics in-depth, ask more questions, have a greater amount of time to absorb what is being taught, and receive more individualized instruction. This change results in 23 hours a year of more class time in each core subject, which is equal to about 5-weeks of additional instruction over one school year.
Q: Will students have the same exposure to faith formation and Mass with these changes?
A: Yes, we are Catholic school in name and mission. Religion is considered a core subject, and as such, is given the same weighting as math, science and English. In addition, we are scheduling the same or more Masses next year, so opportunities to receive the sacraments will be enhanced. In addition, we will continue to identify opportunities for students to live their faith through service.
Q: How does increasing “scheduling efficiency” positively affect students?
A: Enhancing our scheduling efficiency will enable us to consolidate electives and offer only those electives that are regularly filled. That’s not to say that some of the fun elective topics will no longer be covered. For example, in the past we have offered bead art and cartooning. These classes pulled in few, or sometimes no, students. So while we are eliminating them, we are rolling some bead art and cartooning into the Art Foundations/Drawing curriculum. Art Foundations and Drawing both fulfil the University of California requirement, where cartooning and bead art previously had not met that requirement for admission. Offering the most desirable electives will ensure that we can offer multiple sections of some electives, which results in more schedule flexibility for your student. It also means that students will be spread more evenly across the core academic subjects, thus reducing class sizes in religion, math, science and English.
Q: If students are involved in Student Council or Internship, is enrollment in before-school period a requirement?
A: The short answer is yes. However, both Student Council and Internship are courses which require a great deal of work outside of the classroom. Because those work hours can be counted as class time, it may not be necessary for these two classes to meet every day. The before-school period is scheduled to meet four days a week, but actual class meeting time will be determined by the teacher on an ongoing basis. All students holding elected office must enroll in the Student Council before school period class.
Q: How often will after-school P.E. meet and what will the students do? Will the Advanced Weights class meet every day at zero period?
A: After school P.E. will meet two days a week, from 2:40 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. with the goal of promoting life-long fitness rather than an emphasis on sports. The actual activities in which the students will participate are yet to be determined, but health and fitness will be the guiding principle. This schedule will enable students to continue to participate in after-school clubs on the off days.
The Advanced Weight class will meet four days a week as scheduled. Please see the weekly schedule at: www/bishopmanogue.org/SPRS.
Students need two years of P.E. to meet the Nevada standard, one of which must be taken as a P.E. class. The second credit may be earned through participation in team activities at BMCHS. Track, Cross-country, and bowling are “no-cut” sports, and are available for students’ consideration if they would prefer to earn the second credit through team sports.
Q: Will these changes make it more difficult for students to meet the University of California requirements?
A: Please see page seven of the BMCHS 2014/2015 Course Bulletin to review the U.C. system requirements. Students will have plenty of room in their schedules to complete the requirements. Exactly how students do that will vary. Some students may opt for the minimum language requirements and others may choose to use their electives to take one or two extra years of language. The same may occur for students who excel in math and science. Other students may choose additional courses at the AP level. The added instructional time gained from the 7-period schedule will enable teachers to cover all the required material at a pace that allows for deeper and more thorough learning, a particular benefit in AP classes since students are given a standardized test at the end of the school year.
Q: Is there anything else I should know about the new schedule?
Students will attend 6 classes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and 5 classes on Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday will be a regular late start, and the last period Friday will be our CLT (Centered Learning) period where we will schedule rallies, speakers and other activities. In addition, we have built the schedule to rotate throughout the week, so students who need to leave school early for sports or other school activities, will not miss the same class each time they leave. In addition, the schedule allows for a longer lunch so students will have more time to purchase and eat their lunch on a daily basis.
Q: What should I do if I still have questions about the new schedule?
A: If you have questions regarding the SPRS or regarding your child’s schedule, please direct them to your child’s grade level counselor.
Cathy McClintock, Counselor, Grades 10 and 12 Shelly Avansino, Counselor, Grades 9 and 11
775-336-6027 775-336-6029
cathy.mcclintock@bishopmanogue.org shelly.avansino@bishopmanogue.org
