LYNN — The School Committee voted unanimously Thursday night in favor of adjusting the daily schedules at English and Classical high schools, an act that will extend class time and allow students more flexibility to pursue enrichment programs.
The two high schools previously followed a “waterfall schedule,” which consisted of five 50-minute classes and one 90-minute “block class” per day.
As of next year, the schools will follow a schedule more commonly seen in colleges and universities.
Classes A, B, C and D will be taught on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in a 90-minute time slot, while classes E, F and G will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at two hours each.
On Wednesdays, students will be dismissed early, allowing teachers time to meet and work on improving structure in the district.
This early release also allows for students to have more free time to engage in schoolwork and enrichment programs, or to commute to Salem State University or North Shore Community College for early college programs.
Classical Principal Amy Dunn and former interim English Principal Tess Mower — who will return to Classical as a vice principal in the fall — worked with Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction Shannon Gardner to present this adjusted schedule to the School Committee, saying the changes made will force students to think more about small-group instruction and will also do more to blend students into the lessons.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Tutwiler said this new schedule incorporated feedback from teachers and students in an effort to design a schedule allowing students to have more flexibility and more options around early college participation, the After Dark program (re-launching next year) and daytime internships.
“This also gives the opportunity for teachers to dive deeper in the classroom with longer blocks,” Tutwiler said.
The day will begin with a 15-minute “mentoring room” check-in, during which time Dunn said students can start the morning with support and check-ins from their mentoring room teacher, whom they will see every day.
Dunn said the committee is keeping this homeroom/mentoring time in place so students can build relationships and make sure they have someone in the building they can go to for support.
“We are trying to continue to build strong relationships with the students,” Dunn said. “The need to have relationships with students was made very clear over the last year and I think that’s a key to the success we’ve had while remote.”
Dunn said one of the reasons the committee chose this schedule was because they wanted to be able to access more depth during instruction.
When planning a new schedule, Mower said the most desired feature that students requested was to have more independent time.
With longer class time, Mower said, there is more time for the teachers to do some modeling and presentations as well as for the students to have time to practice and gain skills around what was taught.
The previous, 50-minute class structure allowed enough time for teachers to present their lessons, Dunn said, but not enough time for the students to practice it and ask questions.
“We want the kids to be working through this material and making connections to it,” Dunn said. “This allows for teachers to give them the building blocks and see what they can do with that.”
Teachers said they like this new schedule because not only is it easier to follow, but it provides an even amount of time for each class in a weeklong period — four hours per class each week. English and Classical teachers also said they believe the students will benefit from it.
Since students will not be going to each of their classes in a given day, Dunn said students can still engage with a teacher they may not see through the school’s virtual platform, Schoology.
Since adjusting to remote learning over the past year, Dunn said the schools will continue to use remote-learning skills by allowing students to interact with their teachers online when necessary.
To keep students engaged for these increased class times, Dunn said they are going to figure out how many “starts and stops” should be incorporated into the class periods.
School Committee member Michael Satterwhite said he followed a similar schedule when he attended high school in Florida and felt it allowed students to have more ability to engage both in class and with other students.
“I love the schedule,” he said.
Tutwiler said the transition into a new schedule may be rocky at first, but believes it will be very beneficial in the end. The new schedule will be implemented at the two high schools in the fall.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].
