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As the second semester approaches, the school faces a scheduling conundrum, with teachers and administrators striving to balance extended class times against the need for maintaining student focus.
An ongoing debate aims to find a schedule that would boost enrollment while optimizing student learning.
Social Sciences teacher and Head of the Scheduling Committee, Mr. Jacob Ferrin, is working alongside other teachers trying to find the schedule that best suits the needs of students and staff.
“We are reaching out to other schools and reaching out to parents to figure out what might help or work the best for our school,” he said.
The Scheduling Committee looks at other LAUSD schools who have different schedules, such as block scheduling, and finds trends in learning. Whether it is eight classes with four periods a day, six periods with three classes a day, or a new schedule with seven periods, the committee is working around the clock to determine the most viable option.
The search for the perfect schedule began over the summer, following feedback from the Western Association for Schools and Colleges (WASC) after their accreditation visit last April.
According to Mr. Ferrin, one of WASC’s major concerns was the limited classes that students can take on a six-period schedule.
“If you’re in the Performing Arts Magnet, you’re required to do a Performing Arts class,” he said. “But there is no room in our schedule here for our freshmen, unless you’re doing a sport after school that can count for P.E. credit.”
With Ethnic Studies becoming a requirement for all students beginning with the class of 2027, there’s no longer room for an elective. Freshmen also need to start fulfilling their A-G requirements, leaving little flexibility for additional courses.
One option under considerations is a classic block schedule consisting of eight classes, four of which meet every other day
However a major concern with block scheduling is that classes will have periods over an hour, decreasing attention span observed in adolescents.
According to a peer reviewed academic journal, the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, attention spans for lectures start to dwindle after only 10 minutes.
Questions arise as to how effective a block schedule would be and how well students could perform academically in an extended period.
Mr. Ferrin says if a block schedule were to be adopted, teachers would go through training sessions that would provide them with advice on how to modify their lessons so that students can remain engaged.
“All the educational research all pointed out that if you’re going to change your school schedule, that teachers need to be trained to operate within the school schedule,” he said. “You’d have to train, and there would have to be a reimagining of how we teach.”
Teachers would have less instructional time because they would not see their students on a daily basis. This is a point that English teacher Mr. Christopher May acknowledges.
“Students spend 25% fewer minutes in class,” he said. “Additionally, because students meet every other day, there’s a greater likelihood that they forget material,” Mr. May said.
He also fears that block scheduling could lead to a decrease in student retention of material, exacerbating learning loss.
“If students lose focus after 60 minutes, then you actually are increasing the learning loss because students are tuned out,” he said. “The attention does not last 90 minutes.”
Many students are also opposed to block schedules due to it being confusing.
“I find that the block scheduling is too confusing and puts more work on students and teachers,” senior Shayir Blanco said. “Not only are you giving teachers one more class they are required to teach, but students can barely keep up with their six classes as it is, adding more would just increase workloads and pressure.”
In response to concerns about block scheduling, Mr. Kenny Weber proposed an alternative schedule designed to accommodate more electives while keeping class periods under an hour to enhance learning. His model maintains the school’s start and end times but shortens class periods by eight minutes and passing periods by one minute.
“My idea of a perfect schedule for a day would actually be a seven-period bell schedule, from 8:30 to 3:38,” he said. “Your periods would be shorter, but you get that extra class.”
He believes this approach would enable students to explore additional electives that align with their interests, potentially increasing enrollment rates, starting from freshman year.
“It gives them an extra period of day to do whatever they are interested in,” Mr. Weber said. “The class period is also shorter, so students would be more engaged.”
Mr. Webber has already proposed this schedule to the committee, which is taking it into consideration. The committee will eventually make recommendations to the school’s governance board.
The board has not decided what the best option would be, but ultimately, the decision is up to the teachers and staff, who would ultimately need to vote on any schedule change per the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) contract.
The school additionally issued an informative report for students and families on Friday October, 11 about the potential change in scheduling for future classes.
It outlines the upsides and downsides to each scheduling option and encourages families to inform themselves and vote using the given QR code for the option they believe is best.
The committee will take the feedback they receive from the survey into consideration and will make informed decisions.
“Right now we are sitting and we’re looking at the data,” Ferrin said. “We’re going to be surveying the students, parents and staff. All are welcome to come to the committee meetings and to voice their opinion.”
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2024 print edition.
