Why was 6 afraid of 7?
On Friday, January 12, 2018, the staff of Roosevelt High School voted to adopt a new, 7-period schedule for the 2018-19 school year. The proposed plan added a seventh period for freshmen and sophomores, as well as a block schedule on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The new schedule hoped to reduce the stress surrounding the 24 credits the Class of 2021 and above would need to earn to graduate; however, in recent weeks, a closer inspection of the plan revealed a major problem with the proposed schedule.
According to Frank Heffernan, one of Roosevelt’s counselors, the problem with the new schedule was a significant loss of class time. He states, “Upon closer analysis by someone outside the building, at the district level, they determined that the juniors and seniors would have less than the required number of hours for a class to count for credit.” Due to the introduction of a seventh period for only freshmen and sophomores, the new schedule would reduce class time by 45 minutes per week for juniors and seniors. This loss of instruction time, along with “a compressed amount of time to find a new solution,” forced Roosevelt’s administrators to retract the schedule change.
But, how could so many people overlook the noteworthy loss of weekly class time? Unfortunately, Heffernan does not have a definite answer. “I don’t know,” he continues, “Our administration took [the proposed schedule] to the regional advisor and to the people at the district level who approve these sorts of things. Then one day someone said, ‘Hold on, we have an issue here.’” While no one fully understands why the schedule plan slipped past the observations of many, Heffernan is glad the problem was noticed before the plan went into effect. “Had the school district not noticed it, [Roosevelt] would probably have had to do something, so it’s good that the error was found.”
The retraction of the new schedule was met with mixed feelings from the staff and students of Roosevelt. Kristi Barnes, a World History and AP US History teacher, was disappointed by the news. “I was excited about blocked scheduling and for I students to have the opportunity to take an extra period,” she comments. Barnes, who had previously expressed support for the new schedule, believed the plan would “overall, be great for students.” As a teacher, Barnes hopes to give her freshmen students more support, and to “prevent them from falling behind early in their high school careers.” She suggests reducing class sizes for 9th and 10th graders will allow teachers to do this successfully.
Similarly, Colin Baker, a freshman at Roosevelt, was looking forward to the schedule change. He found many aspects of the new schedule appealing, stating, “I liked the longer, block periods, as well as the addition of the seventh period.” Additionally, Baker felt the schedule lessened the stress surrounding the 24-credit graduation requirement. Now, with the return to a six-period schedule, the pressure has reemerged. “I have to have a full course load every year,” he says, angrily.
While many are saddened by the abandonment of the new schedule, Roosevelt’s staff are finding alternative ways to help the underclassmen. According to Heffernan, funding for the new schedule will be redirected towards “credit retrieval classes for the freshmen and sophomores.” Additionally, teachers, like Barnes, hope to provide support to students and help those who are struggling. Lastly, the mistakes made during this year’s schedule-change saga should teach the Roosevelt community a valuable lesson: always double-check your work.
Graphic By: Jared Rose-Kim
