Mt. Greylock Regional School District

Mt. Greylock Regional School Considers Schedule and Curriculum Modifications
by Heather Williams

At the Feb. 5th School Committee meeting MGRHS administrators presented three proposals: 
1) a new weekly schedule, 2) a four-year high school math program, and 3) a plan for small, writing-intensive 9th grade English classes.   These proposals will be voted upon at a future meeting, after the community has a chance to provide feedback to the School Committee and the implications for the budget have been examined.

Proposed Weekly Schedule for 2008-2009

In thinking about changes to the weekly schedule, members of the School Council (teachers, students, parents, and administrators) considered two important issues: 
o  First, the students and teachers have requested a time during the school day when all students and faculty are available to meet and exchange information, discuss topics of interest, schedule makeup tests, and get extra help (after school students and faculty members often have athletic, extra-curricular, or work commitments).  For many years, Mt. Greylock had an "extended period" that served this purpose, but it was lost a few years ago because state regulations require a specific number of in-class hours during the school year.
o  Second, students would profit from having longer class periods once a week.  During these longer periods, teachers would be able to do many things that are very difficult in a 48 minute class, such as holding extended discussions, running science labs, and going into depth with projects, presentations, and special materials.

This schematic shows the proposed schedule:


In this schedule, one class (Period 4) meets five times each week.  The other six classes meet four times each week: three regular-length periods, on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, and a "double period" on either Wednesday or Thursday; so that the amount of time spent in each class during each week remains the same.  The double periods are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday so that all classes meet on the first and last day of every school week (because many national holidays are celebrated on Mondays, Tuesday is often first day of the school week).

The proposed schedule also includes two 20-minute "open periods" for student-teacher interactions (shown in magenta on the schedule) on Wednesday and Thursday.  Four minutes are scheduled for each transition between classes, with a slightly longer transition between periods 2 and 3 (as in the current schedule).  In the proposed schedule there are fewer classes and so fewer transitions between classes on Wednesday and Thursday; the savings in transition time are added to the time between periods 2 and 3 to provide the 20-minute "open periods".

Note: the proposed schedule would not change the start or end times of the school day (or the school year).

Proposed curricular changes

Four Years of Math

Last fall Mount Greylock's entire junior class was given the "Accuplacer" test (thanks to BCC, which provided and scored the test) to assess how well our students are prepared for college.  The results were, in many ways, very encouraging: about 80% of juniors are ready for college-level reading, and about 70% were already writing at the college level.  However, only 40% were ready for college-level math classes.  Three years of math are currently required at Mount Greylock, and some juniors (30%) do not go on to take a math course during their senior year.  Given that 1) our students are not as strong in math as in reading and writing, and 2) Massachusetts will soon be requiring four years of high school math, the math teachers have designed a revised curriculum that would meet two goals: first, provide enough courses so that all students can be required to take four years of high school math (or three years plus a year of college math), and second, provide smaller classes with math labs for students who might be struggling a bit with math early in high school.  Finally, the proposal includes a requirement that students demonstrate proficiency in consumer math and financial literacy - either by passing a test or taking a course covering these topics.   Math is a subject in which students profit from practice; by requiring four years of math and enhancing the school's course lineup, the intention of this plan is to ensure that all Mount Greylock students graduate with proficiency in the math they will need for college and for their daily lives.

Ninth Grade English: Focus on Writing

The second curricular proposal calls for all ninth grade students, whether in college prep or honors classes, to take a writing-intensive English class.  Class sections would be restricted to 15 students, and class assignments would work on improving students' writing mechanics and ability to craft and support a written argument.  Since writing is important for other subjects as well, working hard on this skill at the beginning of the high school years should have major payoffs for all students, during their time at Mt. Greylock and afterwards. 


What next?

Before being implemented, both the curricular proposals and the schedule will need to be examined carefully, first to determine whether they will provide important benefits for the students, and second, to make sure that they do not cause budgetary problems. 

The modified schedule and the curricular proposals have been presented to the public and the School Committee, and will be voted upon at a future meeting.  Mount Greylock School Committee meetings take place on the first (and sometimes the third) Tuesday of each month and are always open to the public.  Those who attend may comment or ask questions about matters before the committee and do not need to submit their questions or remarks in advance. 

If you would like find out more or express opinions about on any of these proposals, please get in touch with one or more members of the School Committee (Chris Kapiloff, Chair; Dave Archibald; Bob Ericson; David Langston; Tim O'Brien; Ron Tinkham; Heather Williams) or with a school administrator (Bill Travis, Superintendent; Tim Payne, HS Principal; Ellen Kaiser, MS Principal and Business Manager).   Information on how to contact any or all of these people - as well as much else about the school - can be found at the school's web site:    www.mgrhs.org