Farmington School Officials to Consider Trimester Recommendations

members will consider approving a report on trimester scheduling at the high school level, among other items on their agenda, when they meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

As part of a budget reduction effort in 2007, officials moved high school students to a trimester schedule, with five 70-minute classes over 12 weeks. A study committee determined that, in addition to saving the district $2.3 million, the new schedule could have a positive effect on student achievement, as seen in other districts.

Concerns over whether the new schedule was effective let officials to appoint a committee of 16 district staff members and seven people from the community, who last year studied surveys and other research that included demographics, enrollment data and student achievement scores. In a presentation first delivered at the board's Oct. 18 meeting, committee members reported a mostly neutral effect on student achievement but a strongly negative reaction from teachers.

Surveys from the community showed concerns among parents that too few core classes — math, science, languages and English — are offered in consecutive trimesters or over three trimesters. Parents, students and teachers surveyed also said having 12-week courses led to the feeling that students were being "rushed" through the material. Teachers surveyed expressed concern that trimesters had not been fully implemented.

During a presentation Oct. 18, John Manier, district executive director of instructional services, said a major barrier to full implementation has been economics, particularly regarding increased class sizes and the stripping away of support positions.

Manier said schools aren't running classes with an enrollment of fewer than 25 students. That makes it challenging for students to retake a class when necessary, he said, and it makes it difficult to accelerate higher-performing students.

Superintendent Susan Zurvalec said the opportunity for students to make up classes is related to tighter staffing and to the scheduling software. She said it remains to be seen whether moving to the new Zangle student information system, implemented this fall, will help.

Primary recommendations the board will consider approving Tuesday include:

• Implementation of acceleration, enrichment, intervention and reteaching as trimester scheduling priorities.
• Examine having more three-trimester courses.
• Conduct a cost-benefit analysis comparing trimesters to other scheduling models.

Secondary recommendations include:

• Study the impact on students of classes offered only in the first and third trimesters.
• Explore other schedules.
• If a significant scheduling change is adopted, allow ample time for consideration, communication and implementation.
• Carefully consider class-size impacts in any changes made.
• See how districts that did not implement scheduling changes reacted to external factors (more rigorous state requirements and the economy, among others).
• Allow middle and elementary schools to be part of the conversation.

In other business, the board will hear from state Rep. Vicki Barnett (D-37th District) and consider approving a teacher evaluation model and a lease agreement with the for a portion of . Time is allotted for public comment toward the end of the meeting.

The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the in Farmington. A full board packet is available on the district's website.