Longer Instruction, Less Class Periods Come With Parsippany Middle School Schedule Changes

The Parsippany Board of Education recently voted to alter the schedule at its district’s middle schools for the 2014-15 school year that will provide for one less class period each day, but longer instructional time in those remaining classes.

In a written question and answer document by the administration posted to the district’s website Monday, many issues with the changes are addressed, some dispelling the rumors of complete elimination of classes, while others have a wait-and-see approach.

Under the current schedule, students attend eight class periods per day for 40-minutes each, plus a 40-minute lunch. Under the new structure, there will only be seven periods per day but 50 minutes each, with a 30-minute lunch in Brooklawn and Central Middle Schools.

In addition, the length of the entire school day will be extended by a total of nine minutes.

Obvious concerns from the community are reflected in the questions and answers, including “Does the new program end Reading and Writing?” The district’s answer is no, but says the program will change in a variety of ways. At the sixth grade level, total time of instruction will increase from 400 to 500 minutes per week in reading and writing, and remain the same for seventh graders but decrease in number of classes each week.

The program will no longer be required at the eighth grade level, the document stated, unless additional academic support for an individual student is necessary. To that end, an eighth grader will have 250 minutes of instructional reading and writing time weekly, with the option to have 150 more.

While new art programs are being implemented under the new structure, and there is now potential to have an additional 30 ours of instruction time over three years, the district does admit less personal time for band and chorus instruction will be available.

The current structure allows students to have 120 hours of instruction time per grade in band or chorus. The new structure will only bring 90 hours of instruction time in either focus for seventh and eighth graders, but, the district says, now students have the potential to enroll in both in grade eight, where previously they could not.

The tipping point, however, may be in lessons offered for band and chorus. According to the question and answer document, students enrolled in band or chorus will be able to have private lessons, but not as much as in the past.

“Based on parent and teacher concerns regarding the scheduling of lessons during instructional time in other content areas, we are looking for alternatives. We will be working with a variety of stakeholders to best meet the needs of our students. This very likely may result in lesson time being provided before or after school,” the answer said.

The changes don’t come uncontested, either. Community members and students alike feel the changes are too much, and will significantly decrease instruction time in Reading, Writing, Arts, and band and music.

One Parsippany resident, who wrote a Letter to the Editor that can be seen here, believes the change in programming is for the worse, and will in turn hurt the town as a whole.

A Parsippany school district alumna has begun a Change.org petition against the board in the hopes of lobbying the district to reverse the decision. Check back later in the week for the full story.

At the board’s next meeting, on Thursday, Dec. 11, band and chorus students from Parsippany Hills and Parsippany High School have planned a protest outside the board of education offices to express their collective displeasure in the perceived cuts to programming. Learn more about that here.

The full question and answer document from the board of education can be seen here.

What do you think of the changes to the schedule? Is it good for the district? Does it hurt programming, in turn hurting the students? Let us know in the comments.