SLC Master Schedule Implementation “From Paper to Practice”

1. SLC Master Schedule Implementation “From Paper to Practice” Mike Neubig, President Mike@capture-education.com

2. Handouts • www.capture-education.com • Program Materials: • Master Schedule Presentation • Presentation Templates • ScheduleSMART Master Schedule Sample • http://www.capture-education.com/index.cfm?content=6&Menu=5

3. How to create: • Academic Teams • Smaller Learning Communities • Career Academies

4. Develop vertical course sequences Align courses and vertical sequences Prescribe and reduce course offerings to allow common planning time for teachers Strategies used to implement successful structures to:

5. Multiple levels of core courses • Lack of vertical course sequences • Assigning teachers by department and choice first SLC Scheduling Issues • “Sacred cow” courses maintained for tradition, not as part of vertical sequence • Lack of curriculum analysis • Inability to use SIS for cohort scheduling and a process to maintain purity

6. Key Elements of Scheduling • Prescribe and Reduce • Philosophy • Planning

7. PHILOSOPHY A school must first address the philosophy and culture within the school in order to: create a belief system that ALL students can learn and ALL teachers should be expected to teach high level curriculum. There is EXTREME power in common teachers sharing common students and meeting regularly regarding their needs.

8. De-Tracking SLC’s are designed to provide equal opportunity within each community by providing less segmentation and more flexibility to move between course levels.

9. Segmentation by Expectation Students are placed into a tracking sequence by providing multiple labels to students based upon past performance and other data: • Teacher recommendations • Grades • Attendance/discipline • Test scores To be successful, this system must be changed to one for heterogeneous grouping. (Equity)

10. Curriculum Analysis The size of the “SLC Box” (student time spent in each SLC) depends upon how much a school is able to: • prescribe vertical course sequences • reduce core course levels and assign teachers by SLC - not by department. (Process)

11. SLC Sample

12. Purity Student Purity The percentage of students in each SLC specific class who are actually in that community: • should be above 90% in grade 9 • should be above 80% in grades 10-12 Teacher Purity Teachers in each SLC should teach the majority of their courses within the SLC and have 3 hours per week of common planning time.

13. Consider these 9th grade course options

14. Sample schedule of too many course levels and assigning teachers to limited preps

15. vs. these

16. Sample schedule for a school who has “prescribed and reduced” and assigned teachers preps for purity

17. Biology + Honors • Chemistry + Honors Consider these 11-12 grade science courses • Ecology + Honors • Geology + Honors • Physics + Honors • AP Biology • AP Physics

18. Grade 11 • ALL SLC – CHEMISTRY OR PHYSICS (OR HONORS) vs. these • Grade 12 • ALL SLC – ECOLOGY, GEOLOGY (OR HONORS • AP OCCURS AS “GLOBAL” CLASS ACROSS ALL SLC’S Note: Biology is not offered as a repeat. Must take in summer school, online, or in alternative setting.

21. PLANNING • Curriculum Analysis (rules for including courses in SLCs) • Vertical Course Sequencing (Pathways) reflecting the ADDITION of core courses working with CTE, with common planning time • Deciding upon the minimum half day focus for purity, at each grade level, per SLC • Adjusting the registration sheets to reflect the SLCs • Gathering course requests by SLC, not in a conglomerate number • Dividing courses as SLC specific, suggested electives, and global classes

22. Sample Templates • Pemberton, NJ • Nashville, TN • Albuquerque, NM • Rochester, NY

23. Rules for courses in personalized learning programs Have no more than three levels (or options) Ability to be taught by one teacher Occur in similar time periods as other SLC classes Are common to almost all students Have similar enrollment numbers to other teamed courses Integrate well with other courses

24. Sample ScheduleSMART Master

25. Better safety nets for students / adult connections • Equal opportunity for advance course work • Teachers working together around student needs Result of Smaller Learning Environment • Relevance to curriculum by addition of interest courses • Streamlined communication between teachers, parents, and administration • Access to change instruction within each community

26. Other Resources Scheduling Guide by Mike Neubig The Practitioner’s Guide to Scheduling SLC’s and Career Academies; Equity in Action $39.95 each DVD Master Scheduling For Academic Teams, Small Learning Communities and Career Academies $169 each DVD Workbook: $19.99 each ScheduleSMART Automated Schedule Builder Contact us to order: cindy@capture-education.com www.capture-education.com