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Scheduling Help for Career Academies and SLCs

Scheduling Help for Career Academies and SLCs. Who are we? Charlie Dayton Tracy Hanna CASN. Who are you ? Title? Geography? Experience? Or: Torn out hair? High blood pressure? Drinking problems?. Welcome!. What do we have to offer?. Magical Solutions? Perfect Remedies? No Well?

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Scheduling Help for Career Academies and SLCs

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  1. Scheduling Help for Career Academies and SLCs

  2. Who are we? Charlie Dayton Tracy Hanna CASN Who are you? Title? Geography? Experience? Or: Torn out hair? High blood pressure? Drinking problems? Welcome!

  3. What do we have to offer? • Magical Solutions? Perfect Remedies? • No • Well? • A new guide, an online tutorial • Information from experts around the country • Best practices that have worked elsewhere • An annual schedule of who needs to do what, when

  4. The Agenda • We explain the five stages • You ask related questions • We share our collective wisdom • You put a few ideas into practice • We explain how to obtain The Guide • You stumble out of the room in a haze of confusion

  5. Session Objectives • Increase your knowledge and understanding of the critical importance of the master schedule in implementing SLCs/ Academies. • Learn more about the Stages and Steps of the Master Scheduling Process, related best practices, and how to get more information. • Critique your own school’s processes, looking at challenges as well as best practices.

  6. Lack of connections Among subjects Among students Among teachers The silo approach English Math Social Studies Science SLCs provide: Subject connections Student connections Teacher connections Plus (in Academies): Links outside school Links to the future Why is scheduling so important?

  7. Why is scheduling so difficult? • It is an inherently complex process • Many factors to incorporate (see the Dirty Dozen) • As you probably know all too well, if you’ve tried to do this • SLCs/Academies add new complexities • Student “cohort” scheduling • Teacher common planning time • Shared leadership and involvement

  8. “Outside” requirements Staffing allocations Collective bargaining agreements Credit requirements Space constraints Time constraints Singletons/doubletons Special populations/programs Teacher preferences/needs Software capabilities Making deadlines SLC & Academy Needs! Constraints and Conflicts

  9. Shared Leadership Linked Classes Common Teacher Prep Time Balancing Across SLCs Looping Advisories SLC & Academy Needs

  10. Who Should Be Involved • Traditional Method: • A single administrator or counselor, often working behind a closed (and occasionally locked) door • Students and teachers receive their schedule during the summer or right before school starts • Recommended Method: • Master Schedule Team • Multiple stakeholders are involved in all aspects of creating the master schedule

  11. Master Schedule Team • Open system with a team environment to build capacity and collaboration • Counselors, teachers, administrators, classified staff, even students involved • At least two people with computer/database expertise, or ability to learn how to manipulate programs

  12. District Role • Districts should provide staffing information/ teacher allotments earlier in the year (by the spring, not the summer) • Attempts to economize by cutting such allotments based on false projections almost always backfire, causing everyone grief and hurting the quality of teaching staffs

  13. Put This to Use! With two to three people not from your school, discuss the following: • Constraints & Best Practices • What are your top 3 constraints in scheduling? • What are best practices at your school that address these constraints? • The Who • Who currently designs the master schedule at your school? • What other key stakeholders should be involved?

  14. The 5 Stages in Master Scheduling • Planning • Student course selection • Master schedule construction • Analysis, adjustment, and distribution of schedules • Fine tuning and re-adjustment

  15. Stage 1 (August - December) • Planning & Preliminary/Initial Tasks (months 1-5) • Assemble and develop scheduling team • Team involves stakeholders • Team develops materials and calendar for creating the master schedule

  16. Stage 2(January - March) • Student Course Selection/Course Tallies (months 6-8) • Students and families informed of course selection • Students register for next year’s courses • Team evaluates course tallies, negotiates with administration and the district

  17. Stage 3(March - May) • Master Schedule Construction (months 8-10) • Team establishes rules for course scheduling and analyzes constraints and SLC/Academy needs • Computer runs begin, with final adjustments made by hand • Team invites stakeholders to view master schedule

  18. Sample Bell Schedule

  19. Stage 4 (May - July) • Analysis, Adjustment & Distribution of Schedules (months 10-12) • Master schedule is analyzed by team and stakeholders • SLC/Academy teachers analyze individual student schedules • Class schedules passed out and adjustments made by hand as needed

  20. Put This to Use! With those from your school*, discuss the following questions and make a plan: • Scheduling Process • Which steps does your scheduling process already use? • Which steps would you need to add? • Lessons Learned • What are the 3 most important things you learned? • How will you share/implement these upon your return home? *If there is no one from your school, jump into another group.

  21. Stage 5 (August - September) • Fine Tuning & Readjustment (months 13-14) • Team and stakeholders analyze process • Team reformed and process begins again • Do you remember your 1st year of teaching? • That’s what you’re going through now • Do you remember your 5th or 10th year? • That’s where you can get to

  22. Internal Assessment • Learning from those involved in the process • Administrators • Counselors • SLC Leads • The scheduling team • Plus looking at the results

  23. External Assessment • Learning from those affected by the process • Students • Parents • The rest of the teachers • Through: • Focus groups • Surveys • Data

  24. A cycle of improvement • He who fails to study history is condemned to repeat it • What principles and priorities were met? • What ones weren’t? • How can you improve the process? • Keep your eye on the goal, and celebrate the improvements

  25. Additional Information Available in the Guide • Software Matrix • Alternative Bell Schedules • Glossary of Terms

  26. Written Guide: http://casn.berkeley.edu (Resources Tab) www.naf.org (Members only) PowerPoint and Handouts http://casn.berkeley.edu Tutorials http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sslc/tutorials/ IT’S (almost) ALL FREE! How to Get the Guide

  27. Staying in Touch • Charlie Dayton charlesdayton@earthlink.net • Tracy Hanna thanna@berkeley.edu • CASN_News-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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