Running head: MASTER SCHEDULING PHILOSOPHY

Master Scheduling Philosophy

Norma Alejandro-Mattson

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

OLPD 5388 Leadership for Master(ful) Scheduling

Katie Pekel, Ed.D.

May 5, 2017
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A master schedule is to a school what grading policies are to teachers and classrooms. It

reveals the true beliefs, attitudes, values and priorities of the school. The schools master

schedule is like looking at an MRI of the workings of a school. It is the window to the soul of

the school (National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2011).

Philosophy. A school master schedule reflects and reinforces what the school values. It is the

structure that supports all relationships, and student needs should be at the heart of it. At the

same time, a master schedule also revels much more a schools culture, priorities and beliefs.

Over time, as programs evolve, the schedule should evolve, as well, in order to effectively

support those programs and student needs.

A well-crafted schedule can

result in more effective use of time, space, and resources (human as well as material);

improve instructional climate;

help solve problems related to the delivery of instruction; and

assist in establishing desired programs and instructional practices.

Research by Canady and Rettig (1995) supports that although scheduling varies from

elementary school through high school, three areas of concern span all levels; providing quality

time, creating a school climate, and providing varying learning time. The inclusive schools

master schedule reflects a commitment to all students by demonstrating that valuable resources

(e.g., time, relevant instruction) are allocated to ensure success for all students.
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Critical thinking in terms of scheduling looks different for various levels of education. On the

elementary level, everyone needs specials, but how will you coordinate the day to allow for

grade-level collaboration? In middle school, the interdisciplinary teaming model is popular. This

is the time when high school credits can be earned early and students begin to explore various

paths through creative arts classes. In high school, students need specific courses to graduate or

complete various college and career path programs. X

Elementary master-schedule

The elementary school master schedule must be designed to create maximum learning

opportunities forall children (Resource Guide for Elementary Master Scheduling, 2009).

Major considerations

Parallel Block Schedule. Large blocks of instructional time, while at the same time

reducing class size during language arts and mathematics.

Collaborative planning for all teams. Schedule common preparation time by assigning

the specialists (physical education teachers, librarians, music teachers, art teachers,

instructional technologists, guidance counselors, foreign language teachers, and so on) to

provide lessons to students across an entire grade level at the same time each day. The

team should designate one day each week for collaborative planning. Some schools build

back-to-back specials classes into the master schedule on each teams designated

collaborative day, thus creating an extended block of time for the team to meet. Specials

teachers must also be given time to collaborate.

Specialists block. Subjects including Spanish, Music, Art, Physical Education and Media

for all grade levels.

Provide consistent and adequate time for lunch and recess.
Minimize transitions throughout the day.
Intervention and enrichment block for all grade levels. Implement a combination of
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inclusion and I/E to provide opportunities for pre-teaching, co-teaching and re-teaching.

Scheduling the Intervention/Enrichment period is relatively easy. Changing the culture of

a school to one in which teachers and administrators collaborate on data analysis,

progress monitoring, and the organizational tasks necessary to make the I/E period truly

responsive to students learning needs is very difficult! Additional instructional time will

be given to students each day who are not progressing in essential language arts and math

skills. Enrichment will be given to students who are meeting or exceeding grade-level

standards. A decision must be made as to whether or not special services (i.e. special

education or ESL) will be the intervention for some qualifying students during the I/E

time or will they be served at a different time by those professionals.

o I/E- Intervention/Enrichment Period
Intervention - Based upon identified (data-driven) skill needs, focused on

literacy and mathematics, and provided by a variety of personnel,

including classroom teachers and special service providers.

Enrichment - Provided for students proficient in literacy and mathematics,

focused on moving proficient students to advanced proficiency, organized

around enrichment units in science, social studies, writing, etc. and staffed

by a variety of personnel, such as gifted/talented coordinator, other

resource personnel, classroom teachers, and perhaps community members.

A summary statement or two about the elementary schedule would be good here as well.

Middle school master-schedule

The way we use instructional time and the consistency with which we implement

instructional strategies are two of the variables that we have direct influence over (Fischer, &

Frey, 2007). As middle school teachers and leaders, we can choose to change these variables and

ensure our students success. There are a number of considerations when creating a middle
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school master schedule. Among them, what the student needs are on terms of intervention or

special needs; what core classes must be offered and what electives can the school afford to

offer; staff teaching credentials; what school issues exist; the second language learner population

and the number of Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention students. All of these considerations must be

understood and addressed in order to develop a workable master middle school schedule.

Major considerations

Traditional vs. block scheduling. Traditional schedules, a students typical day consists

of several different classes, an advisory period, and lunch. In this environment, students

normally encounter six to seven different teachers. The teacher oftenrely extensively on

lectures to expose students to large amounts of information in 40- to 45-minute periods.

Comparatively, in middle level schools with block schedules, students engage in as few

as five classes a day, allowing for more time per class. Classes are taught on a yearly or

semester basis and, in most cases, teachers teach four or five periods per day. Research by

Mattox (2005) supports that block schedules tend to result in fewer student discipline

problems while providing more time for one-to-one interactions between students and

teachers.
Block schedules would be ineffective if teachers do not know how to utilize the longer

periods. Also, teachers need to acquire more advanced classroom management skills.
Advisory periods. One of the most important ways to ensure student success in middle

schools is for each student to have a close, personal relationship with at least one adult in

the school. (Hanover Research, 2015) Advisory periods, extended homerooms, and

team-based mentorships foster these relationships by helping to support students with

academic and non-academic challenges.

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Counseling services. School counselors serve to provide a coordinated program of

services and supports to meet the needs of individual students. They can assist teachers in

conducting advisory programs and provide a higher level of personalized support for

students who need it.

Incorporating interdisciplinary teaming. Teaming fosters more integrated instruction

and provides the flexibility to meet diverse student needs. Common planning time for

teachers in teams enables them to work on the curriculum together. Teachers in teams can

talk about specific students and how the team can work with the students to improve their

performance.
Elective course choices. Additional electives such as foreign language and computer

skills form a foundation for the students to continue learning in these areas through their

high school years.

The middle level years are often marked by a decline in student achievement, particularly

during the transitional year when students move from elementary school to sixth grade (Mattox,

2015). Sixth grade is particularly difficult for students who must adjust emotionally and

academically to their new school environment. Excellent aspects of MS scheduling identified

here.

High school master-schedule

A high school master schedule must be built paying attention to every detail from the

collaborative planning for departments, to the number of sections for special education and

honors coursesis essential. How many specialty groups do you have versus how many courses

are only offered once, and why? Using trends and current data to inform the number of sections

and types of classes needed. There may be elective classes that need to be introduced based on
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student interest. The data encompasses teacher anecdotal notes, assessment scores, grades,

portfolios, student interest, and parent request. No one source of data can and should speak for a

students success.

Major considerations

Student and learning focused schedule. Re-teaching/intervention/tutorial time built into

day (all levels of classes), number of courses to focus on per day/per semester, number of

student and teacher transitions per day, number of students a teacher sees per day/cycle,

and allow for increased blended learning opportunities.

Scope and sequence. Math, English, Science, and History courses are offered in multiple

levelsCore, Comprehensive, Honors, Advanced Placement, Remediation, and Credit

Recoveryto meet the needs of diverse learners.

College and career readiness. Options for peer tutoring/advising within school day,

maintain/increase AP participation, and maintain import programming in test prep, career

exploration, college application process, and self emotional learning.

Teacher and staff planning and learning considerations. Consistent PLC time, and

common planning/teaming time.

Electives. These courses are not required, but a student chooses to take them. Electives

may reflect a students interests, introduce or improve skills, or be directly related to a

future career. Electives do not require as much time or work as a core course, but should

include educational content.

Block vs. 7 period day. The block schedule repeats the same set of periods over 2 school

days or the schedule that repeats the same set of periods each school day for 1 semester.

The period schedule repeats the same set of periods each school day, all year.
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International Baccalaureate (IB)/Advance Placement (AP)/ College in the Schools

(CIS) Programs. Students can earn college credit with either: Both IB and AP classes

culminate in an exam, and depending on the score, students may be able to earn college

credit. However, a student must be enrolled in an IB class to take an IB exam, Bessett

says. This differs from the AP program, as students can take an AP exam without taking

its corresponding AP course. CIS is an educational program for high school students run

by the University of Minnesota. It allows students to take college level classes in

their high school and, as a result, earn college and high school credit for free.
Federal legislation requires all teachers to be highly qualified in core subjects.

English, Reading/ Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Languages, Arts

(includes dance, music, art), Social Sciences (includes economics, history, geography,

and civic/ government)

Shared classroom use.
Activities/athletics schedules.

Support for English Learners

In student- or learning-focused schools, the master schedule reflects the needs of the

students. There are multiple, tiered interventions. Accommodations are built into the schedule for

students who need math every day or who need three semesters to complete a specific science

course. The best teachers are teaching the neediest students. Teachers of higher-level courses also

teach standard-level courses. Finally, the neediest students are in the smallest classes (National

Association of Secondary School Principals, 2011).

References

Canady, R. L. & Rettig, M. D. (1995). Block scheduling: A catalyst for change in high school.
Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
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Canady, R. L. & Rettig, M. D. (1995, November). The Power of Innovative Scheduling:

Productive Use of Time and Space. Educational Leadership, 53, pp.4-10.
Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov95/vol53/num03/The-Power-
of-Innovative-Scheduling.aspx

Fischer, D., & Frey, N. (2007). A Tale of Two Middle Schools: The Difference in Structure and
Instruction. Journal for Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 204-211.

Hanover Research (2015, July). Best Practices in Middle School: Prepared for Boyertown
Area School District .
Retrieved from
https://www.boyertownasd.org/cms/lib07/PA01916192/Centricity/Domain/4/Best
%20Practices%20in%20Middle%20School%20Design%20-%20Boyertown%20Area
%20School%20District%20-%20Hanover%20Research.pdf

Mattox, K., Hancock, D. R., & Queen, J. A. (2005, March). The Effect of Block Scheduling
on Middle School Students' Mathmatics Achievement. NASSP Bulletin, pp. 9-13.

National Association of Secondary School Principals. (2011, May). The master schedule: A
culture indicator. AP Insight Archives.
Retrieved from
http://www.nassp.org/tabid/3788/default.aspx?
topic=The_Master_Schedule_A_Culture_Indicator

National Association of Secondary School Principals. (2016, April). Mastering the Master
Schedule: Ensuring Equity and Access for All Students.
Retrieved from
http://blog.nassp.org/2016/04/19/mastering-the-master-schedule-
ensuring-equity-and-access-for-all-students/

Schools, M. C. (2009). Resource Guide for Elementary Master Scheduling . Rockville: Office of
Communications and Family Outreach .

Norma,
This is very well done. You selected really important factors in scheduling at all levels. I have
no doubt that you would know what is important to tend to in building a schedule at any of the
levels.

20/20