Cinnamon Challenge page 8
Tennis page 11
http://northridgereporter.wordpress.com Northridge High School • 2901 Northridge Road • Tuscaloosa, Al• 35406
May 10, 2012 • Volume 9 • Issue 8
school schedule changes again
Seven period schedule provides shorter classes for shorter attention spans Raiha Bajwa Opinion Editor The Tuscaloosa City School Board announced a new schedule for the 2012-2013 school year consisting of seven periods, as well as a thirty-six minute skinny block. Beth Allaway, biology teacher, was on the committee to discuss a schedule for the next school year. “In our committee everyone was with the four block,” Allaway said. “But the big problem with the four block is that the board wanted students to be in math and English classes all year instead of just a semester.” Isaac Espy, principal, said there were flaws in the previous four block schedule. “There has been a level of dissatisfaction with the block schedule for years,” he said. “Some of the common complaints include lengthy classes, and a seven month gap in math instruction.”
Espy said the seven period day is a traditional schedule, and one that is used in most high schools. “It is not innovative, exploratory or a novel idea,” he said. “It is a common schedule among many if not most high schools in Alabama, and I am optimistic that it will be progressive and a positive component of our instructional program.” Allaway said she hopes the change will not be too stressful. “I imagine that there will be some rough patches that we will have to work through,” she said. “I don’t think that anything can be worse than the schedule this year. The grades are horrible compared to what they have been.” Elizabeth Tiley, guidance counselor, said she does not think the changes will be that bad. “Everyone will have to learn to adjust,”
she said. “Students will have to learn to adjust their schedule to their workload, just like teachers will have to change teaching styles.” The new schedule will make it harder for students to retake classes they have failed. “Failures will be harder to deal with,” Tiley said. “You won’t be able to make up classes the way you used to be able to.” But Espy said available credit recovery courses should solve the problem. “Credit recovery resources will make repeating entire classes almost obsolete,” he said. Allaway said there should be some pros to the new schedule. “The people who like the seven period schedule like it because kids don’t pay attention for that long anyway,” she said. Taylor Goodall, junior, said he likes the schedule for that reason. “I think that it’s
better because my attention span is definitely not an hour and thirty minutes long,” Goodall said. Goodall said even though he’ll have to sign up for more classes, he does not expect it to be too stressful. “It’s not like I’m going to be taking seven academic courses,” he said. “There should be at least three classes that are electives that I don’t have to stress about.” The incoming freshman class will only need 24 credits and will need to have taken Algebra II as a math to graduate. Graduation exams will become obsolete and all juniors will take the ACT. “The state of Alabama is going to have end of course examinations,” Espy said. “The ACT test will help school officials monitor student achievement, as well as provide students with a free opportunity to take this important assessment.”
Class times affect HOSA Alex Hauser Editor-in-Chief
Information supplied by: Lesley Bruinton Designed by: Alex Hauser Information compiled by: Jah'meka Baxter
AP foreign languages hindered by all-year classes Jane Yu Entertainment Editor The A/B block schedule affected foreign language honor societies because fewer students were able to finish the required courses by the end of their first semester. Barbara Beemer, French teacher, said French Honor Society had only a handful of students this year compared to almost twenty students in previous years.
The foreign language department will be affected even more by the new seven period schedule. Unless students take foreign language classes in middle school, they will not be able to reach an AP foreign language. Julie Kim, senior, said she feels bad for those who cannot take AP foreign language. “In Spanish I, II, III and IV, you just do vocabulary, but in AP Spanish you put all
knowledge together, comprehend Spanish thoroughly and get to be really immersed into Hispanic culture,” Kim said. Isaac Espy, principal, said the new schedule will affect foreign language classes and limit the number of double-ups. “The school system will plan to increase opportunities to earn foreign language credits for middle school students,” Espy said.
Even with the extended four period block schedule, students taking classes at Tuscaloosa Center for Technology (TCT) are rushed when traveling back and forth, so they can have as much time in their classes as possible. The shortened class time that will be in effect next year will hurt HOSA students because they won’t have enough time for class and clinicals. Sally Latham, HOSA teacher, said that she prefers the traditional 4x4 block schedule because it offers the best opportunity for the health science class. “[The 4x4 block schedule] allows maximum time for hands-on learning which is what health science is all about,” Latham said. “[But] I always want to remain flexible enough to have as many students taking health science classes as possible. If that means changing to a seven period schedule then we will certainly make the most of what we have to work with.” Juniors taking Foundations of Health Science will take the class in a two period, one semester course, meaning they will have to find two half-credit classes for the other semester. If they aren’t able to find classes, they will be unable to take HOSA. The senior level course will be a two period block class all year. There will be two classes: first and second, and third and fourth, using the bonus advisory period for extra time. This will give students enough time to complete their clinicals as well as other in-classroom activities. Elise Tucker, junior, is currently taking the junior level Foundations of Health Science so she can participate in HOSA next year. “I’ve been waiting to take HOSA since freshman year,” she said. “With the new schedule, I’m not sure how it’s going to work out. My schedule is really full, and it’s going to be difficult scheduling around HOSA.”