High School Flex Schedule and Flex Credit Classes for Middle and High School Students

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1 High School Flex Schedule and Flex Credit Classes for Middle and High School Students Dave Baker More middle and high school students are breaking the mold of the traditional school day and taking advantage of opportunities to add Board of Education approved credits to their transcripts for a variety of reasons! Included are examples of opportunities that enable students to creatively earn additional high school traditional credits, flexible credits, dual enrollment credits, and to participate in unlimited flexible scheduling options! A Collection of Ideas and Experiences to Enhance Ohio s Best Schools Flex Scheduling The traditional high school day begins at 7:30 AM, but in some high schools students are attending early bird classes beginning at 6:40am. When students and teachers participated in a building wide survey, the results indicated that a good number of both students and teachers were interested in early bird classes. Now early bird classes have been scheduled strictly on a volunteer basis for those students who can provide their own transportation and who choose to take advantage of high school flexible scheduling options. Any student or teacher who chooses to participate in an early bird class can then leave one period early at the end of the day. They participate in a school day that is the same length, but has a different starting and finishing time. A similar option is available at the end of the day; afternoon and evening classes are available for students who can provide their own transportation. Those teachers and students who participate in this flex schedule can start later and finish later. Flexible scheduling allows the high school community to creatively meet the needs, interests and desires of its clientele. Flexible scheduling creates a schedule which makes the high schools appear more like colleges in providing a variety of scheduling options. Not all teachers teach on the flex schedule where time is traded. Some teachers are offered a supplemental contract and additional pay to teach an additional class period, a cost effective way to offer more classes without hiring additional teachers. Flex scheduling options include early bird classes, after school classes, evening classes, Saturday classes, classes that meet on specially scheduled weekends throughout the school year and even the possibility of taking a class at a neighboring high school. The possibilities are only limited by teacher interest and availability and student interest as indicated by the number of students who register for the classes outside the typical school day. Students who choose to participate in the flex schedule are required to sign a contract agreeing to the mandatory attendance conditions for participating in a class scheduled during the flex schedule time slot.

2 Three Year Graduation Opportunities Most high school students who start their school day by taking an early bird class usually elect to leave earlier in the day; however, some highly motivated students may choose to graduate early and participate in a three year high school program. Students can choose to attend early bird, after school or evening classes to complete all high school credits in three years instead of four. Because eighth graders are permitted to earn high school credits in approved classes during their eighth grade year and earn additional credits on the flex schedule acceleration plan, an early graduation option is available for any student who desires to finish one year or one semester early. High School Band and Interscholastic Sports Flex Credit Each fall the marching band begins preparing for the marching band season and, as a result, the band members return to school three weeks before the rest of the student body. They begin their practice time the same week as the football, volleyball, cross country, soccer and golf teams start. The marching band practices during the summer and after school, and in additional performances at a dedication ceremony, in two parades, at ten football games and three marching band competitions. With flex credit, the students in the marching band could receive one credit for the band class that meets every day during the traditional school year and an additional ½ credit for the additional hours the students log in the fall. The marching band credit has been approved by the Board of Education and students earn traditional grades of A, B, etc., for their involvement in the program. Eighth graders who elect to be in the marching band program can also earn credit as established by the Board of Education policy. The high school fall interscholastic sport teams, as well as the winter and spring sports teams at the high school, can also receive ¼ elective physical education credit for participation and completion of the sports season as members of the freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams. Each elective credit receives a grade of A, B, or C and students only receive credit and grade based upon their successful completion of a full sports season. Student athletes learn a great deal about rules of the game, competition, sportsmanship, strength and conditioning, and teamwork and are rewarded with elective credit and notation on the student s official transcript. Drama and Theatre Flex Class/Flex Credit In the flex schedule, the drama teacher may not start teaching until 10:45 AM daily. She teaches classes during the traditional school day, and then teaches two after school drama classes Monday Thursday afternoons. Drama is very popular and, as a result, a large number of drama students start school late and stay late to participate in the drama program. The drama department conducts 4 plays and a musical each year and no student is turned away from the class. Students enjoy taking a class where they have a strong interest and/or gift in the area of instruction. All students are awarded grades for participating in the drama classes in the same manner they would receive credit in any other class.

3 The drama teacher has a master s degree and has been trained and approved as an adjunct faculty member at the local college. Because the district and college have entered into a Board of Education approved agreement, students who have a 3.00 GPA overall and have completed the enrollment application to qualify for college admission, and cover the cost of tuition, earn dual credit for both high school graduation and college credit. Marine Biology Flex Class Another great example of creative courses has involved a high school librarian who is also a highly qualified license teacher in library sciences, but her undergraduate degree is in marine biology and designated as highly qualified by the state. With very little paperwork, she is also accepted as an adjunct faculty member at a local community college. This employee is now able to teach marine biology for dual credit; her students will receive both high school science elective credit and three semester hours of credit from the college. The credits count toward graduation AND will transfer to any college or university across the state! The class could be organized to meet every Monday evening with a spring break lab lesson in the Florida Keys or some other appropriate site, complete with snorkeling, so students experience all the habitats they have been studying! This class is always one of the first to fill to capacity as student interest is very high. College Prep Government and Politics Flex Class Flex class teachers are not necessarily limited to high school staff members. Any staff member may teach a flex class as long as they meet the qualifications to be designated as a highly qualified teacher. Evening classes can be taught to high school students by any qualified high school or middle school staff or administrator who has retained their teaching credentials. For example, an assistant superintendent whose love for teaching College Prep Government and Politics and the compatibility of a flex schedule allowed him to teach a Wednesday evening class to a group of seniors. This employee would not have been able to teach during the school day, but the evening class allowed him the opportunity and enabled the students to complete their final social studies requirement outside the regular school day. These seniors could opt out of a class that meets five days a week during the traditional school day in order to add an elective or perhaps to end their day early and work. The College Prep Government and Politics class teacher can also supplement the class with an optional weeklong trip to Washington D.C. to meet with local representatives and to sit in on available legislative sessions. Ball Room Dancing Flex Class Flex classes can cover a variety of educational interests from recreation and leisure, to robotics and to business! We are only limited by our creativity. An example can be found in an afternoon class taught by an English teacher with a career that started in dance. She had licensure in dance and expressed an interest in teaching an after school class if student interest existed. When flyers were posted offering an opportunity for students to take Ballroom Dancing after school two afternoons a week for 90 minutes for ¼ elective physical education credit, the response was overwhelming. Sixty students enrolled and the auxiliary gymnasium was the only place large enough on campus to hold the class.

4 Accounting Flex Class Flex teachers do not necessarily need to be full time employees of the school system to teach a before school, after school or evening flex class. There are times when district teachers may not be available to teach a flex class and the opportunity can be posted and offered to a highly qualified and Board of Education approved substitute teacher or a community person who meets the highly qualified requirements. Such a person can be officially employed by the Board of Education to teach a flex class. One example can be found in a former teacher who left education to enter the business world as a tax accountant but returned to the classroom to teach accounting two afternoons a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The benefit of having a full time, professional accountant teaching an after school class can be tremendous for the students enrolled in this flex class for credit. Art Class Flex Class and Flex Credit One way to expand an art program is to have the art teachers spend time in the art room each afternoon and almost every Saturday. Lectures, presentations and student project presentation and critiques are scheduled on a regular basis for students to attend. The teacher begins her teaching day at 11:00 AM and finishes at 5:00 PM daily with the art room and facilities available for student use each day after school and many scheduled Saturdays. Or multiple teachers could alter their schedules to cover flexible hours. Students have greater flexibility for working in the classroom with the understanding that they must attend the designated lecture or watch the recorded podcast of the lectures available for down load from the teacher s website. Students are responsible for completing an end of the quarter portfolio of assigned work and a presentation to the class. The class participates in awarding a conscientious grade for the portfolio presentation based on the rubrics provided at the beginning of the quarter. Students have a clear understanding of the class expectations from the first day of the class and have a great deal of flexibility in completing their work and presenting their end of the quarter portfolio. Travel, Internships and Unique Educational Opportunities Ohio s Educational Options Every summer we have high school students participating in programs both in the US and in other countries. Let s say that a student has just received a letter indicating that her application to participate in a summer exchange program has been approved and as a result she will be spending six weeks in the Netherlands in June and part of July. Another student will be participating in a 65 day bike trip across the United States that will start at the San Francisco Bridge and end on the Atlantic shores of Maine. Another student has spent the past three summers attending the NASA SPACE CAMP in Huntsville, Alabama and has been invited back to serve as a summer student intern for six weeks because of his past experience and demonstrated knowledge from past years at the camp. Each student is interested in securing Educational Options Credit for their unique learning experience. In this case if the district administration, in cooperation with the faculty and staff, has developed an Educational Options elective credit program, students can apply for credit for their learning experiences. Students are awarded a grade of A, B or C based upon their level of performance and reporting. All students must earn a C or better to earn credit in accordance

5 with Board of Education policy. With the backing of two adults, one from the school and one from the community with related professional interests, the student can complete an application process and develop an approved educational plan for high school elective credit. The student must seek out a sponsoring faculty member and a member of the community to serve as volunteer advisors to meet once before and after the experience to provide suggestions and direction for the student. The faculty and community member will meet with the student, parent and an administrator to create and approve the Educational Options Plan for credit. One of the requirements of the program is for the student to participate in a bi weekly blog with pictures for review on the district s web page. Any community member going to the web page would be able see what and where the Educational Options student was doing for high school credit. The student would also have a choice of several options to present their Educational Options program at an Annual or Bi Annual Educational Options Presentation Evening. Such options may include but are not limited to: Students will have an opportunity to present a 30 minute public presentation Students will participate in a bi weekly blog, complete with pictures and/or video interviews. From this,there will be a pre determined assignment such as: o Create a power point presentation outlining the activity or o Create a video presentation outlining the activity or o Share related research conducted during the activity Students will write a paper explaining what was learned or gained and how the experience will benefit future learning or work place endeavors The Educational Options program can cover a wide gamut of educational opportunities for students to learn, travel and experience things outside the typical classroom setting. It also provides an excellent opportunity to create relationships with related community members and to involve them in our schools, as well as an opportunity to publicize and promote students who are doing great things! Lunch Time Walkers Group Flex Class/Flex Credit Recently, it has been reported America s school age children are the world s most obese students. At a time when health care is a major national issue, perhaps our schools should be focusing on one of the major causes of America s health care problems obesity. The United States Surgeon General recommends a brisk 30 minute walk daily and schools can incorporate the 30 minute walk around lunch time. Students can participate in a year long Lunch Time Walkers Group for Educational Options Credit. The program requires students to attend a beginning of the year meeting with a parent or guardian, to be discretely measured and weighed in, and to time a one mile walk to establish base line data. From this information, each student can develop a Personal Improvement Plan (PIP) for the academic school year.

6 Each day at the beginning of lunch, the students report to the track or gym, sign in, pick up a stop watch, and walk two miles or 30 minutes, whichever occurs first. At the conclusion of the session, they record their time/distance and go to the lunch room to eat. The program is monitored by a trained parent volunteer who keeps the daily walkers log and enters the students times/distances into a computer program. The computer then provides weekly print outs for each student to keep track of his/her participation and progress. At the end of the year, students must have walked 300 lunchtime miles to receive 1/8 credit for the program. At the end of four years, students can earn a ½ elective credit for participating in the Lunchtime Walkers program. More importantly, they will have developed healthy habits for a lifetime! Student Government Flex Credit In years past, student government at the high school level was a popularity contest, another picture in the yearbook, and something that looked good on a college application. With the new Student Government Constitution, that has all changed. Student Council can and should be a very worthwhile and meaningful experience. Student Council members can be required to attend an early bird meeting prior to school on Fridays. Members who miss three consecutive meetings are automatically up for impeachment. The student council requires students to participate in ten hours of community service and to volunteer for ten hours of student government committee work. Students who participate/volunteer and earn the preestablished number of volunteer points receive an automatic at large seat in Student Council for the following year. Students who fail to volunteer and participate are not eligible to seek reelection the following year and cannot be considered to receive Educational Options credit. The student council members also participate in a two day beginning of the year leadership retreat every fall and a one day Government Day in the spring. Student Council officers also attend the state Student Council Conference. At the beginning of the year leadership retreat, students participate in a college overnight visit, set personal and school goals, and participate in sessions on leadership, communication, goal setting, team building and establishing trust within the group. At the spring Government Day the students again make a visit to a local college and participate in a full day session in which they discuss and propose recommendations for school handbook or rule changes for the following year. The changes are subject to parliamentary procedure rules and, after being passed by the student council, the rule change requests must be approved by the faculty and staff and then the Superintendent and the Board of Education. In exchange for successful participation in student council, the leadership retreat and Government Day, students are awarded ½ Educational Options credit for student government. Student government is an organization that is for leaders and the expectations are high. The learning involved is important enough to award high school elective credit and notation on the student s transcript.

7 Mall School Flex Class/Flex Credit A Mall School Program is a work prep program for juniors, seniors or any students on a special plan (IEP, WEP, 504 Plan or IAT). Work Prep Programs are modified school day plans that enable students to attend school for any portion of the day to earn required course credits (usually three to five periods daily) and to participate in a graded work study program for credit and/or pay as well as Internships with or without pay programs. Depending on the students work schedules they can schedule their high school classes at the beginning, middle or end of the traditional school day. Students who are interested in Mall School must complete an application for the program in January of the year prior to entering the program. In addition to completing the application, the students must interview with prospective employers on the first two Saturdays in April. For those students selected by employers, they will be permitted to build their upcoming school year schedule based upon the courses needed for graduation and their work schedules. Because Mall School students are considered modified school day students, they have first priority when scheduling classes for the new school year. A typical Mall School Student will work an average of 20 hours per week and two high school credits and will be graded collaboratively between the Mall School Teacher and the employer. The Mall School student will participate in a one night a week class that may take place in the Mall Professional Learning Room. This class can take advantage of the mall resources and related business speakers. The student will typically attend their high school for three classes, English, math and social studies or science. If students lose their jobs, they will most likely be removed from the Mall School. In some cases, the student and employer may agree that a change of placement might better serve all concerned, and the teacher can then consider possible job changes. Every effort is made to keep students in the work prep program and progressing toward graduation. Employers like the program because store managers today are typically experiencing up to a 300% turnover rate per year; Mall School student employment creates consistency and scheduling flexibility which is beneficial to everyone. Students enjoy the program because they are gaining work experience, earning $125 $250 per week and accumulating high school credit at the same time. The Mall School concept can also be expanded to involve businesses beyond the mall setting and include virtually any interested business partner. When students are given choices, they are more likely to respond with greater interest and motivation. Mall School, under the right structure and instruction, is a win win for students, businesses and school districts! Advanced Technology After School Class/Professional Development Flex Class Today s middle school and high school students are often quite advanced when it comes to using and creating with today s technology. By using a highly qualified member of the district s technology department, or a highly qualified technology teacher, an afternoon class can be conveniently offered for students. Students can be given the opportunity to develop and create advanced levels of media for class or personal use.

8 A second benefit of an after school technology class is it may also allow professional staff members to attend and take advantage of continuous support to maintain and improve their technology skills. Educators can receive Continuing Education Units for teacher recertification. An after school technology class can benefit both students and professional staff members! In some cases, a teacher and a knowledgeable or tech savvy student can be paired up to create classroom instructional materials. The student s point of view can be invaluable in helping create a program of instruction or learning project for the classroom. Resources and teaming are unlimited in an after school tech class and some unique and mutually beneficial partnerships can be developed! Athletic Trainer Class and Internship Flex Class/Flex Credit The high school health teacher is also the Athletic Trainer for the district. He begins his school day two periods after the start of the traditional school day teaching health and a student athletic training class. The student athletic training class is offered the last period of the day and a group of 20 students are enrolled in the class. The students are involved in learning first aid, CPR, as well as taping or wrapping techniques, strength training, rehabilitation practices and various treatments of athletic injuries. After school, the student athletic training staff members are assigned as student trainers for each middle school and high school team. They are given a walkie talkie (if they do not have cell phones), a fanny pack of first aid supplies, and a two wheeled cart with a strap on water cooler and an attached ice box. The student trainers report to their respective team assignments and pick up the Emergency Authorization Notebook to carry with them at practice at all times. They are prepared to wrap ankles, treat blisters, provide bandages and/or ice, and are available on the field as needed during practice time. The Athletic Trainer or teacher visits each student trainer during after school practice time riding on a modified golf cart equipped for most any emergency situation. The Athletic Trainer is never more than a call away. Students earn one credit for the athletic trainer year long class and 1/3 of a credit for each sports season they serve as an after school student trainer for a team. In addition, the student athletic trainer may earn a varsity letter. Dual Credit Education Field Experience Flex Class/Flex Credit The Future Teacher Program is a dual credit class for students who would like to earn high school elective credit and college education field experience credit. Students participate in 10 hours of in class training with a highly qualified teacher. They must also meet once every two weeks either before school or in the evening. Following the initial ten hours of training, students are placed for two consecutive periods every day with a selected teacher in his/her classroom. They observe and also work one on one or in small group instructional situations to provide additional classroom assistance to some of the class s neediest students. Students can usually have two different school placements to experience different age groups and content areas. The student receives dual credit for both high school and college credit.

9 Dual Credit Geography 201 A classroom aide was hired to assist with inclusionary practices for the middle school. With an over abundance of qualified candidates, one of the aides hired is an experienced teacher with a master s degree in Geography. After attending the one day training at the local college, she qualified as an adjunct professor. Now this teacher will be able to teach a semester long class on Monday nights from 6:00 PM 9:00 PM entitled Geography 201 on our own high school campus. Students from the high school will be able to receive 3 semester hours of college credit and elective credit for high school graduation. If the class does not fill all available class seats, the school district will allow neighboring districts to open enroll students into the class. In any case, it is a great opportunity to offer challenging coursework to our seniors, an opportunity for students to earn college credit for a fraction of the cost, and to take a college course right in their own building with students their own age.