School day gets a makeover
New scheduling format offers more classes and chances to earn credits
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

It's the end of the school day as they know it.

Students at Burke County High School will see a completely different class schedule next school term. The school is implementing a new scheduling model, called composite scheduling, which adapts class formats to better meet the needs of individual students.

Class schedules will include a combination of longer (90- minute) and shorter (45-minute) class periods.

Students will take 45-minute classes for an entire year and 90- minute classes for one semester, in most cases.

The school hours will not change, just the length of time students spend in each class.

Composite scheduling is designed to allow flexibility for subject matter and learning styles. It also makes room to add more course offerings at the school, like a new advanced placement U.S History course and an orientation course for incoming freshmen.

But the bottom line, BCHS Principal Dr. Wayne Hickman said, is higher graduation rates.

Dr. Hickman said the overarching goal of the new scheduling method, which has only been tried in a few schools but with great success, is to help more students graduate on time.

"We want to see more students graduate in four years, and we think that this type of schedule provides the maximum number of opportunities for students to be successful in that way," Dr. Hickman said.

The new schedule arranges classes so that students can earn more credits than they can on a traditional schedule, which includes six classes a day, each about an hour long.

Students will have the chance to earn eight credits each year instead of the six they can now.

"We hope that by providing this flexibility, we'll be able to teach in a standards-based environment and, at the same time, accommodate all different modalities of learning," Dr. Hickman said.

Ninth-grader Brandon Kinard said he thinks he'll like the change.

"It gives students opportunities to get more credits if they need them," he said, adding that he likes the new course options, too.

But Vernisha Phillips, an 11th grade student, said the new format also has its drawbacks.

She said some students feel like they will be taking extra classes they don't need, but she feels like the classes will help her get into a good college.

Both said the new schedule format was somewhat confusing to understand at first but agreed that it just takes time to adjust.

"It was confusing to figure out, but my teachers and parents helped me," Kinard said.

"They (students) just have to get used to it," Phillips said of the change.

Dr. Hickman already expected a need for an adjustment period, though.

"We realize that the first year of any sort of change will be a learning year, and we will make whatever adjustments are necessary to make improvements every year," he concluded.