News from July 12, 2007 issue
Local News
The Crittenden Press (3 pages) PDF
(Selected pages 1A, 5A, 4B)
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School changing fourth period
The transformation of fourth period from regular course work to a new multi-purpose slot will reduce the number of credits a high schooler needs to graduate beginning this year.
Crittenden County School Board approved a proposal by high school Principal Karen Nasseri to turn one of the seven class periods during a regular school day into a half-credit “career focus” time designed to accommodate an array of needs for her students – from career counseling to club meetings.
The change will ultimately lower the number of required credits for graduation from 26 to 24. The class of 2008, however, will still be required to achieve 25 credits to receive a diploma. The Kentucky Department of education requires 22 credits to graduate.
High school teacher Larry Duvall pointed out that only the number of required elective courses were being reduced, not core curriculum such as math and science. The same number of those core classes will be necessary for graduation.
“Unimaginable, the amount of things that could be done in that time,” Nasseri said of the mid-day period that will include lunch.
The proposal was the brainchild of Nasseri with input from Guidance Counselor Stefanie Hardin and the high school site-based council.
The need for a change was brought on by several factors according to Nasseri, including some simple math.
For 2007-08, a budget crunch led to the elimination of two elective-course instructors at the high school, and an additional 50 students are expected at the school next year. Coupled, both numbers led to a high teacher-to-student ratio for credit-earning curriculum.
Another concern was last year’s debut of the Individual Learning Program for all Kentucky middle- and high-schoolers. The new Web-based ILP was designed for secondary students to focus their coursework on individual goals as they prepare for post-secondary studies and careers. The necessary computer time was coming at the expense of the English Department, reducing instruction time for language, grammar and literature.
“ILP is key,” the principal said of the computer-based Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) mandate. “The high school is held accountable, and we must get this done in the (computer) lab.”
Now, ILP work for freshmen through seniors will be conducted during fourth period. Also designated for that period will be club meetings, preparation of upper classmen for college and the workforce and most importantly, according to Superinten-dent John Belt, more advisor-advisee time between teacher and student.
“If used correctly, it will build relationships with adults where they can get the answers we just can’t get now,” he said.
Board member Phyllis Orr, a former teacher, agreed.
“They still need that one-on-one attention and nurturing whether they they want it or not,” she said.
Nasseri explained that the time could indeed be used as an extension of the guidance office, preparing juniors and seniors for their post-high school lives. Currently, the school employs only Hardin as guidance counselor for about 450 students.
Students in all four high school grades will now be attached to one instructor during fourth period for the entire school year. Placement with each teacher will be based upon interests determined from ILP.
For instance, students interested in agriculture will be under the instruction of Duvall, a longtime FFA advisor and vocational agriculture instructor.
“It has great potential,” Nasseri said.
Students will not necessarily be bound to the same instructor for all four years, however.
By reducing the number of curriculum courses to six per day, and including the half-credit available from the so-called “career focus” period, the maximum number of credits available to a high schooler is 26. By requiring only 24 credits to graduate, it gives a two-credit “cushion” to students who may fail to earn a passing grade in all classes. The same safety net was granted to students previously by requiring only 26 of a possible 28 credits in the seven-course schedule.
Incoming seniors who may have needed seven credits to graduate this year will now need only six to get to the new 25 mandate for the Class of 2008.
Nasseri said deeming the new fourth period time as “career focus” will allow the period to be counted toward required instructional time according to KDE.
No pass, no drive
Also for next year, students who drop out of school will lose their driving privileges from the State of Kentucky.
Kentucky’s No Pass, No Drive policy will be implemented statewide next month and will be mandatory for all high schools. The law has been in existence for some time, but enforcement was lax because of questions of constitutionality, said board attorney Brandi Hagan.
“It’s no longer in question,” she told board members Tuesday night.
The law will yank the driver’s license of any 16- or 17-year-old who quits school. Upon dropout, the school will notify the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, which will then nullify the license.
Those students who have their license as of Aug. 1, however, will be exempt from a portion of the law that requires students to pass at least four classes per semester to keep their license. Anyone gaining legal driving status after that date must pass those classes to keep their license.
Those same students must also have no less than nine unexused absences to drive legally. Drivers as of Aug. 1 will also be exempt from this portion of the law as well.