Tyler

By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer

Tyler ISD high school students could be in for some changes in the future -- from a possible extra 30 minutes added to their school day to a possible change in how they receive credit for courses.

TISD trustees will discuss several proposed changes at the district's two high schools during their regular board meeting tonight at 7 p.m.

The board meets in the Dr. Jack L. Davidson Conference Center at the Jim Plyler Instructional Complex, 807 W. Glenwood. Trustees first meet at 6 p.m. in closed session.

Trustees will discuss the district possibly modifying the high school block schedule and lengthening the school day by 30 minutes.

"As we have added some programming at our schools � and (had) an increased number of credit requirements applied to us by the state, it's becoming increasingly more difficult for our students to make schedules that work � without having to make more choices than we would like for them to make," TISD Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid said,

According to district agenda information, modifying the block schedule will increase the amount of instructional time available for students and minimize single-section conflicts between advanced course offerings and fine arts and athletics.

The proposed modified block schedule has a regular one-hour class at either end of the day, so instead of a four-period day, students will have five periods where the first and fifth hours are single one-hour classes that meet every day, Reid said.

The second, third and fourth periods would then be A-B blocks, which means they meet every other day for 90 minutes.

"It should alleviate some of the conflicts we have and create flexibility within our schedule," Reid said.

In order to have two 60-minute periods that meet every day, 30 minutes will need to be added to the school day, according to TISD.

Dr. Karen Raney, director of secondary education for TISD, said the 30 minutes will likely be added to the front end of the school day, but that has not been finalized yet.

The superintendent also said that in some areas, such as math and upper level foreign language, students sometimes learn better if they have those classes every day as opposed to every other day, which is what happens in a regular block schedule.

The board will also discuss awarding high school credit by averaging together the two semesters of a course. In TISD, credit is currently awarded by semester.

An example of how it works is if a student makes a 68 in the first semester of a course and an 83 in the second semester, currently they fail the first semester, so they have to retake the first semester, even though their average was more than 70.

"We're proposing we give that a different look, that we allow a student, if their two semesters average to a passing grade, that they're able to (receive full credit)," Reid said. "Very few students fall in this category. It gives a child a hope. � They are much more likely to stay with you and continue to move forward academically."

Reid said this is not about watering down programming.

"Sometimes you might have a child that has a significant situation occur in their life during a semester that causes them to slip below a passing grade," he said. "This gives them that opportunity to pull that out."

If the district chooses to allow this, it would become effective in the spring semester, but would also be retroactive to the fall semester.

Reid said many school districts do average the two semesters together to award credit.

Tonight the board will also discuss spring semester exam exemptions for high school students that could be effective in spring 2009.

Reid said TISD is one of the few school districts that do not offer exam exemptions for students who pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test.

Under the proposal, students would have to do more than just pass TAKS to be exempt, though. They would also have to meet other requirements related to their academic performance, their attendance and discipline. And students would only be exempt from the spring semester final exams. The fall semester final exams would still be in place.

"We think it's important children learn how to take comprehensive examinations, but we also know that there are some areas - for example, ninth- and tenth-grade - where there's not a lot of motivation for a child to perform at their peak on a statewide assessment if it doesn't have an impact on their grade or doesn't have an impact on their time," Reid said.

If the district does permit the exemption, it will only last for two years because TAKS will be replaced with End of Course exams in 2011.

The board agenda places these three issues as discussion items. It states that no board action is required.

Reid said he wants to have an open discussion about these items at the meeting, even though these are administration decisions.

"The plan is to move forward with all three of these items," Reid said. "But I want to make sure everybody has an opportunity to voice any concerns, and if they're significant concerns I can certainly pull it off the table and go back and try to modify what we're planning."

Also at tonight's meeting, the school board will consider approving the exterior elevations and floor plans for the new campus that will combine Mattie Jones Elementary School and the St. Louis School-Wayne D. Boshears Center for Exceptional Programs facility that serves special needs students.

The joint Jones-Boshears school is one of five new campuses that will be built as a result of the successful $124.9 million Nov. 4 bond election.

The architects working on the project are Corgan/Sinclair Wright.

The new 131,000-square foot Jones-Boshears campus will be constructed on land along Chandler Highway near Loop 323, behind the Westwood Shopping Center.

The new facility will face Chandler Highway, also known as State Highway 31 West, or Front Street. The left side of the building will be single-story and house the Boshears students. The right side of the campus is a two-story, 500-student elementary school for the Jones students. The campus also contains shared spaces, such as the cafeteria.

Principals and teachers from both schools have provided input on the design, Reid said.

Also at tonight's meeting, the board will consider issuing the $124.9 million in bonds for the construction of the five new schools.

The board will consider approving the retention of a civil engineering firm for a traffic feasibility study and pre-design for Hubbard Middle School in an effort to alleviate traffic congestion in the area around the school.

Trustees will also consider approving the purchase of about $465,000 worth of document cameras for classrooms and $189,000 for SMART Boards for intervention and special education classrooms. The funding for the document cameras will come from maintenance tax notes, and the funding for the SMART Boards will come from district technology funds.

The board also will consider approving the 2008-09 amended budget; the TISD Board Audit Committee Charter and Internal Auditor Charter and members of the TISD Board Audit Committee; additional PDAS teacher appraiser; East Tech Prep Consortium for Robert E. Lee and John Tyler high schools; Computer Integrated Manufacturing course for the Project Lead the Way program at John Tyler; allocation of $296,000 for additional CSCOPE expenditures for math and science materials; and Texas Educator Excellence Grant, Cycle 3.

The board will also discuss a change in vendors for the transportation video surveillance system on TISD buses and receive a bilingual/ESL update as well as a board member training report and a monthly financial executive summary.