District 203 administration is set to recommend schedule changes spanning all levels of instruction at the Feb. 3 Board of Education meeting. The changes include later start times for high school and middle school, as well as a shift to block scheduling for high school.
The proposal was first previewed to the public in a Focus 203 meeting on Jan. 14, which was attended by students, staff and community members.
Starting in the spring of 2024, teams of district and school employees met to design new school day structures.
“Innovating the school experience is about transforming learning opportunities and creating flexible scheduling to meet the needs of all students as they prepare for their future,” said Superintendent Dan Bridges at the Focus 203 meeting.
203 currently utilizes a nested school day design, where high schools start first and end last, followed middle school starting second and ending second, then elementary school starting last and ending first. The proposal intends to shift to a staggered school day design, which would have elementary schools start first, followed by high schools and then middle schools.
High school
At the high school level, the proposed changes would shift the instructional model from the current eight-period model to a modified block schedule, which would make Wednesday an “anchor day” with seven instructional periods. The remaining four days would have four 85 minute instructional periods each, including a modified version of the current SOAR period, with two opportunities for support..
The changes are designed to streamline the number of schedules that students have to juggle throughout the schoolweek, according to Deputy Superintendent for High Schools Mark Cohen. Instead of having three separate bell schedules, the new proposal would only have two.
The to-be-proposed high school start times are yet to be released, but they will be shifted later compared to their current 7:45 start, according to the presentation at the Focus 203 session.
“Currently, students have large amounts of unstructured time during the school day due to transitions and transportation constraints,” Cohen said at the Focus 203 meeting. “The design team seeks to reduce unstructured time by creating a more compact, efficient and engaging school day.”
High school students now experience a seven hour 25 minute school day, longer than other neighboring districts such as Indian Prairie School District 204’s seven hours, and Valley View School District 365’s six hour 45 minute school day.
Academic courses will be scheduled for 85 minutes on block days, with the third block featuring an extended 52 minutes for lunch periods, which will occur in the start, middle or end of the block. Two days of the week will include two 40 minute periods meant for targeted support or homeroom.
Under the to-be-proposed schedule, the school day will be shortened by 35 minutes, to six hours and 25 minutes.
Middle school
District 203 middle schools will also be shifted to later start times under the to-be-proposed plan, and start after both the elementary and high school days. More time in the school day will be dedicated to math, while a weekly “advisory” period on Wednesdays will be meant to “support content and connection,” according to the presentation shared at Focus 203.
Math classes will offer a 20-minute targeted support time at the end of their expanded instructional time, according to Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services and Junior High Schools Allison Boutet.
“Instructional time is uneven, with 82 minutes allocated to English language arts daily but only 41 minutes for math,” Boutet said at the Focus 203 session. “[This] does not align with best practices for middle school math instruction.”
Social studies and science classes will also be offered in structured time blocks, allotting for increased flexibility depending on content needs.
Band and orchestra will also be embedded within the schedule in dedicated periods.
Elementary
The elementary school day length will increase by 15 minutes, meant to accomplish greater opportunities for interventions, establish morning meetings and maximize instructional time. The to-be-proposed plan was presented by Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Katie Matthews at the Focus 203 session.
“The schedule includes a dedicated 15 minute homeroom period each day ensuring time for morning meetings and explicit social and emotional learning,” Matthews said at the Focus 203 session.
The elementary level will also begin first among the three levels of instruction, compared to the current 8:15 start time. The exact start time has yet to be announced.
Early childhood
Early Childhood offerings will shift to age-tailored instruction, with an 8:15-10:15 a.m. session for three-year-olds, Mondays for targeted students only and Fridays off intended for home visits and community events. A second session from 12:05-2:35 p.m. is meant for four and five-year-olds. Similarly, Mondays are intended for targeted students only.
The current early childhood model places students in multi-age classrooms split in two-and-a-half hour a.m. and p.m. sessions.
“Teachers have only 25 minutes of planning time each day between the morning and afternoon sessions and two 30 minute specials weekly to address students’ unique needs and design innovative learning experiences,” Matthews said.
Planning time will also be increased for teachers under the proposal.
Proposal stage
A second Focus 203 session was held Jan. 17, mirroring the session on Jan. 14.
“I would continue to encourage students, community members and staff to continue to share their opinions and their beliefs,” said Lisa Xagas, Assistant Superintendent for Strategy and Engagement. “Our design team has spent 12 months working on this. Everyone is very interested in feedback, and making sure that we’re creating a plan that works for everyone.”
District administration will present the reasoning behind the proposal at the Jan. 21 Board of Education meeting, followed by a presentation of the proposal at the Feb. 3 board meeting.
Correction: The original order of school start and end times was incorrect
