Parents learn more about trimester system

MOSES LAKE — Parents of Moses Lake High School students learned more about a proposed trimester system at a forum Monday.

Administrators plan to schedule classes in trimesters instead of semesters starting in fall 2008.

Moses Lake High School Principal Dave Balcom said switching to a trimester system could open the door to more time in core classes, flexible scheduling, student advocacy time and staff collaboration time. The schedule is better aligned with Big Bend Community College's schedule, which benefits students who leave Running Start after the first quarter and want to transition back into the high school.

"There are a lot of students that walk our hallways anonymously," Balcom said.

Time set aside for student advocacy is proposed to reduce the school's dropout rate, which was 9.4 percent in the 2004-2005 school year. About 62 percent of students graduated on time. The advocacy time adds up to about a quarter credit per year, or two trimesters worth of class time spread over four years.

The amount of time spent in core classes is increased by 20 hours per credit class. The amount of instructional time in P.E., occupational arts and electives could decrease in the proposed schedule.

One parent said taking away electives decreases flexibility.

"The reason that we went to the four-period day is to accomplish some of these things that you say we're not accomplishing," she said. "So that kids have that time, so they study more in depth, so that teachers knew their students, so that we have this great report, and now you're saying that it's not enough time."

English teacher Karen Stall said she wasn't at the school 14 years ago when the change took place, but she doubted the teachers had 39 students in a classroom.

"That gives me two minutes per student in my classroom," Stall said. "That's not enough for me."

Balcom said some people claim the high school is trying to tailor itself to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning and becoming a "WASL high school."

"I don't think we are, but I've got to tell you, that's our evaluation," he said.

Balcom said at the beginning of the presentation the lack of student lockers and price of additional textbooks could become problematic in offering five or six periods per day, as some parents want.

"Did we look at a five-period and six-period day? Not very much, because of our dynamic," he said.

A parent expressed concern with the lack of time spent evaluating alternatives to the four-period day.

"It seems like to give this study much more integrity, that should have been done," he said. The lack of lockers and price of books is a school board problem, he said.

Stall said no concrete evidence exists showing whether four, five or six period days are better.

"It's who's teaching, and that's what it boils down to," she said. "It's not how many classes you do in a day, it's whose doing the instruction."