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Two middle schools pilot eight‑period day to preserve electives while adding interventions
Summary
Hernandez and C.D. Fulkes middle schools adopted an eight‑period schedule to guarantee intervention/dyslexia services and keep students’ elective choices; principals said the change reduced class sizes for targeted instruction, created common PLC times for teachers and increased student engagement, and the district outlined criteria for other
Two Round Rock ISD middle schools have adopted an eight‑period daily schedule pilot to give students required interventions and dyslexia services without forcing them to forgo electives, principals told the board.
Principals Penny Oates (C.D. Fulkes) and Ebony Parks (Hernandez), with area superintendents Patricia Eflin and Nancy Guerrero, described how the campuses restructured the master schedule to add a guaranteed 45‑minute class period. Under the pilot, students who need accelerated instruction (House Bill 1416 accelerated‑instruction students) or dyslexia services can receive that support while still having space for fine arts, CTE or other electives.
Administrators said the eight‑period day allowed campuses to: create intervention classes in reading and math for all grade bands; maintain teacher PLC and conference time; reduce intervention class sizes to more manageable rosters (18–24 students); and permit students who previously lost electives to take band, orchestra or other classes. Hernandez officials said advisory time is still used by some students for interventions while others receive interventions in scheduled periods. C.D. Fulkes reported increased engagement and the ability to offer a newly created “Lizard School” (a short reteaching/SEL behavioral lesson series) during the day rather than relying on after‑school options.
Principals said staffing models shifted so many core teachers now teach some intervention sections (teachers typically keep a conference period and a PLC). District teaching‑and‑learning staff provided intervention curricula and daily assessments to reduce planning burdens on classroom teachers, they said. Trustees asked about possible downsides: administrators acknowledged elective class sizes can grow and that the schedule requires creative master scheduling and, in some buildings, careful handling of lunch rotations and passing periods; they also noted the pilot reduced per-period minutes by about five minutes to accommodate the extra period but argued the tradeoff increased targeted support time overall.
The district presented criteria for campuses to consider adopting the eight‑period day: campuses with greater than 30% of students needing accelerated instruction (approaches/does not meet) were recommended to adopt the eight‑period model; sites with 25–30% would consider it; campuses under 25–30% could continue a traditional seven‑period day. Candidate schools identified for next‑year review included Grisham, Chisholm Trail, Hopewell, Deer Park and Ridgeview.
Why it matters: The change is designed to address equity — ensuring students needing mandated intervention do not have to sacrifice arts, CTE or other exploratory courses that support belonging and long‑term engagement. District leaders said the pilot’s early indicators show higher engagement and the potential to expand access to high‑school credit opportunities and CTE pathways.
What’s next: The district will offer training and share scheduling templates with candidate campuses, continue to monitor class sizes and teacher workload, and collect data on academic outcomes and student participation in electives before recommending broader adoption.
