Haverhill High proposes flipped half-day schedule on MCAS days to reduce crowding and improve testing conditions

Haverhill High School administrators told the School Committee on March 13 that they plan to change the half-day testing schedule so students who take MCAS tests remain on campus for two longer morning blocks and testing for those students begins later in the day.

Administrators said the change is driven by space constraints, proctoring needs and the logistics of providing extended time and one-on-one accommodations for some students. They presented room counts and a proposed daily timeline and answered committee questions about equity and possible test fatigue.

School leaders said the current model brings test-takers in early for morning testing while other students arrive later, creating overlap and crowding when non-testing students return. The proposed model keeps the schoolday start time at 7:30 a.m., schedules two 90-minute morning blocks, dismisses non-testing students at about 10:15 a.m., and begins testing for grade 10 around 11:00 a.m., with a planned dismissal at 2:05 p.m. Administrators said students who need extended time will be accommodated; staff will remain with them until tests are completed.

"We want to meet the needs of our students that need those spaces, that want to do the best they can on MCAS," said Mr. Downs, principal, explaining logistical and safety concerns tied to overlapping classes and testing. Associate Principal Tori (surname not specified in record) gave room counts to illustrate the challenge: the high school needs about 34 testing rooms but has far fewer contiguous, usable testing spaces in practice. She said the largest wing has 28 classrooms but staff-sharing and mixed-grade rooms reduce available options.

The administration provided a detailed timeline of the current and proposed schedules: under the current model testers arrive about 7:30 a.m., testing runs about 7:45a.m. to 10:15a.m., with relocations for students needing extended time; instruction resumes for non-testers around 10:30a.m. Under the proposal, the school would run two 90-minute blocks in the morning, dismiss non-testers at 10:15a.m., serve lunch to testing students, and begin testing at about 11:00a.m.

Committee members asked how the change would affect students not testing and whether the flipped model could reduce overall attendance for non-testers. Administrators responded that the new model is expected to keep more students in school than the current afternoon-heavy model because the last two blocks of the day (F and G) are static and have previously led to lower afternoon attendance for some programs. They also noted trade-offs such as the possibility of long 90-minute blocks for arts or gym classes and the potential for test fatigue if students take another standardized test shortly after MCAS.

Several committee members raised equity concerns about students who do not test on those days losing instructional time. "I do worry about all those other kids that then either are coming later getting dismissed under this model because they also should be able to have access to their classes if they're not testing," said Dr. Granam (committee member). Administrators acknowledged the concern and said teachers may opt to hold extra-help sessions for students, and that AP teachers sometimes ask students to come in for extra instruction on testing days.

Administrators emphasized testing logistics beyond room counts: quiet rooms, one-on-one scribing, text-to-speech accommodations, proctoring requirements, bathroom escorts and contractual staffing obligations. Tori said many classrooms are shared across staff, noting that dozens of staff are effectively without a dedicated classroom and that moving 34 staff and classes for testing is not feasible without large common areas that are already in use.

The committee did not take a formal vote during the March 13 meeting. Members asked the administration to gather further data, including any research on potential effects of later testing on student performance and how the schedule change would interact with other standardized tests such as the SAT. Administrators said they would consider surveying students and staff and report back with data.

The discussion occurred during the Superintendent Comments and Reports portion of the meeting and included detailed exchange between the principal, the associate principal, and multiple school committee members.

Speakers relevant to this topic: - Mr. Downs, principal, Haverhill Public Schools (staff member) - Tori (associate principal), Haverhill High School (staff member) - Superintendent (name not specified), Haverhill Public Schools (staff member) - Dr. Story, School Committee member (government) - Dr. Grama, School Committee member (government) - Miss Collins, School Committee member (government) - Miss Diaz, School Committee member (government) - Miss Sullivan, School Committee member (government)

Authorities referenced (as described in the meeting): - {"type":"other","name":"MCAS testing protocols (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)","referenced_by":["administration discussion of testing schedule and accommodations"]} - {"type":"contract","name":"staff collective bargaining agreements / contractual obligations","referenced_by":["administration reference to proctoring assignment and staff duties"]}

Discussion vs. decision: - Discussion: Administrators presented the rationale (space, safety, accommodations) and a proposed flipped schedule; committee members raised equity and instructional-time concerns; questions remained about test fatigue and scheduling of nonacademic classes. - Direction: Committee requested additional data and consideration of student/staff feedback; no formal vote or change adopted at this meeting.

Clarifying details: - Required testing rooms estimated: 34 (administration) - Largest wing classroom count: 28 (administration) - Current tester arrival/time: testers arrive ~7:30 a.m.; testing ~7:45a.m. to ~10:15a.m. (administration) - Proposed schedule: two 90-minute morning blocks; non-testers dismissed ~10:15 a.m.; testing begins ~11:00 a.m.; dismissal ~2:05 p.m. (administration) - Example accommodation: administration will stay with students needing extended time until tests are finished (administration)

Proper names extracted: - Haverhill High School (school) - MCAS (program)

Community relevance: - Geographies: Haverhill High School campus - Impact groups: grade 10 test-takers, students receiving special-education testing accommodations, AP students

Meeting context: - Engagement level: extended discussion with multiple follow-up questions from committee members - Implementation risk: medium (requires schedule changes, transportation/bus-run implications, staff assignments) - History: committee previously discussed testing calendar at an earlier meeting and asked administration to return with rationale and data

Searchable tags:["MCAS","Haverhill High School","testing schedule","instructional time","equity"]

Provenance (topicintro/topfinish): - {"block_id":"transcript_825.885","local_start":0,"local_end":238,"evidence_excerpt":"Haverhill High School testing calendar...so I asked the the principal and, associate principal, mister Downs and miss missus Lew to come in and just share a little bit about their thoughts behind that, the rationale for it...","reason_code":"topicintro"} - {"block_id":"transcript_1714.375","local_start":0,"local_end":184,"evidence_excerpt":"I don't see any further questions...Thank you everyone for your time and have a great evening. We appreciate it.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}