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Fountain Hills board approves new middle-school schedule to add instructional time in core subjects
Summary
The board approved a shift from a six-period to a five-period middle-school day intended to increase time in math, English, science and social studies, enable acceleration options and allow eighth graders to take high-school courses.
The Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board voted to approve a restructured middle-school schedule that reduces the day from six periods to five, a change administrators said is designed to provide more time for core academics and accelerate student progress in math.
Administration speaker recorded in the meeting as Dr. G described the proposal as the "big change" under consideration: "The big change here is moving from six periods to five," Dr. G said, explaining the intent is to increase instructional time in English, math, science and social studies while still providing elective opportunities, some as six-week micro-electives.
Board members asked about student attention spans during extended periods and about how advisory time would be used. One board member asked, "Are the periods an hour and 10 minutes too long? Are kids going to lose attention?" Dr. G and other administrators said the district plans brief breaks during long blocks and a mix of activities to keep instruction engaging. Administrators also said the change supports a trimester model that could allow students to complete three terms of math in a single year, enabling acceleration into higher-level courses in high school.
The board voted by voice to approve the middle-school schedule as presented. Administration said principals will finalize electives and staffing adjustments and the district will monitor and adjust the schedule if problems arise.
What happens next: principals will finalize term and elective offerings, teacher workloads will be reviewed for prep-period distribution, and the district will monitor implementation and student outcomes.
