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Random Lake board hears plan to shift high school to seven-class semester with regular 'drop' days
Summary
District staff proposed a new bell schedule that would run seven classes per semester with one or two classes dropped each day so each course meets four days weekly; the plan aims to boost instructional continuity, add teacher collaboration time, and preserve targeted support periods. The board will pilot the change for three years and monitor outcomes.
District staff presented a proposed bell schedule intended to increase instructional continuity and create daily planning time for teachers.
Susan (staff lead) and members of the building leadership team outlined a plan in which students take seven semester classes and the schedule rotates so one or two courses are dropped each day (for example: on Monday period seven is dropped; on other days different periods are omitted). Under the proposal each class would meet four days a week and receive about 4,320 instructional minutes per semester, which presenters said compares favorably to current block/skinny configurations.
The presenters said the change would also split targeted support (AR) time with lunch to allow smaller groups for remediation, create daily prep/PLC time for teachers, and build in regular "ramway" periods to address school culture and social-emotional learning. They described staff and student input gathered by the BLT and recommended a three-year pilot so the district can gather objective measures: course pass rates, D/F counts, assessment results, missing-assignment rates and behavioral referrals.
Board members pressed on details: how dual-enrollment and AP courses would fit the rotation; which credits would be adjusted if required credit totals change (staff said state-required English and math would not be reduced and electives would be the area of adjustment); how dropped days and holiday weeks would be balanced across semesters; and whether staff voting produced a clear consensus (presenters reported broad input and a staff vote that supported the chosen option). Presenters said dual-enrollment classes would be scheduled into open blocks and that balance across semesters would be built into the calendar so no course is consistently shorted.
The board discussed implementation: staff committed to tracking the stated performance metrics and returning to the board after one year for an update. No final vote on schedule adoption occurred; presenters asked the board to review more details over the summer before action.
