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Wachusett adjusts high-school schedule after DESE request on time-on-learning
Summary
The district reported DESE asked for a time-on-learning review at the high school; administrators converted half-day exam schedules to full days, reduced passing time and altered calendar days to recapture instructional minutes while awaiting DESE's determination.
Superintendent Jim Riley told the committee that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education asked the district to provide an analysis of high-school instructional minutes. The district found reduced instructional time resulted from half-day exam schedules, added half days for conferences and several weather-related lost days.
Riley said the high school made immediate changes to recapture minutes: previously scheduled half days (exam days and end-of-week half days) were converted into full student days and passing time was reduced from five to four minutes to regain instructional time. "They removed any remaining student half days," Riley said, and the principal communicated a revised exam schedule to families.
The superintendent said the district has submitted data to DESE and will await the department's response to determine if further action is required this school year or in future scheduling. He called the situation "an opportunity for us to look and consider why we do things" and said a long-term review of high-school scheduling practices is warranted if changes are needed to ensure time-on-learning standards are met.
Committee members asked for details about how exams and classes will be handled on the revised days; administrators said students will still take exams but will attend scheduled classes and exams will be sequenced across periods so instructional time is preserved.
