Академический Документы
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Katie Wissman
Longwood University
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Two lunch blocks- 6th grade and half of 7th, then 8th grade and the other half of 7th
Science and Social Studies are semester classes
4 electives, 40 minutes
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Two lunch blocks- 6th grade and half of 7th, then 8th grade and the other half of 7th
Science and Social Studies are semester classes
4 electives, 40 minutes each
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Two lunch blocks- 6th grade and half of 7th, then 8th grade and the other half of 7th
Science and Social Studies are semester classes
4 electives, 40 minutes
5
Flex/ Lunch
Students return to homeroom
All Reading, All Science Lunch: 11:16- 11:42
All Math, All History Lunch: 11:58- 12:24
Block 3 Reading Reading Reading 7 Advanced Math Science History Math 8
Inclusion Math
+Aid
Block 4 Reading Reading Reading 8 Math Math Science History Math 8
Inclusion Inclusion
+Aid +Aid
Reading 7: 22:1
Math 7: 25:1
Science: 29:1
History: 29:1
Aides Schedule
Reading: 23:1
Math: 20:1
History: 27:1
Science: 27:1
8th Grade: 27:1 (Class sizes during adaptive classes will vary)
PE
Band
Symphony
Semester Classes:
Art
Music
STEM
Spanish
**Note: The “Symphony” teacher is the band teacher shared with the high school. **
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Reflection
When creating the master schedule, several factors had to be taken into consideration. I had several goals I
wanted to accomplish with this schedule, including: reasonable class sizes, common planning for grade levels, block
scheduling, advanced and inclusion classes, and intervention time. To create this schedule, I considered several different
schedules I had encountered, as well as consulted my principal and the master schedule for my building. The first part I
worked on was the block scheduling. Block scheduling allows for large amounts of instructional time spent in core
content areas, specifically Math and Language Arts. Furthermore, block scheduling allowed for the sharing of the band
(symphony) and Spanish teachers with the high school, as they were only available for one block.
In regard to class sizes, I consulted both the Virginia Department of Education regulations and those for my
school district, which happened to be the same. According to the VDOE, the only class size regulations for grades 6-12
are for English classes with a ratio of 24:1, students to teachers. This was kept in mind when scheduling reading classes
and I was able to keep all Reading classes at a ratio of 24:1 or less. Math classes were also able to be kept at a
reasonable ratio of 25:1. History and Science classes were a bit more difficult in that less classes were able to be devoted
to these subjects, making the ratios higher. As the 8th grade class was smaller, two teachers were able to be reallocated
to electives. Having some teachers teach multiple subjects or grade levels also helped free those two teachers for
electives. The decision to use the Special Education Inclusion teachers for Reading and Math classes was strategic in
that I was able to create more sections of the subject and provide more appropriate education for core subject areas.
These classes have SOL tests every year as opposed to History and Science, which only have SOL tests during 8th grade. I
decided it would be best to focus more teachers on Math and Language Arts to provide the best opportunity for the
most students to pass the SOL’s. I also tried to take the teacher’s request to keep class sizes small into consideration as
well and was successful in all classes except the History and Science classes for 7th and 8th grade, which are at 29:1 and
27:1 respectfully.
Teacher certifications also had to be considered. 6th grade certified teachers can hold an elementary degree
which allows them to teach multiple subjects, but no class above the 6th grade level. 7th and 8th grade teachers can
typically only teach one subject but multiple grade levels. Both considerations were used in the creation of this schedule.
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Furthermore, I decided to use the Special Education Inclusion teacher in a way that assumes these teachers are dually
certified in general and special education, allowing them to teach inclusion as the SPED teacher with an aid. This allows
for the accommodation of the SPED students in each grade level in an inclusion setting.
A major goal when creating the schedule was to create a time for intervention. In previous years, my school did
not have an intervention block and students struggled to complete work on time and there was no time for teachers to
meet with students in need. The creation of an intervention block provides students this “free” time to work, read, or
study. It also allows teachers, especially special education teachers, to provide support to struggling students, as well as
enrichment opportunities to challenge students (Benner & Partelow, 2017). It is not a time for new instruction. I chose
to make the intervention block coincide with the lunch block for two reasons. First, it provides students with a break in
the middle of the day to recharge and give their brains a break from instruction. This strategy is often used in
elementary schools with recess, and while recess is not necessary in middle school in the traditional terms, we must
remember students this age are exceptionally busy and will still benefit from down time from instruction. Even we as
teachers value our planning block insomuch that it gives us a break from teaching. The second reason I wanted it to align
with lunch is so that instructional time would not be broken up by lunch. In my current daily schedule as a teacher, my
third block class is interrupted by lunch and it is difficult to begin teaching, go to lunch, bring students back, and refocus
them enough to teach again. This results in, on average, about 10 minutes of instruction lost. Making intervention block
coincide with lunch, transition time and instructional disruptions are minimized. Furthermore, with each grade level
having a common intervention time, at least to some extent, students are able to move between teachers to get help in
other content areas if needed. This is also why I decided to call the time “Flex” block, as it is flexible to allow students to
When scheduling the electives, I tried to consider the age of the students in each grade level and what times
would benefit their needs the most. From my experience, the younger, 6th grade students focus best in the morning and
have lost focus by the afternoon, thus making 4th block electives the best choice for them. 7th and 8th graders are more
able to refocus during the day and return to instruction. I made 8th grade electives during third block to allow for
adaptive classes. The aides were only available during 1st and 2nd block to help with instruction in the self-contained
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classroom, making third block the best option for electives for them. I also took into consideration the idea that 8th
grade students may be more accepting and helpful with adaptive students.
In creating this schedule, I faced several difficulties, some I was unable to overcome. Liberties had to be taken in
regard to teacher certifications. If dually certified teachers, or 6th grade teachers that are not elementary certified are
not available, scheduling would be more challenging. It would also be beneficial to have an extra Science and History
teacher at the 7th and 8th grade levels to reduce class sizes. More aids would be helpful for the adaptive elective classes,
the self-contained class, and the classes with higher numbers. Last, ideally 3 lunch blocks would be able to be created to
allow for the most beneficial Flex time for 7th grade. However, for this to be possible, and when accounting for transition
times, lunch blocks would need to be shorter, not allowing for a sufficient amount of time to eat. I considered having all
but two classes of 7th and 8th graders to eat at one time, however this would put the cafeteria at maximum capacity and
risk running into supervision and discipline issues. Therefore, I determined it would be best to split the 7th grade. Overall,
all other needs, including the teachers’ requests for reasonable class sizes and common planning time, were met.
I have neither given nor received help on this work, nor am I aware of any infraction of the Honor Code.
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References:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/quality/soq_max_class_size.pdf
https://manassaspark.finalsite.com/uploaded/SchoolBoardPolicies/I-Instruction/IHB_9.2016.pdf
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-k-12/reports/2017/02/23/426723/reimagining-the-school-day/
Consultations with Principal and Assistant Principal and access to our building’s master schedule