Wednesday, October 18, 2000
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Wednesday, October 18, 2000 |
| Schools
looking at scheduling issues By PAT NEWMAN
The Middle School Restructuring Commission for Fayette County Schools is tackling 13 issues impacting scheduling for both teachers and students. Stuart Bennett, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said Fayette County has utilized the middle school model (grades 6,7,8) for 11 years. The immediate and long range impact of Gov. Roy Barnes' A-Plus Education Reform Act has prompted the school system to take a look at "where our middle schools are," kind of a "health check," Bennett told the Board of Education Monday night. There will be two sets of recommendations coming out of the local subcommittees, one set for the 2001-2002 school year and another for the 2003-2004 academic year, according to Bennett. "We want to be in compliance [with A-Plus reforms]," Bennett said. Key issues to be considered by the subcommittees are as follows: 1) What will be the length of the instructional day and length of team planning time? 2) Will there be additional academic courses? 3) Is there going to be high school credit earned in middle school? 4) How much physical education and health time will be required and what to do with personnel if it is reduced? 5) How will "connections" differ from present exploratory period? 6) Which of the current exploratory courses are Quality Core Curriculum based? 7) How will teams be constructed in accordance with certification requirements? 8) How will the remedial and gifted programs be structured? 9) How will middle to high school transition be addressed? 10) What changes in the middle school grading system or eligibility requirements will be necessary to accommodate new requirements for connection classes to be counted toward promotion? 11) How will additional remedial time be added? 12) What will be the recommended number of teachers on each team at each grade level? 13) Are there specific skills beyond the Quality Core Curriculum that important academically for all students? Bennett noted that the two-part committee has discussed the first eight issues.
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