Monday, March 01, 1999
Ross going to 4-period school days
District joins three others in Butler County
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer contributor
ROSS TOWNSHIP — Ross High School will become the fourth Butler County school to adopt a block schedule when it is implemented in August.
The school board's recent approval ends a nearly three-year process spearheaded by a task force that included parents, teachers, administrators and students.
Ross will join Fairfield, Madison and Lemon-Monroe high schools, which have all implemented “four-by-four” schedules in the past three years. Lakota East and West high schools began a modified block schedule this year.
Under the system, there will be four, 90-minute periods each day instead of seven, 45-minute periods, said Ross High Principal Greg Young. Most classes will meet for one semester, instead of all year, giving students the opportunity to earn up to eight credits each year.
“We want to see an increase in the number of classes students take,” said Superintendent David McWilliams. “We'll pick up 45 minutes of contact time with students each day. Studies show contact time typically translates to increased learning.”
To make the schedule work, the school day will be lengthened 15 or 20 minutes, Mr. Young said. Two additional teachers will be hired, and more electives will be offered to students.
“We had a pretty bare-bones curriculum,” Mr. Young said. “Being able to add elective courses was a big benefit for us.”
New courses that will begin in the fall include advanced chemistry and physics, psychology, sociology, global issues, law and statistics.
Interactive video distance-learning courses — taught in another location but broadcast through satellites — will also be offered. They are Japanese, theater appreciation, media and communications, interpersonal communication, and energy and the environment.
Another change will be a push to have all students take algebra by the end of their sophomore year.
“Math is becoming increasingly important because of technology,” Mr. Young said. “We're going to match the students' ability with our math. The block schedule gives us flexibility to do that. By doing this, we're making sure every student has the opportunity to take our tech prep program or go to the vocational school their junior year.”
To accommodate the school's music program, Mr. Young said, band and chorus classes will still meet 45 minutes a day all year. Some courses that all students are required to take — such as American History — will be scheduled all year as well.
“We don't want to dump them in study halls,” Mr. McWilliams said. “Running a band program for just half a year would be detrimental. In the fall, there's marching band. In winter and spring, the concert band competitions are scheduled. Our students are usually in both.”
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