Sedalia School District 200 board approves class schedule switch, amends make-up days

The Sedalia School District 200 Board of Education approved new class and bell schedules for ninth through 12th graders for the 2010-11 school year and amended make-up days at its work session Monday night at Whittier High School.

Smith-Cotton High School Principal Martin White and Assistant Principal Kristee Lorenz submitted the proposal to board members to switch from the current block schedule to a traditional class schedule for the 2010-11 school year. The new schedule will include seven 50-minute instructional periods and one seminar, or homeroom period.

School administrators said the traditional class schedule would give students the opportunity to see their instructors daily, increase instructional time and increase student learning retention.

“Our teachers want to see their students,” White said.

The block schedule has been in place at Smith-Cotton since 1996.

Under the new schedule, students will increase the amount of time in the classroom by 50 minutes per week.

Students also will get daily reinforcement of skills.

Under the block schedule, student and teacher absenteeism resulted in missing an extended period of instruction, Lorenz said.

With the implementation of the new schedule, students graduating in 2011, 2012 and 2013 will need a total of 26 credits to graduate, which includes nine elective credits. Students graduating in 2014 will only need seven elective credits and a total of 24 credits to graduate.

“Elective programs will be hit the hardest,” Lorenz said. “Students will have to make some tough choices.”

The Missouri State Department College Prep Certificate requirements will remain the same.

Board members also approved a new bell schedule for Smith-Cotton Junior High School to reflect the traditional schedule that ninth graders will be following during the 2010-11 school year. Principal Steve Triplett said the new bell schedule will cause fewer interruptions during the day and will accommodate the five lunch periods needed for the seventh through ninth graders housed at the building.

Board members also discussed the 2009-10 school calendar regarding make-up days. The district has closed school three days due to inclement weather. The scheduled make-up days were March 26 and June 1. The board amended the school calendar and changed the make-up days to March 26 and June 2. Any other needed make-up days would be scheduled consecutively.