At the Dec. 4 Catasauqua Area School District Board of Education meeting, Catasauqua High School Principal Adam Schnug discussed changes that are being made to the high school curriculum and scheduling for the 2019-20 school year.

He mentioned they noticed a lot of noninstructional time being wasted, and there were several elective classes the students had no interest in taking. Schnug reported there was approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes on average each day in noninstructional time, such as study halls. He also reported many students had trouble scheduling all the classes they wanted to take due to several being held at the same time and forcing a choice.

In an effort to maximize the school day and to help the students get the most out of their education, the administration decided to make some changes. In addition to many meetings with faculty, staff and district administration, Schnug met with students to receive their input and to help keep the student body informed. Schnug emphasized they are still planning these changes and are working on identifying potential problems.

One of the biggest changes would be the switch to block scheduling and limiting the students to four classes per semester. With two semesters in a year, students would be taking eight classes a year. The 80-minute blocks would not change the start or end time of the school day.

There would be no more study halls, but a Rough Rider period would break up the middle of the day. The Rough Rider period would serve as advisory or remediation time or for student organization meetings.

This would allow the students more time to focus on those four classes and would result in less homework time. It creates more room in the schedule for students to retake a course if necessary. Class feedback and grades would also be returned faster. It will allow for greater involvement in student organizations, more access for advanced placement courses and more opportunities for remediation if needed.

Schnug reported the high school has fewer teachers than in the past, so this system will help teachers as well. It will allow them more planning time for collaboration and more opportunity to create connections and relationships with students. There may be larger class sizes, but there will be fewer total classes for teachers. This will give teachers the opportunity to create fresh lessons to fit new teaching practices necessary for the new system.

Each teacher will also have the opportunity to build an elective he or she wishes to offer in his or her content area.

Schnug is hoping this new scheduling will help with some attendance problems and will allow the students who take classes at Lehigh Carbon Technical Institute more flexibility in their courses.

He mentioned high school administrators are still working through some concerns and problems, such as larger classes, the need to change graduation requirements and the need to identify essential course curriculum. According to Schnug, they have identified a list of concerns and problems and are creating solutions to each of them. It is an ongoing process, but he said they have made substantial progress.

Moving forward, Schnug identified a rough guideline of what is to come. They will continue working on the course catalog for students through December. He wants to have information nights at the school for parents and students starting January 2019. He is expecting to have the schedule and courses prepared for board approval in February 2019. Throughout March 2019, they will create videos and other promotional materials to explain changes to parents and students, as well as meeting with the different grade levels to help ensure clarity and understanding. The new student handbook with the updated information will be ready in August 2019.

“It seems like a very thorough process,” said Carol Cunningham, school board president.

Superintendent Robert Spengler commended Schnug and his team for all of their effort.

According to Schnug, they will continue to analyze the system and make necessary changes each year. They are going to learn over time and adjust as needed to maximize students’ time and energy. He wants to practice the block scheduling for a few days in March 2019 to help acclimate the students and teachers to the change.

He reported they will use the new Pennsylvania Future Ready Index to help track the progress and to make sure the changes are having the desired effect.

The index helps track certain aspects of education and moves away from using standardized tests as the measure of success. The new index measures schools in three categories: academic performance, student progress and the readiness of graduating students to succeed at college or a career.

Using the tools set in this index, Schnug and his team will track any changes since the implementation of the new schedule to check its effectiveness.

“The challenge is the change,” said Donald Panto, board treasurer. “Different, in this case, is good. It makes us progressive.”

Board member Lauren Cieslak, a teacher in the Pleasant Valley School District, said, “Any chance you get to increase instructional time is beneficial. It allows students to grow leaps and bounds.”