It’s no exaggeration to say that updating the master schedule at J-D Middle School has been a project in the works for years.
In 2013, middle school staff began discussing how to revamp the daily schedule for grades 5-8 to better fit the needs of today’s teachers and students. The resulting schedule that launched at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year has changed not only how much time middle school students spend in each classroom but offers new opportunities. It allows for students to receive academic support from their teachers outside of scheduled class times, social-emotional skill training and conduct authentic, project-based experiences in grades 7 and 8 during a daily, dedicated time.
With more time in each class period, teachers and students will be able to dive deeper into subject matter and foster project-based, authentic learning experiences for students. The new schedule also provides flexibility so that other courses could be added in the future if there are new required state Education Department initiatives.
The new schedule was devised after years of meetings, surveys, drafts, revisions and more revisions. Middle school leaders took into account feedback from students, parents, staff and worked with a scheduling consultant. And this wasn’t the first time school officials had tried to overhaul the schedule, but because of the complexity and many moving parts, it was never fully realized, Principal Andy Eldridge said.
“With the physical changes that are now taking place within our school thanks to the capital project voters approved in 2019, we knew the time was right to change how we structure our students’ days,” Eldridge said. “Our schedule had been the same for about 40 years, yet how our teachers educate students has changed and students’ needs have changed.”
The construction at the middle school will yield a common area within each of the school’s three wings so students and teachers can meet and collaborate on class projects or gather for extracurricular activities or extra academic support. The schedule had featured nine instructional periods with a double block of English language arts. Extra academic support only occurred outside of staff members’ contractual workday or during student lunch periods. Lunch periods were the only unstructured socialization time offered to students, and there were few student clubs due to limited busing for afterschool time.
“The schedule was not ideal for fostering student engagement,” Eldridge said. “We know that when students are engaged with their school, they have better outcomes academically and in the area of social-emotional health.”
From 2017 to 2020, middle school administration conducted a self-study based on a rubric from the New York State Education Department’s Essential Elements: Schools-to-Watch Program, which recognizes schools that demonstrate continuous improvement and excel in academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structure.
“It became clear from that work that the master schedule was preventing success in many areas and that we were on the right track in making a change,” Eldridge said.
Next, administrators met in 2021 with a scheduling consultant, and from April to September 2021, they created a new master schedule that featured 80-minute classes for each subject and core classes that rotated so there were more minutes in core classes. Multiple versions were presented to staff throughout the year, and each version changed with staff input and direction until a final master schedule that best fit the needs of school staff and students was established in March 2022.
The new schedule includes rotating A and B days. Each day includes five basic class periods and allows for a “culture of innovation.” Students will now have the opportunity to take electives, such as video production, swimming and cooking. There will be time built into the schedule for students to receive extra academic help if needed and to participate in extracurricular activities and clubs.