Lockport Township High School will transition to an eight-period schedule at the start of the school year in August, increasing the number of classes each student can take.
Lockport Township High School District 205 Superintendent Robert McBride said the change would open up more choices and opportunities for students.
“One, more opportunity for students. Two, more academic rigor,” McBride said. “It’s more of an opportunity for our teachers to be with our students. And then the third thing is to be able to address new state requirements while still leaving students the opportunity to take the courses they would like.”
McBride said the decision was prompted by a change in standards for what classes students are required to take, including increased science and world language.
“The majority of our students, sophomores, juniors and seniors, would have a constraint,” McBride said. “With only six available periods to take courses, they have to have a lunch, that’s the seventh period, with new requirements, they would not be able to take the diversity of courses they previously took.”
The school’s Central Campus, where its freshmen take classes, has operated on an eight-period schedule since it opened in 1997, Central Campus Principal Kerri Green said.
“It’s about the kids, and it’s about the opportunities that the kids are able to receive,” Green said. “By having eight periods, they are able to have an additional class, and additional coursework that they’re exposed to.”
Having eight periods increases flexibility, Green said.
“A lot of times we hear the kids say, ‘Well, I can’t fit it in my schedule,’ and now they’ll have the opportunity to take that course that they really wanted to take,” Green said.
The change will expand that schedule to also apply to sophomores, juniors and seniors at the school’s East Campus. The additional period will mean classes will go from 50 minutes to 45 minutes, McBride said.
“It’ll be different for students and it’ll be different for teachers,” he said. “Five minutes might not sound like an ocean of time. It’s enough that teachers are going to really have to think about their classroom routine, the length of their lessons, how much content they cover.”
Conversely, McBride said, teachers will also get a second planning and preparation period during each school day, as opposed to one.
“At the freshmen center, the teachers have two opportunities to meet,” Green said. “Ultimately it’s been a great opportunity for collaboration, for, also, professional development.”
Meanwhile, students will have to be thoughtful about the demands of taking an additional class, McBride said.
“They’ll have to do more time management. They’ll have to be ready for the demand of seven academic classes instead of six,” McBride said. “It can be an impact that we’re all going to have to really think about. We’re really trying to prepare everyone for it.”
McBride said the district has prepared for the changeover for 2 1/2 years, hiring 19 new staff members to meet the increased demands of a more intensive schedule.
“We did extensive research throughout the Chicagoland area,” McBride said. “We hope 2 1/2 years of preparation will minimize some of the potential bumps and challenges.”
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McBride said other schools around the region are also re-imagining their daily school schedules for a variety of reasons.
“Some are looking very strongly at the specific time that school starts for teenagers, and the research behind teenagers needing more sleep,” McBride said. “Other schools are looking at forms of block scheduling, so that classes have, at some times, classes are as long as 90 minutes.”
Lockport Township High School chose to prioritize increasing student opportunity, he said.
“Our board has really seen time as a variable that can increase opportunity, and they’ve been willing to make the monetary investment into that,” McBride said. “What that translates into is a much bigger staff, 19 additional brand-new staff members.”
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 is also changing to an eight-period day this fall across its four high schools, according to a news release.
“Our teachers are dedicated to the success of each student, and this new schedule allows us to expand opportunities to support their growth towards college and career readiness,” Steven Jepsen, president of the Association of Plainfield Teachers, said in the news release.