#NAFNext2014

Taming the Master Schedule: Scheduling Academies, Pathways, & other small learning communities

Patricia Clark College & Career Academy Support Network (CCASN)/UCBerkeley

patricia510@gmail.com 510.504.3826 #NAFNext2014

Why a session on master scheduling?

Who are you?* Name, Title, Context (Location, Bell

Schedule), Experience with Building Master Schedules OR Amount of Torn hair? Level of blood pressure? Drinking problems? OR Scheduling Bliss

Your facilitator

Welcome!

* To increase our own expertise, efficiency, and effectiveness in building a successful Master Schedule

* To acquire valuable master schedule tools, strategies and resources

* To build and contribute to a community of practice around effective master scheduling

Session Objectives

#NAFNext2014

Not really this Complicated……

But just as Detailed

The Master Schedule Cycle

A schedule in which ALL students and teachers are successfully cohorted in their respective academies, where each academy team (or grade level academy team or upper/lower division academy team) of teachers shares common planning time; and where every student is supported to successfully complete a challenging, interdisciplinary program of study that results in her/him graduating college-and-career-ready.

The Perfect Master Schedule

So… If you are the person/s or team who has ultimate responsibility for the master schedule, what is one indicator

that you have done a good job?

So… If

10 minutes afterthe beginning of 1st Period on the 1st

day of school.

The Counselors’ Hall….

* Fundamental need of Academy/ System of Academies and the school as a whole

* Master Schedule issues are the most frequent complaint of struggling academies

* If the Master Schedule is done well, it supports the vision for learning and teaching in the school and academy.

* If the Master Schedule is poorly done, the result is frustration for students, for teachers, and for parents.

Why is the Master Schedule So Important?

* Scheduling is an inherently complex process* Many factors to incorporate* Constraints and Opportunities

* Academies/Pathways add new complexities * Student “cohort” scheduling* Teacher common planning (support for

academy communities of practice)

* (If possible) Coordination time for Academy leads

* Partnerships, Work-based Learning, & dual enrollment opportunities

Why is the Master Schedule So Challenging?

* The Master Schedule is complicated; however….

Bottom Line: As you build the scheduling expertise of your master schedule team, implement a thoughtful and inclusive process, and utilize best practices, it is very possible to do master scheduling well.

The Bottom Line

Scheduling with an Academy Lens • Student recruitment/selection involves high

expectations for all; heterogeneous grouping with each academy reflecting the diversity of school/district

* SLCs: interdisciplinary Academy Programs of Study

• Cohort Scheduling• Common planning time/community of practice• Academy Lead’s Coordination Time • Partnerships with Business, Postsecondary,

Government, and Community

Scheduling with an Academy Lens

• College and Career Readiness (including, all students have access to advanced courses, access to CTE)

• Work-based Learning (internships, practica)

• Personalized Student Support (Adult advocacy, tutoring, etc.)

Program of Study: College preparatory curriculum organized around a career theme; 3-4 years

• Core academic classes• A sequence of career technical courses • Interdisciplinary teaching and learning• Project-based, inquiry approach to learning;

deeper learning

College & Career Academies/Pathways

• Stage 1 – Planning, Design, Preliminary Tasks • Stage 2 – Student Academy/Program of Study

Selection; Elective Course Selection; Tallies• Stage 3 – Building the Master Schedule• Stage 4 – Analysis, Adjustment, Distribution of

Student and Teacher Schedules• Stage 5 – Fine-Tuning, Readjustment &

Assessment (…..begin the cycle anew)

Stages of the Master Schedule Process

The Role of the District in Supporting Effective Scheduling

Stage 1: Planning

• Assemble Master Schedule Team• Establish set of Guiding Principles• Identify and address any scheduling

opportunities, needs, or constraints• Dialogue/Communicate w. all Stakeholders• Develop/Disseminate Master Schedule Plan,

Process, and Timeline• Review/Update Curriculum & Courses• Develop Pathway & Course selection process

and materials – Tips: Involve stakeholders early; Use visual

representations

•Will ALL students be in Academies?•To what extent will each Academy have a distinct program of study (its own curriculum)?

SIZE MATTERS – - Optimum Size of an Academy - Optimum # of Academies per School

* Will Academies include grades 9-12? 10-12? Other parameters? (importance of establishing course numbers and tags unique to each Academy)

Sidebar: Some Academy Planning Considerations

• Will some classes (or course sections) be “global” – open to students from all Academies?

• Will certain courses be offered in multiple Academies OR in all Academies? (Example: If World Cultures is offered in all Academies, there will likely be a need to establish a different course number, tag, or subscript for each Academy-specific World Culture section/s)

• Will some Academy courses be open to students from other Academeis? (Example, AP Biology in a Health Academy, AP Physics in an Engineering Academy, etc.)

Sidebar: Some Academy Planning Considerations

• How will each Academy Teacher Team share a common planning period that enables the team to function as a community of practice? (entire team, lower/upper division team, grade-level team, etc.)

• Will there be a release period/coordination period for the Academy lead teacher?

Academy Considerations

• Prepare students & their families to make informed Academy & Course Choices; Support students throughout the selection/registration process. (adult advocacy)

• Distribute Academy Program of Study AND Course Selection/Registration Packet/s

• Make presentations to students/parents• Complete Academy recruitment & selection

process• Complete course registration process• Check & verify everything. Accuracy is critical.

Stage 2: Academy/Program of Study & Course Selection

• Finalize student academy/course tallies and lists • Equity considerations (Assure that each Academy

reflects diversity of the school as a whole (use of data/policies)

• District “rollover” considerations • Determine final course offerings and the actual

number of course sections to be offered (for each course, each department, each Academy)

• Print final course tallies and conflict matrix

Stage 2 – Academy/course selection & Tallies

Determine• The courses that will be Academy-specific at each

grade level (as appropriate)• The percentage of the student day that will be

spent in academy specific courses• The number of teachers needed on each academy

team to support academy student enrollment

Tag/Flag/Indicate – Tag Academy students; Tag Academy courses; Tag other site specific SLCs/ programs (scheduling, data gathering, analysis)

An Academy Sidebar

Stage 3: Building the Master Schedule

Building the Master Schedule

• The extent and quality of prior planning and the accuracy of student information has much to do with the success of construction.

• Important Principles for Construction:• Equal access to challenging curriculum for ALL

students• Heterogeneous Academies – NOT separate

honors, separate special education, separate ELL sections, etc.

• Cohort scheduling of “pure” communities of students with teams of teachers.

Building the Master Schedu;e

• Common Planning Time – the “Linchpin” – (interdisciplinary curriculum development, student support, Academy management, etc.)

• Academy enrollment is guiding force for Academy teacher selection and assignment.

• Academy cohorts MUST be scheduled early (or in conjunction with singletons) and their cohort integrity maintained throughout the process.

Master Schedule Construction (continued)

Common Planning Time Limit CalculationExample:

Total number of students – 1500Total number of teachers – 56Number of periods an individual teacher is assigned – 5Maximum student case load for a teacher – 165Maximum class size – 32

Limiting divisor – case load or maximum class size?165 / 5 = 33 -vs- Maximum class size of 321500 / 32 = 47 (rounded up)56 – 47 = 9 – Total number of preps per period

Tool: Common Planning Time Estimator – Excel Spreadsheet

Possible Exceptions: Multiple Lunch PeriodsStacking of larger class size classes (Physical EducationPeriods designed for fewer students – optional periods

Creating a conflict matrix helps you see if there are conflicts for students – based on student course requests -- if certain courses are placed in the same period.

Conflict Matrix

Advanced Band 3Art Design 2Biology 22Chemistry 2English 32Filipino 3French 7Government/Econ 32Journalism 2Leadership 2Marching Band 10Physics 13Spanish 12Studio Art 1

Course Title Number of RequestsCalculus – 32 Requests

Sample Conflict Matrix

Conflict Matrix Considerations

• Mandatory Placements• Pathway Courses• Special Education• English Language Learners• Singletons• Doubletons• Tripletons• Conflict Totals Per Period• Hyperdispersion

Placement Order

Spanish 4 2 SectionsSpanish 5 1 SectionFrench4 /French 5 1 SectionEnglish 12 2 SectionsPhysics 2 SectionsGovernment/Econ 2 SectionsTeacher Cadet 1 Section Calculus 1 SectionIntegrated Math III 2 SectionsIntegrated Math IV 2 SectionsStatistics 2 SectionsBiology 1 SectionChemistry 1 SectionStudio Art 1 Section

21 Total Sections

Conflict Matrix Practice - 21 Sections in the Master Schedule

Student 1CalculusBiologyGovernment/EconomicsEnglish 12PhysicsSpanish 4

Student 2Integrated Math IV ChemistryTeacher CadetFrench 5Government/EconomicsEnglish 12

Student 3Studio ArtSpanish 5StatisticsEnglish 12Government/EconomicsBiology

Student 4Integrated Math III English 12PhysicsSpanish 4Government/EconomicsChemistry

Student 5Spanish 5Teacher CadetIntegrated Math IVStudio ArtEnglish 12Government/Economics

5 Students to Schedule

The Task – Using a 6-period student day and the 21 sections provided, develop a master schedule the will accommodate all 5 students.

1 2 3 4 5 6 Teacher

Cadet

Studio Art

Spanish 4

Spanish 4

Physics Biology Physics

Spanish 5

Chemistry

Calculus French 4French 5

English 12 English 12

IntegratedMath III

Integrated Math III

Statistics IntegratedMath IV

Statistics

IntegratedMath IV

GovEcon

GovEcon

One of Many Solutions

Steps for Successful Construction

• Always refer back to priorities set forth by the school & the scheduling team.

• Following the PDSA cycle- Plan, Do, Study, Act. (Maintain scheduling history/ scheduling data over time.)

• Step 1- Have a large visual of the schedule available to all key stakeholders. (Magnetic OR foam boards work well)

Steps for Successful Construction

• Step 2- Analyze building and plan for close proximity of Pathway classes.

• Step 3- Lay out Pathway blocks, according to course tallies, at first without teacher names. Include common planning time for each Pathway teacher team.

Steps for Successful Construction

• Step 4- Place singleton courses and identify conflicts and other constraints (see “Dirty Dozen”)

that could potentially break down Pathway “purity” for teachers and students. (doubletons,

triple-tons)

• Step 5- Make adjustments to Pathway schedules and balance courses. (Conflict matrix is very helpful)

Steps in Successful Construction

• Step 6 - Follow process to gain teacher input on Pathway (and Department) course assignment prior to placing teachers.

• Other considerations include: Parallel classes to facilitate movement

• Checks: student schedules, total sections per period; room usage- needs (computers, arts, etc.), teacher conflicts (# of preps, classes); other

Do We Have Enough Seats?

Common Planning TimeThe Linchpin of Linked Learning

• Professional Development• Integrated, Thematic Curriculum Development• Course Development• Collaborative Work on Pedagogy• Meetings with Business Partners• Personalized Supports for

Students/Counseling/College & Career Planning

Some answers during construction-Removing the Roadblocks for electives

• Creation of “Elective Lane”- Choosing to place all possible high enrollment elective courses into the exact same class period, while not having any core Pathway classes scheduled during that time slot.

• Considerations of number of courses/teachers on each grade level Pathway team

Removing Roadblocks related to Honors/ AP/Dual Enrollment

– Removing the differentiation in courses between honors and regular and contracting for honors grades within one course. (embedded honors, honors by

exhibition, etc.)

– Increasing Pathway student access to AP and/or

dual enrollment; Increasing expectations that more

Pathway students take rigorous course/s;

embedding pre-AP curriculum; adding AP

seminars/support classes.

1 Pathway Core Pathway Core

2 Pathway Core Pathway Core

3 Non Pathway core course

Non Pathway core course

4Math Lab/Elect. PE/elective

Reading Lab/ Elective

Seminar/ Practicum

Sample Pathway Schedule4 x 4

Successful Construction4x4 VPA Pathway Schedule

1 VPA Art VPA Media

2 VPA Math VPA Social Science

3 AP course Science

4Government Internship/ Senior

Practicum/Dual Enrollment Economics t

Cohort Scheduling A-B Rotating Block

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Collaboration Time

Period 1 Period 2 Period 1 Period 2

Period 3 Period 4 Period 3 Period 4

Period 5 Period 6 Period 5 Period 6

Period 7 Period 8 Period 7 Period 8

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Additional guiding principle to construction- Using Flexible Time

• The schedule provides access to improved instruction. The addition of the Flexible Block.

• An uninterrupted period in which a team of teachers instruct a “pure,” common set of pathway students.

• Power is in teacher autonomy and access to alternate student groupings.

• Always think: innovation for time with students

Flexible Block Grouping *Project/Skill/Strategy Grouping

Team A

40 min. Social Studies

180 minutes

40 min.Science

40 min.English

60 min. *Project/Skill/Strategy Groups

Now you are ready to enter the master schedule into your student information system.

• Remember the Tags• Do a Simulation (Sim) Run• Analyze Results• Make Adjustments• Finalize the Master Schedule

Stage 4:Analysis, Adjustment, Distribution

Run Scheduler- identify percentage of successComplete a Careful AnalysisMake further adjustments as needed Distribute student/teacher schedules

Tip: Year to year tracking of scheduling conflicts, challenges, and solutions is important

Stage 5: Fine-tuning, Readjustments & Assessment

• Adjustments for new/transfer students• Adjustments for students who withdraw/ transfer• Adjustments for student credits earned over the

summer/grade changes, etc. • Adjustments in teaching personnel• Adjustments for changes in FTE• Coordination/support new and returning student

induction• Distribution (redistribution) of schedules

Assessment

• Looking at results• Internal Assessment – Learning from those

involved in the process• External Assessment – Learning from those

effected by the results • A cycle of improvement

A cycle of improvement

• “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” - George Santayana– What principles and priorities were met?– What principles and priorities were not well

addressed?– How can you improve the process?

• Keep your eye on the goal, and celebrate progress

Introduction to the CCASN

Master Schedule Guide

http://casn.berkeley.edu/To begin, log on to the CCASN Web Site at:

Click on the Master Schedule Guide tab

The Introduction Page

The 8 Main Tabs

* Introduction* Stage 1- Planning* Stage 2- Selection & Tallies* Stage 3- Building the Schedule* Stage 4- Analysis* Stage 5- Assessment* District System of Support* All Resources

Page Organization• Overview• Overview PowerPoint• Tasks & Timelines

(Acknowledgements and Appreciations)

• Tools & Strategies (Who We Are)

• Master Schedule Notebook

• Resources for This Stage• Other Resources

Click the + to Expand Bell Schedules

Bell SchedulesThis slide is showing 6 of 19 resources currently available – more coming…

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Inviting your Brilliance and Wisdom

Next Steps – Planning for Action

Staying Connected

• Patricia Clark patricia510@gmail.com 510.504.3826

• College and Career Academy Support Network (CCASN) - University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Education http://casn.berkeley.edu

• CCASN Master Schedule Guide: http://casn.berkeley.edu/master_schedule_guide.php?r=412&c=28