ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602190013
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
If you're a Shawsville or Christiansburg High School student, or a parent of one, now is your chance to speak out about block scheduling.
The PTAs at both schools are sending questionnaires to the more than 1,000 parents with children at the schools, asking their opinions of the new schedule.
Monday, students will be surveyed on what they like - and dislike - about plan, which limits students to four classes per semester.
PTA members will read all the comments and report the findings to the Montgomery County School Board at its March 19 meeting.
"I've had people corner me left and right to ask me about it," said Christiansburg High PTA President Connie Lowe. "It'd be great for them to voice their concerns, good or bad."
Last spring, the board agreed to change the seven-period, 45-minute classes that last all year to four-period, 90-minute classes that last one semester.
Parents worried that with longer classes, teachers would have a difficult time making the subject matter interesting. Students wondered how they would keep up with classes like chorus or band if they couldn't take them both semesters.
Lowe said those and other concerns haven't been answered, even after a semester using block - or four-by-four - scheduling.
Originally, the administration was planning to simply present data on the success of block at the March 19 meeting.
Lowe encouraged including a survey of parents and students, as well as a discussion between board members, Lowe and Shawsville PTA president Melinda Smith during the meeting.
Superintendent Herman Bartlett said all the information will be used to decide whether to switch the other two high schools - Blacksburg and Auburn - to block scheduling. Though he's not required to, Bartlett said he will take that decision to the School Board.
But that decision won't be made for at least another year, he said, because there isn't enough time to prepare teachers for the switch.
"The bottom line on the pilot test at Shawsville and Christiansburg is that it allows you to work out the kinks," he said. "Even if we had enough information from them, it's not enough time to implement it."
LENGTH: Short : 47 linesby CNB