Block scheduling to be considered to lighten load on students.
By Massiel Ladron De Guevara/Special to The Malibu
Reacting to the $13 million in cuts to school programs and staff, Malibu High School Principal Michael Matthews released a Malibu High School State of the School address late last week. The five-page report, which touches on effects budget cuts will have on Malibu High School, focuses on improving the school by closing achievement gaps.
“It is incredibly and depressingly clear that the state budget crisis is going to have a dramatic impact on MHS in the 2003-04 school year,” Matthews said in the address. “The last scenario has MHS losing up to 10 teachers, and class sizes at an average of 37, but although this budget will consume a great deal of our time and energy, our primary responsibility remains the education of students.”
The stated goal from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) this year was extraordinary success for all students in order to eliminate achievement gaps. The district asked the school to focus on reading, and has since expanded that focus to include math. Malibu High School staff and the school’s Governance Council examined SAT9, SAT, PSAT and AP test scores and data from the HiPlaces survey in order to devise a plan with specific goals about reading and closing achievement gaps.
One of the components of a reading program that was instituted at MHS this year was to target students who need reading assistance, and give it to them. The school initiated two reading classes for students who scored below the 50th percentile in reading. Creating a culture of reading in the school and the Bookshark program, which encourages teachers and students to read at least 25 books a year, were other components of the literacy program.
In an October SMMUSD Board meeting, Superintendent John Deasy announced a district goal of having every eighth-grade student complete Algebra 1.
“Currently, about 40 percent of MHS eighth-graders complete Algebra one,” Matthews reports. “Beginning in the 2004-05 school year, approximately 80 percent of our eighth-grade students will complete Algebra 1.”
“This will happen by having most of our seventh-grade students take Algebra A the first semester of Algebra 1 instead of our traditional Math 7, then follow that up with Algebra B in their eighth-grade year.”
Block scheduling at Malibu High School is also being discussed as a part of improving education. The basic structure of the scheduling is three classes per day, with the exception of Mondays, where all six classes would meet. Classes would be 1 hour and 45 minutes, Monday through Thursday, and 1 hour and 20 minutes on Fridays. Middle school classes would be one hour and 40 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes on Fridays).
High schools would have a study hall at the end of the day, and middle schools would have it in the middle of the day. Seniors would be exempt from study hall, sports teams would be allowed to practice during that time and clubs would also be given the option to meet.
The proposed changes are in response to letters by many parents who wrote that there was too much homework.
Voting on the changes, which requires at least 70 percent approval by teachers, will be at the end of February.
“I still am a big proponent of this change,” Matthews said. “I believe it will make a calmer day for everybody.”
The final measure for improvement presented by Matthews in the address was expanding classes, under the AVID (advancement via individual determination) program, offered to seventh-grade students to eighth-graders, which focus on study skills, motivation and problem solving. The classes give students the opportunity to hear from speakers weekly, take field trips, learn about note taking, reading and organizational skills.
“We are not only committed to continuing the good work we are doing, but are still seeking to improve our school.” Matthews said. “In the face of this budget crisis, we are continuing in our efforts to make the best possible school for the children of Malibu.”
The complete MHS State of the School address and other information concerning budget cuts and proposed programs can be viewed at http://malibuhigh.smmusd.org.