MONROE - Leaders of the Monroe School District made their case for a change to teacher inservice time to about two dozen parents who turned out Tuesday evening to a listening session at the high school.
The proposal to release schoolchildren one hour early one day per week for staff inservice goes before the school board Feb. 11. If approved, it would replace this fall the current schedule of periodic all-day inservices.
The proposed change is part of a plan to prepare the district to meet more rigorous state standards to be introduced in the 2014-2015 school year.
Joe Monroe, director of pupil services, said not even half of students are at the proficiency level of the new standards, which are up to one to two grade levels above the current standards.
"We had a target and we were hitting it pretty well. Now they've moved the target on us," he said.
"Skills we used to teach third graders we now teach first or second graders," Monroe School District Superintendent Cory Hirsbrunner said.
The hourlong weekly meetings will help teachers identify and collaborate on goals throughout the year, according to Hirsbrunner and Monroe. They cited the Annenberg Institute for School Reform that "research has consistently demonstrated that collaboration between teachers can be a powerful tool."
The challenge of meeting the new standards is an ever-developing process, and coming together a couple of times a year to take care of "a lump of tasks" isn't effective, Monroe said.
The proposal is to let out school, including early childhood and 4K programs, one hour early every Monday or Wednesday. The amount of time staff devote to planning would increase annually from 40 to 57.75 hours.
"What we're talking about is a redistribution of time," Monroe said. "The plan actually increases instructional minutes for students," shaving total hours spent out of school from 35 to 33.
The primary focus of the staff inservice hours would be to align curriculum and instruction with the new standards, with teachers working in smaller groups. All second-grade teachers or all math teachers might meet together, for example.
Currently only a small percentage of teachers is working on the new curriculum, Monroe said. "This proposal would ensure that all teachers could participate in the process on a consistent basis."
The district is working with the city's Parks and Recreation Department, the YMCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and other organizations to find activities to keep children occupied during the early-release hour.
In a staff survey, Monroe reported that 67.4 percent favor the plan, 27.7 percent are neutral and 4.9 percent are opposed to it. Staff are split evenly on whether early release should be Monday or Wednesday.
The school districts of Milton and Madison have already adopted a weekly early-release plan, Monroe said.
Some parents at the meeting expressed concern that the proposal was rushed and moving forward too quickly. One man said he didn't see how much could get accomplished in one hour.
Dan Keyser, director of curriculum and instruction, said the hour would be focused and on task: "It's not waiting five minutes for someone to walk in late."
One mother said she understands the need for the change but she is concerned it will further restrict parent access to teachers after school. Often, she said, she stops by a teacher's classroom at 3:30 p.m. and the room is already dark and the door locked.
Ultimately, Hirsbrunner said, all changes the district is making in preparation for the new standards will be judged by how students perform on the new assessments.
"A big driver will be how we stack up," she said.
The proposal to release schoolchildren one hour early one day per week for staff inservice goes before the school board Feb. 11. If approved, it would replace this fall the current schedule of periodic all-day inservices.
The proposed change is part of a plan to prepare the district to meet more rigorous state standards to be introduced in the 2014-2015 school year.
Joe Monroe, director of pupil services, said not even half of students are at the proficiency level of the new standards, which are up to one to two grade levels above the current standards.
"We had a target and we were hitting it pretty well. Now they've moved the target on us," he said.
"Skills we used to teach third graders we now teach first or second graders," Monroe School District Superintendent Cory Hirsbrunner said.
The hourlong weekly meetings will help teachers identify and collaborate on goals throughout the year, according to Hirsbrunner and Monroe. They cited the Annenberg Institute for School Reform that "research has consistently demonstrated that collaboration between teachers can be a powerful tool."
The challenge of meeting the new standards is an ever-developing process, and coming together a couple of times a year to take care of "a lump of tasks" isn't effective, Monroe said.
The proposal is to let out school, including early childhood and 4K programs, one hour early every Monday or Wednesday. The amount of time staff devote to planning would increase annually from 40 to 57.75 hours.
"What we're talking about is a redistribution of time," Monroe said. "The plan actually increases instructional minutes for students," shaving total hours spent out of school from 35 to 33.
The primary focus of the staff inservice hours would be to align curriculum and instruction with the new standards, with teachers working in smaller groups. All second-grade teachers or all math teachers might meet together, for example.
Currently only a small percentage of teachers is working on the new curriculum, Monroe said. "This proposal would ensure that all teachers could participate in the process on a consistent basis."
The district is working with the city's Parks and Recreation Department, the YMCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and other organizations to find activities to keep children occupied during the early-release hour.
In a staff survey, Monroe reported that 67.4 percent favor the plan, 27.7 percent are neutral and 4.9 percent are opposed to it. Staff are split evenly on whether early release should be Monday or Wednesday.
The school districts of Milton and Madison have already adopted a weekly early-release plan, Monroe said.
Some parents at the meeting expressed concern that the proposal was rushed and moving forward too quickly. One man said he didn't see how much could get accomplished in one hour.
Dan Keyser, director of curriculum and instruction, said the hour would be focused and on task: "It's not waiting five minutes for someone to walk in late."
One mother said she understands the need for the change but she is concerned it will further restrict parent access to teachers after school. Often, she said, she stops by a teacher's classroom at 3:30 p.m. and the room is already dark and the door locked.
Ultimately, Hirsbrunner said, all changes the district is making in preparation for the new standards will be judged by how students perform on the new assessments.
"A big driver will be how we stack up," she said.