Proposed Schedule Changes Discussed at BOE meeting

At the April 8 Board of Education Work Session Meeting, administrators spoke to the community about proposed scheduling changes that may be implemented in EUFSD secondary schools next year. Members of a district-wide committee to explore a potential change to the current schedule discussed the form these shifts may take and highlighted the benefits of re-thinking the daily plan for students and faculty.

The proposed schedule would see Eastchester High School adopt a seven-period model—there are currently nine periods in the EHS instructional day—with classes meeting four times per week in longer 49-minute sessions. Science classes would have two double-period blocks per week, and the entire schedule would be predicated upon a 10-day cycle. 

Discussions centered around modernizing Eastchester’s secondary schedule arose in 2021, said EUFSD Board of Education President Christine Civitano-Lombardi, prompting the BOE to explore the effects that any changes might have on the school community. 

A 2023 report by the Tri-State Consortium consultant group recommended a shift in scheduling practices, and Principal Chris Welsh—who began as the leader of EHS at the beginning of this school year— has taken on a large role over the last several months working with his colleagues to find a structure that best fits the district and its students.

According to Welsh, the impetus for exploring changes to the schedule was fairly straightforward, as district officials and school administrators continually look for ways to improve the overall educational experience in Eastchester’s schools.

“Strong organizations always start with ‘why’. When we start with ‘why’, we’re looking to change and implement something new;, it keeps us focused on positive outcomes for students,” said Welsh. “And this is rooted in feedback we’ve received from students, parents, families and from teachers.”

Welsh explained that the the shift would have a number of positive impacts, including providing richer learning opportunities for students in their extended class periods, offering a more balanced workload for students, preventing them from getting stuck in a repetitive schedule encouraging the flexibility to provide students with more SEL opportunities, and acknowledging how the circadian rhythm of students can affect the way youngsters engage with course material at specific points in the day, most notably early in the morning or just after lunch. 

In addition, he said, helping students to move away from the rigid daily routine of the current schedule can better prepare them for how instruction is delivered in most colleges and universities across the country. 

“While we are not solely a college prep institution, we are committed to setting students up for success beyond the walls of Eastchester High School,” he explained. “As we know, the very large majority of colleges follow non-daily schedules, with classes ranging from 50 to 75 minutes. We believe this [proposed] schedule provides a developmentally appropriate approach that allows students to dip their toes in the shallow end and get a taste of the longer periods they will experience in college.”

The proposed schedule would establish office hours to provide opportunities for students to seek extra help from teachers and also carve out a period on Wednesdays that would serve the dual function of providing students with advisory periods focused on collective and grade-level development and targeted academic support.

Dr. William Meyer, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Assessment, and Student Success, said that these advisory/ periods are important for a student’s academic and personal development and represent a paradigm shift for Eastchester schools, and demonstrate the district’s long-term commitment to supporting student wellbeing. 

“The origins of our current bell schedule date over a century back; this comes from something called the ‘Gary Plan.’ In the 1920s, we were talking about the cult of efficiency, and the structure of the current bell model was about efficiency, it wasn’t about experience, it wasn’t preparing students for the 21st century, and it especially wasn’t preparing them for the challenges and the needs that they have in this current moment,” said Meyer. “This [proposed schedule] better represents the non-linear thinking in patterns of work and life that our students are going to be facing, and supporting them in this transition is integral to their long-term success.”

The EMS bell period schedule would remain largely unchanged, keeping the current nine-period model in place, but would be adjusted to lengthen each instructional period by two minutes. 

Acknowledging the concerns of some community members about any unforeseen issues that may arise from the proposed schedule shift, committee members noted that the district’s flexibility will ensure that the needs of all students can be accommodated through ongoing analysis of the structures in place. 

“I think that this format is less of a transition than if you went to a true block schedule. . . . The students transition so fast, and by the third week of September, they’ll forget whatever was,” said Meyer. “But we recognize that there are unknowns that are unique to Eastchester and the understanding is that, when we face those, we will make adjustments.” 

“There are always things that arise in a building of 1,200 people; things come up,” added Welsh. “But this is carved-out time where kids are going to get the type of programming that we all agree students need.”

For more detailed information about the changes in the proposed secondary schedule for next year, the slides from Tuesday night's presentation can be found HERE.

To watch the April 8 Board of Education Work Session Meeting in its entirety, please click HERE