School to start earlier for WHS students

A need to increase time for orange period at Worland High School is prompting school officials to add 10 more minutes to the school day starting in the 2018-2019 school year.

During Monday’s board meeting, Superintendent David Nicholas reported that WHS Principal Wade Sanford was requesting an 8 a.m. start for Worland High School with a 3:30 p.m. ending. Sanford said they are trying to match schedules at the middle school as well for teachers who are shared between the two buildings so the middle school will also start at 8 a.m. WMS classes will end at 3:25 p.m.

“We’ll utilize that orange period more academically rather than just as a study hall … to make it more remediation and enrichment and that gives us closer to a full class time to do that rather than just 30 minutes.”

Sanford said they also need to change early release time. “Early release had been at 12:45 p.m. With the new configuration of the elementary schools [to grade-level] and the bussing, the busses weren’t getting to the middle school until about 1 p.m., which increased the amount of supervision required on the early release days.” The high school was also getting out at 12:45 p.m. so both WHS and WMS will have early release at 1 p.m.

“This makes it mesh better with what that bus schedule is. We kind of learned as we went through this year that what we were doing wasn’t optimal so that obviously helps,” Sanford said.

The elementary schools start time remains at 8:10 a.m. with an end time to 3:15 p.m.

ACCREDITATION

The board discussed but took no action Monday regarding school improvement accreditation. Nicholas said in the past the school used to pay for districts’ accreditation process through AdvancEd. He said the state is offering an in-state accreditation evaluation process that would not cost the districts. If the district chooses, it can still go through AdvancEd but the district would have to pay for the costs.

“Coming out of our administrative meetings, I don’t think we’re comfortable of letting go of the high school. We think having a high school that is AdvancEd certified is still important, still means something. My principals are recommending that it is OK to not be AdvancEd certified K-8,” Nicholas said. “From my administration group that’s the recommendation and that’s the one I’m giving to you.”

Curriculum Director Jody Rakness said the district and district schools have been accredited for nearly 100 years. They get accredited every year but every five years there is an accreditation evaluation with an exit interview process.

Historically she said AdvancEd, which used to be North Central Accreditation, has had strict protocol for districts and schools regard needs assessments and school improvement plans. She noted, however, that AdvancEd is working to be more flexible.

Rakness said all school are using a professional learning communities (PLC) model for school improvement and that model and plans developed through PLC should be able to fit with AdvancEd.

She noted schools and/or districts receiving AdvancEd accreditation would have regional accreditation, while going through the state it would be only state accreditation. “It’s nice to have external eyes; to get an external perspective,” Rakness said noting that the evaluators for AdvancEd come from all of the United States.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business Monday, the school board:

•Hired Frances Harding of Indiana for 6-12 music. Sanford said the initial plan for this year is to have Chad Rose handle the fall marching band class this year only.

•Agreed to move forward with a digital kiosk to showcase the trophies that area earned by teams and individuals. Nicholas said the trophy cases in the high school are too full that you can’t see all the trophies.

“It’s either that or build more cabinets,” Nicholas said.

•Changed the July meeting to Wednesday, July 18, to coincide with the budget hearing.