THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 17, 1997 TAG: 9702170040
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY YOUNG, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 112 lines
Faced with tightening budgets and expanding needs, education officials are considering a basic goal to serve the greatest number of students: provide every graduate with the academic skills to meet life's toughest problems.
And to do it in a way that doesn't overlook those who need extra help.
At its core, the plan envisions a more challenging academic lineup that is open to students at a younger age.
``We want to broaden opportunities and get children into more challenging classes,'' said Superintendent W. Randolph Nichols. ``It opens up the door for them . . . . It's kind of ridiculous for seventh-graders to self-select themselves to not go to college. That's too young.''
When he became superintendent 18 months ago, Nichols said, one of his major goals was to broaden opportunities for the average student.
``We've got a whole group of children in the middle. In some of the literature they're known as the neglected majority,'' he said.
Last week, the school administration presented to the School Board its plan for better preparing students for life beyond high school. The board is expected to give the plan a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down in March.
Nichols said the plan is the product of an 18-month effort. It was inspired in part by the district's need - like that of most schools in Virginia - to align its curriculum to the state's 1995 Standards of Learning and in part by the district's own strategic goals.
The crux of the plan - which includes recommendations for the core curricula in English, social studies, science and math - revolves around five goals:
Improved course content.
Improved teaching, largely through increased opportunities for training.
Making more courses accessible to a broader range of students.
Increasing the available number of higher level courses.
Increasing the number of credits needed for graduation, beginning with the Class of 2002, now seventh-graders.
Nichols said many schools focus on the last goal when they talk about raising standards. And while Chesapeake will require an extra credit of social studies, he said graduation requirements should increase only after all the other goals are met.
``You should get your house in order first,'' said Nichols.
To do that, he said, the district has focused on improving the courses they offer now as well as identifying gaps in the curriculum that will hamper the student entering the 21st century workplace.
``Many of our courses in the past have been very weak in the area of technology,'' said Nichols. ``If children graduate and they don't have that type of knowledge, then we're totally outdated.''
In the effort to raise standards, remedial courses will be dropped in favor of more advanced courses, Nichols said. For example, under the new biology plan, a lower-level course would be replaced by an advanced-placement biology course. For students who want to continue past the advanced level and specialize, the district will offer courses in marine biology and anatomy and physiology.
Nichols said the elimination of lower-level courses will not come at the expense of students who struggle academically. Rather, basic courses will be reshaped to better prepare all students so none are left behind. Instead of relying on 50-minute lectures as the standard classroom format, teachers will be encouraged and trained to use methods that make students more active learners. For instance, part of the science plan includes a requirement that half of all instruction involve hands-on, lab-related activities.
Perhaps the most detailed changes are spelled out in the math curriculum, with special emphasis on algebra.
Now, students are not required to take algebra in order to graduate with the standard 21-credit diploma. That will change beginning with the current seventh-grade class. Not only will all students be required to pass algebra, but most also will be required to pass geometry. And that change alone will reach all the way back to children's first academic experience. Students will learn algebraic concepts beginning in kindergarten, said Daniel Mulligan, the district's supervisor of math instruction.
Mulligan also recommended that students be given the opportunity to take Algebra I in seventh grade, rather than waiting until eighth or ninth grade.
``If they demonstrate that they've got all those skills, why waste their time?'' said Mulligan.
Still, the accelerated course is not necessarily for all students. They could opt to slow the process by taking Algebra I over two years, instead of in one.
``Every child isn't ready for algebra at seventh grade,'' Nichols said. ``I don't think I would have been.''
Beyond algebra, the math department also is planning to improve the variety of courses it offers.
``It used to be if you were an engineering or a math or science person, we had a million things for you,'' said Mulligan. He said proposed classes like statistics and computer science would appeal to a broader range of students who might not otherwise choose to take advanced math courses.
It's unclear what the new approach would cost. But Nichols estimated that materials for the new reading program alone would cost more than $1 million.
The initiatives would not require the hiring of more teachers, however, as the emphasis would be on retraining, Nichols said. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
THE PROPOSED CHANGES
Recommended changes in graduation requirements for Chesapeake
students, effective Class of 2002 (now seventh-graders):
Require one credit of algebra (current requirement is two credits
of math, but does not specify what kind of math)
Require one credit in geometry
Require one additional credit in social studies. (current
requirement is that students must take either world history or world
geography, but not both. Now both are required).
The addition of the social studies credit (a credit equals a
course) means that to receive a standard diploma students must earn
22 credits in grades 9-12. To earn an Advanced Studies diploma, the
student must earn 24 credits. The changes do not mean a longer
school day.
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE SCHOOLS