by Lauren Tsai . Business Manager

As NEISD prepares to enter the 2010-2011 school year with a traditional bell schedule in place,  Campus Improvement Committee’s CTJ Campus Testing and Homework Plan has recently been approved and similar policies have been adopted by high schools district-wide.

The Testing and Homework Policy guidelines are as follows:

• The Campus Leadership Team will publish a Campus-Wide Summative Assessment Calendar to the campus webpage
• At the beginning of the year, students will receive a course syllabus that outlines grading and testing procedures
• Teachers will notify students and parents of upcoming summative assessments (i.e. major exams and projects) one week prior to the testing date

Testing and homework schedules will follow an even/odd calendar day schedule

Even Calendar Days

Core Areas

• Mathematics
• Social Studies

Elective Areas

• Fine Arts
• JROTC
• Health and PE
• AVID

Odd Calendar Days

Core Areas

• Science
• ELA

Elective Areas

• World Languages
• Career & Technology
• Computer Sciences

The policy is representative of department, teacher, and student input and adheres to district regulation.

“It was because of moving to a 7 period day. There were concerns among students and parents that there might be twice as much homework because there are twice as many classes,” AP Hensley Cone said. “We discussed the possibility of this happening with the faculty to come up with guidelines that we feel comfortable with and that alleviate concern.”

Although there are slight variations in some schools’ master schedules, Cone says that theoretically the policies for each campus are almost identical.

“Every high school came to the same understanding and beliefs.”

Students and parents have been notified of the policy through the school’s webpage.

“They need to know where [they] stand for next year,” Cone said.

In addition to the policy change, the school day will likely be increased.

“It is to accommodate for more passing periods and to not take away from classroom time,” Principal Kristopher Wickerham said.

Potentially, some classes could shift to a zero or ninth hour.

“It is a case-by-case situation, if a teacher is willing to do it, if there are enough kids willing to [take the class],” he said.

However, clubs may be affected by such a schedule.

“That’s why we don’t encourage a lot of zero or ninth hour classes. It reduces the ability to meet with clubs,” he said. “We’re pretty confident of the master schedule, so we don’t need as many zero or ninth hour classes.”

Lunch will be a full period. The school hopes that this will give students not only a time to socialize, but also time to get their schoolwork done. The school administration is considering building different things into a lunch hour, such as tutorial rooms, where students can go for help or tutoring on their subjects.

“It is a long block of time. Kids may want to use that time,” Wickerham said.

Despite changes and concern, Wickerham is sure of success.

“We got this building to get ready to go within 24 hours before school began. We can do anything.”