A task force recommends that the switch, starting with the 2017-2018 school year, would make it easier for students to meet new, tougher statewide graduation requirements.
To accommodate new state graduation requirements, a district task force is recommending that Seattle high schools switch to a trimester system starting in fall 2017, with five periods each day.
Under state law, all Washington students will soon have to earn 24 credits to graduate — some by spring 2019 and others, in districts granted waivers, one or two years later.
In the Seattle Public Schools, the change will go into effect in 2021 for students who are now in seventh grade. Seattle students currently need 21 credits to graduate — and most high schools offer a six-period day. When the 24-credit rule goes into effect, the six-period schedule leaves little room for students to retake a class, or to fit in many electives.
The trimester schedule would allow students to earn a maximum of 30 credits over four years. If approved, the schedule change also would affect current eighth-grade students, freshmen and sophomores.
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In its report, the task force, which included parents, teachers, principals and district leaders, said that possible benefits include fewer classes per day for students and teachers, increased time per class and more course options. However, the new schedule would require an extensive, districtwide transition that would cost money.
School Board members discussed the task force’s recommendationsat a work session last week. Whether the proposals are adopted depends on a number of factors, including funding, union bargaining — and whether board members support them.
State lawmakers voted in 2014 to require 24 credits rather than 20, starting with the class of 2019. The 24 must include four credits of English, three each in math, science and social studies, two each in arts, language and health and fitness, and one credit in a career and technical education course. The requirements also include four credits in elective courses.
The state’s 20-credit requirement is a minimum, and some districts already require more. For example, Highline, Kent and Tacoma require 23 credits, while Issaquah, Lake Washington and Everett require 22. In Bellevue, students must earn 23.5 credits to graduate.
Nearly half of the state’s school districts, including Seattle, Highline and Everett, received one- or two-year waivers from the 24-credit requirement. Seattle requested a two-year waiver in January 2015, saying it wanted additional time to figure out a new schedule.
Other school districts have modified or are considering modifying their daily schedules. The Highline, Renton and Everett school districts, which all have six-period days in most of their high schools, are also considering changing high-school schedules but haven’t identified how. Bellingham’s school district also considered extending the middle- and high-school day by 30 minutes, in part to add more course options and electives, but decided against it last year.
In addition to changing high-school schedules, the Seattle task force recommended adding counselors so that students would have more support in academic planning, an electronic platform that also could help with planning, and more online courses.
The task force’s recommendations reflect feedback from a survey of more than 1,500 families, the district said.