INFORMATION TO USERS This dissertation was produced fro m a m icro film copy o f the original d ocu m en t. W h ile th e most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this d ocu m en t have been used, th e q u a lity is heavily dependent upon the q u a lity of the original subm itted. The fo llo w in g exp lan atio n o f techniques is provided to help you understand markings o r patterns w hich m ay appear on this rep ro d uctio n . 1. The sign o r " ta rg e t" fo r pages apparently lacking fro m the d ocu m en t photographed is "Missing Page(s)''. If it was possible to o b ta in the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced in to th e film along w ith adjacent pages. This may have necessitated c u ttin g th ru an image and d uplicating adjacent pages to insure yo u c o m p lete c o n tin u ity . 2. W hen an image on th e film m ark, copy it is an may is obliterated w ith a large round black indication th a t the photographer suspected th a t the have m oved during exposure an d thus cause a blurred image. Y o u w ill fin d a good image o f the page in th e adjacent fram e. 3. W hen a m ap, draw ing or chart, etc., was p a rt of th e m aterial being p h o to g ra p h e d th e photographer "section in g " th e m aterial. fo llo w e d a I t is customary to d e fin ite m eth o d in begin photoing at th e upper le ft hand corner of a large sheet and to co ntin u e photoing fro m le ft to righ t sectioning in equal sections w ith is co ntin u ed again - a sm all overlap. beginning below th e If necessary, firs t ro w and continuing on u n til com plete. 4. T h e m a jo rity o f users indicate that the te x tu a l c o n ten t is o f greatest value, however, made fro m dissertation. a som ew hat higher q u a lity "p ho to g rap h s" Silver prints reproduction could be if essential to th e understanding o f the of "p h o to g rap h s" may be ordered at additional charge by w ritin g the O rd er D epartm en t, giving th e catalog num ber, title , a u th o r and specific pages you wish reproduced. University Microfilms 300 North Z e e b Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 A Xerox Education Com pany I I 73-5359 DesCHAMPS, William Bert, 1939A CASE HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NINE-WEEK COURSE CONCEPT AT BESSER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN ALPENA, MICHIGAN. Michigan State University, Ph.D., 1972 Education, curriculum development University Microfilms, A XERQ\Company , Ann Arbor, Michigan © C o p y r i g h t by WILLIAM BERT DESCHAMPS 1972 - A CASE HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NINE-WEEK COURSE CONCEPT A T BESSER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN ALPENA, MICHIGAN By William B. DesChamps A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY College of Education 1972 P L E ASE NOTE: S o m e p a g e s m a y h a ve indistinct print. Filmed as received. University Microfilms, A Xerox Education Company ABSTRACT A CASE HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NINE-WEEK COURSE CONCEPT AT BESSER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN ALPENA, MICHIGAN By William B. DesChamps The primary purpose of this research was to present a documentary of what has been done to restructure the Besser Junior High School curriculum. An attempt was made to focus on the development of the program as well as the results of that program. Since the success of any program depends on the people involved emphasis was placed on the involvement and interaction of various individuals and groups. Chapter II is a product of the author's attempt to analyze and recover the general nature of the dialogue that was preliminary to change and the collective philosophy that appeared to have emerged from that dialogue. Chapter III traced the organization for change in detail from the original action items through to the final approval of the new program by the Alpena Board of Educa­ tion for the 1971-72 school year. William B. DesChamps Chapter IV contrasts structural aspects of the old program with the new program at Besser Junior High School. Chapter V outlines the method by which students selected the courses of their choice. This chapter also includes a discussion of the scheduling procedure, problems that surfaced during the enrollment procedure and some p r o ­ posed solutions to those problems. Chapter VI is an attempt to foresee the impact of the new program on the administration, curriculum c o m ­ mittees, and grade levels in the Alpena Public School system; the countervailing forces resulting from these groups are also dealt with. Both philosophical and struc­ tural aspects were treated in this chapter. Chapter VII was directed at finding some measure of validity for this case study. Several people who were involved in the development of this program at Besser Junior High School w ere asked to read and comment on the accuracy of this case study from their own perspectives. Chapter VIII lists several areas that could require further study sometime in the future. These studies in­ clude evaluation of various aspects of the community in general and the school system in particular. DEDICATION To Dawn, my wife, whose love, encouragement, and patience throughout this endeavor were both invaluable and necessary. To Kimberly and Billy, my placable offspring, whose b o u n d ­ less energy was a constant source of inspiration. To m y Father and Mother, whose faith and encouragement never vacillated. To my Grandmother, whose life of hard work, integrity, devotion to her family I will always look to in times of doubt. and ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My graduate committee was composed of four very distinctive people. Each of the four gentlemen contributed significantly to the design or improvement of this p a r ­ ticular case study. To Dr. Dale V. Alam, my major advisor, I extend special appreciation for allowing me to try some­ thing a little different in a case study and also for a l ­ lowing me the privilege of designing, what has been for me, a very rewarding course of study. When I first a p ­ plied to Michigan State University I knew what I wanted, he assisted me in pursuing m ^ objectives. I would also like to thank Dale for doing much of the leg-work which I could not do due to having lived a good distance from campus. To Dr. Charles Blackman, who is the best of information" I have ever known, "sorter I owe a special thanks for his support and for filling in for Dr. Alam whenever I needed help. To Dr. James McKee, my minor advisor, I am very grateful for his having exposed me to a sociological method which provided the format for this case study. I especially appreciate this ma n for having taken time from his very busy schedule to provide me with support when I truly needed it. To Dr. Walter Scott I am very appreciative of his willingness to replace a committee member and become in­ volved during the final stages of my doctoral program. I believe Dr. Scott provided considerable input which im­ proved this case study. To Paul Bray, Norm Frey, Art Merritt, Joel Osborne, Jere Standen, and Horace Webb, I extend my appreciation for taking time to read and respond to the accuracy of this case study. And last, but certainly not least, I cannot forget to mention the humaneness of Virginia Wiseman, secretary to the Dean of Graduate Affairs, who provided invaluable assistance throughout the course of m y study at Michigan State University. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE ................................................ 1 Chapter I. I N T R O D U C T I O N ........................... The P r o b l e m ........................... Purposes of This S t u d y ............. Need for S t u d y ........................ Plan for the S t u d y ................. Definition of T e r m s ................. II. THE SEED OF C H A N G E .................... 10 10 13 14 16 17 20 Factors Affecting Change...... .............. 26 D i a l o g u e ............................... Emergent Philosophy ........................ III. ORGANIZING FOR C H A N G E ................. 28 33 The Administration Becomes Involved . . . Other Events Affecting Change .............. The First Organizational Meeting . . . . The Board of Education Becomes I n v o l v e d ........................... 44 The Visit to Howell High School . . . . The Visit to Ring Lardner Junior High School in N i l e s ............. 48 Summary of Howell, Ring Lardner, and Besser Proposed Programs . . . . . . A Besser, Thunder Bay, Central Administration Meeting .............. A Besser Central Administration 61 M e e t i n g ........................... Representatives from Howell and Niles Visit A l p e n a ................. 63 v 20 33 36 38 45 49 60 Page Chapter IV. V. The Administration Supports the Besser Program ............................ The Presentation of the Two Mini-Course Proposals to the B o a r d ................. 64 THE RESULTANT P R O G R A M ......................... 69 The Achievement of Objectives ............. A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Old Eighth Grade Program and the New Eighth Grade Program . . . . A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Old Ninth Grade Program and the New Ninth Grade P r o g r a m .............. 69 ENROLLMENT AND S C H E D U L I N G ..................... 97 63 77 86 Course Selection Procedure ................. 97 Scheduling Procedure ........................ 100 Problems and Proposed Solutions in the Enrollment and Scheduling P r o c e d u r e s ................................... 103 VI. THE FUTURE OF THE PROGRAM IN ALPENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ............................... 109 What Must Happen for the Program to be Considered a S u c c e s s ? ..................... 109 Unfinished Business ........................ 110 The Affects of the New Program on Other Alpena Secondary Schools . . . . 112 The Affects of the Besser Program on the A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ......................... 113 The Affects of the Besser Program on Curriculum Committees................... 113 VII. COMMENTS OF OTHERS INVOLVED..................... 116 Questionnaire ............................... 117 Comments of Paul B r a y ......................... 118 Comments of Norm F r e y ......................... 119 Comments of Joel O s b o r n e ...................... 121 Comments of Jere S t a n d e n ...................... 122 Comments of Horace W e b b .....................12 3 Comments of Arthur Merritt ................. 124 vi Chapter VIII. Page FUTURE S T U D I E S ................................ 125 Who to E v a l u a t e ? ............................ What to E v a l u a t e ? ........................ When to E v a l u a t e ? ........................ Other Areas of C o n c e r n ..................... 125 126 127 127 .......................................... 128 BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDICES Appendix A. B. C. D. E. F. Teacher and Student Suggestions for C h a n g e ...................................... Course Selection Guide ..................... Course Preference Survey ..................... Enrollment Sheets ............................ Courses that were Eliminated as aResult of the Second Total T a l l y ................. Enrollment and Scheduling Flow Chart . . . 130 133 189 203 206 208 ? I [ LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Seventh Grade Requirements ................. 50 2. Eighth Grade Requirements ................. 51 3. Ninth Grade Requirements .................... 52 4. A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Old Seventh Grade Program and the New Seventh Grade Program .............. 71 A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Old Eighth Grade Program and the New Eighth Grade Program ................. 77 A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Old Ninth Grade Program and the New Ninth Grade Program ................. 87 5. i 6. viii PREFACE Traditionally doctoral dissertations have been written in the third person. this tradition, The reason for like many other traditions has probably long since been forgotten. in education in education, I chose to deviate from this traditional format and to write m y dissertation in the first person and I suggest that in any case study in which the author was directly involved with the topic being described, he should consider this method. There are many excellent examples of first person case studies in the field of sociology. Writing in the first person can provide many v a l ­ uable insights that a perceptive reader might be able to transfer to his own particular life experience which might otherwise be lost in translation. Furthermore, many of the case studies I have read from the field of sociology which were written in the first person were much more readable than those in education which were written in the third person. All too often in education, and especially in the area of curriculum development, we tend to focus on 1 2 principles, results, and ends and too seldom do we give our attention to people, my opinion, philosophy, and means, which, in should receive highest priorities in education. By having written m y thesis in the first person I had hoped to deal more effectively with people, philosophy, and means with regard to the curriculum changes that took place at Besser Junior Hiqh School. I had also hoped that the use of the first person would help me to put more of myself into this study. In order to assist the reader of this dissertation I would like to make it clear, I stand philosophically. from the beginning, where The simplest way for me to do this is to list a number of quotes in a few areas that have helped me to develop a philosophy of education. Knowing my philosophical roots should enable the reader to detect more easily any biases which I have consciously or u n ­ consciously written into this paper. About Change Conformity, of anything, however pandemic, is not at the root it is a symptom of certain prevalent social conditions— Edgar Z. Friedenberg. Revolutions are not made; is as natural a growth as an oak. past. they come. A revolution It comes out of the Its foundations are laid far back--Wendell Phillips. 3 Whatever guise it may wear, dogma claims finality. In its own domain it holds that its word is the last word, and any challenge of that word is he r e s y — Allen Wheelis. cess, As change is the essence of the instrumental p r o ­ so standing pat is the essence of the institutional proc e s s — Allen Wheelis. Tradition is as neurotic as any grown patient; its o u t ­ fear of deviation from its fortuitous standards conforms to all the usual definitions of the p s y c hopathic— Ruth Benedict. About Growth and Development It is essential that a child's life not be ruled by the adult's need for efficiency. enemy of infancy. Efficiency is the It is too costly in terms of the child's emotional economy. sources, prevents growth, It drains the child's r e ­ stifles interest, and may lead to emotional bankruptcy--Hiam G i n o t t . Growth which depends on continuity of meaning is usually arrested by our institutions. mentally speaking, [Therefore] develop- [they] ought not be there at all. promote normality is to arrest growth, To this is a trag e d y — Edgar Z. Friedenberg. The grade is an administrative device that does violence to the growth and development of the individual-B. F. Skinner. 4 About Education in General You cannot step into the same river of thought twice because neither you nor it is the same— Bill DesChamps [I t h i n k ] . [In our culture] to the few, [therefore] success is obsessive and limited a greater and greater number will be liable to the extreme penalties of m a l a djustment— Ruth Benedict. Admittedly, a student who knows a foreign language can do more than a student who does n o t . However the same could be said about any subject— Richard Renfield. [Children] must begin by learning self-esteem rather than self-hatred, by learning the joy of knowing rather than the fear of trying. To learn these things infinitely more vital than to learn, for regurgitation's sake, whatever else one may be told to learn— Richard Renfield. Herbert Spencer's question most worth?" never was. "What knowledge is of is no longer the right question, and perhaps Not only is the knowledge that is of great worth to people too vast for them ever to acquire, but the knowledge that is likely to be of great worth to a given individual in the circumstances of his particular life is largely unforeseeable— Richard Renfield. Children are curious about the world. learn to respond to their curiosity, We must rather than tell them 5 what to be curious about . . . we would then be cooperating with nature rather than fighting it— Richard Renfield. We know too much for one man to know much, we live too variously to live as one, our histories and traditions, the very means of interpreting life, are both bonds and barriers among us--J. Robert Oppenheimer. The usual approach in curriculum development p r e ­ sumes that somewhere "out there" is a program, a method, an organizational scheme which fits all youngster's e d u ­ cational needs. No such programs, methods, or o r g a n i z a ­ tional patterns ever did or ever will exist. words, In other there are no group answers to the unique needs of individual learners— Jack Frymier. I want to be like her when I grow up. to be like her when she grows up I want her [speaking of a 21 month old friend]— Re. John M. Culkin. The knowledge explosion gives hope. It may e v e n ­ tually overwhelm those who suffer from a compulsion to plan curriculum. They may lose faith in their assumed ability to shrink the world's knowledge down to m a n a g e ­ able size. The schools, set adrift in a turbulent ocean, will no longer be able to ladle out a tidy pool of k n o w l ­ edge and to define their activities in terms of subject m a t t e r — Richard Renfield. Because learning involved perception and because both the process and the product of perception are unique, 6 any efforts to promote identical learnings are doomed to failure— Jack Frymier. The basic defect [in curriculum] carrying out of the system; itself. is not in the the basic defect is the system People will just not fit efficiently into the curricular molds which we in our wisdom, even our loving wisdom, plan for t hem— Richard Renfield. As an additional aid to the reader I will attempt to place this Besser Junior High School curriculum change into perspective. Since this dissertation was directed at people interested in the field of curriculum perhaps the ways different groups of people perceive curriculum in Alpena should be examined briefly. There are probably as many different notions of curriculum in Alpena as there are people. But there seem to be certain dominant ch a r a c ­ teristics within various groups in the community of Alpena. The Board of Education, community, a majority of laymen in the and unfortunately a few teachers and virtually all administrators see curriculum as something you may purchase in the form of a textbook. Most Alpena teachers think of curriculum as a composite of textbooks, audio-visual equipment, methodology, goals, etc.; libraries, all of which are based on the existing framework or lack of framework in the various subject areas. 7 In m y opinion the Besser Junior High staff was unique in the sense that we realized that in order to bring about what we felt were really significant changes we had to go beyond our own subject areas in order to affect the structure which governed us all. This led to the development of a collective philosophy which d e t e r ­ mined the program with which this dissertation deals. As far as I know Besser Junior High is the only school in the Alpena Public School system where the staff played an integral role in bringing about fundamental change within their school's basic curricular structure. In most other schools curriculum was determined by "someone" "some time ago" and in most cases the philosophy on which their c u r ­ riculum is founded is vestigial. Yet a majority of people involved with educating young people continue to blindly defend their curricula. In m y opinion it is this kind of thinking that must be overcome before people in e d u ­ cation may bring relevance into the school systems. We must provide for change in the design of our curricula. We must realize that the need for change is continuous. Until we realize that many, if not all, of our curricula are a part of the problem we will never become a part of the solution. As the reader proceeds through this dissertation it would be helpful if he were to selectively transfer the principles and methods illustrated in this thesis. 8 In my opinion, most principles and methods are not aut o ­ matically, in practice, applicable to any social setting. Schools are social institutions which are consequently responsive to community pressures. These local coun t e r ­ vailing forces must be understood if they are to be osed to affect change. It should be helpful for the reader of this study to critically examine the roles played by various indi­ viduals and groups. The reader should also be aware that the level of involvement in curriculum change, which is dependent on personnel, obviously will be school specific as are tactics and interaction. For this reason I do not believe it would be practical to delineate the specific principles which were used in this curriculum development since each setting is unique. As the people, philosophy and setting differ from one school system to another, or for that matter from one school to another within the same school system, so must the means for change differ. As the reader analyzes this dissertation he should examine the roles of various individuals and groups in curriculum development. Teachers, administrators, boards of e d u c a ­ tion, education associations, mittees, students, curriculum c o m ­ schools, and departments, to mention a few, all played parts in the development of a new curriculum at Besser Junior High School. expanded, These roles must be modified, and/or eliminated in order to affect change in 9 another setting. It is important that one not restrict their thinking to what has happened at Besser. I suggest that the reader go beyond this and ask what could be done in his school, or school system, been tried. since so little has CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Problem Need for Change Prominent educators, related fields, as well as leaders in other are expressing concern over the need for change in the schools of the United States. Few facets of our educational system remain untouched by the critical thinking of these people. Richard Renfield (1969) believes that the system fails by trying to fix people into curricular molds which they just will not fit; Allen Wheelis (1958) used his background in psychoanalysis to illustrate the conflict between institutions and individuals and how institutions resist the change which he claims is needed by the indi­ vidual; Edgar Z. Friedenberg (1959) and Paul Goodman (1962) feel that compulsory attendance serves as a bill of attainder against a particular age group which is therefore not allowed to participate fully in freedom guaranteed by the state; in another work Friedenberg 10 (196 3) supports 11 Wheelis' analysis of the conflict between individuals and institutions and he goes a step further: Growth which depends on continuity of meaning is usually arrested by our institutions, [therefore] developmentally speaking, [they] ought not be there at all. To promote normality is to arrest growth, this is a tragedy. Hiam Ginott (1965) likewise claims that in terms of development we should make ourselves increasingly d i s ­ pensable to children. Skolnick (1969) Jerry Farber (1969) and Jerome H. feel that priorities are out of order when the classroom fosters learning how to follow orders m i n d ­ lessly and h o w to surrender one's sovereignty to an insti­ tution . Jack Frymier (1970) and J. Abner Pedderwell (1939) believe our method of curriculum design is based on o u t ­ dated premises; Friedenberg (1963) and Renfield (1969) feel that there is a virtual infinity of worthwhile subject areas and that it is unthinkable that schools should limit perceptions and responsiveness in so many directions by limiting "subject areas"; John Keats (1967), and A. S. Neill (1960) vironment in our schools. (1963), John Holt attack the artificial e n ­ Students are not allowed to satisfy their own curiosity but must learn to satisfy teachers, parents, principals, and college entrance authorities. In today's society education is most responsive to tradition. Ruth Benedict (1934) frankly points out that: 12 Tradition is as neurotic as any patient; its o u t ­ grown fear of deviation from its fortuitous stand­ ards conforms to all the usual definitions of the psychopathic. Besser's Effort to Change This entire thesis is a step-by-step illustration of the development of a relatively drastic curriculum change for Besser Junior High School in Alpena, Michigan. Rather than prematurely belaboring details I will attempt to explain this curriculum change in Alpena as both significant and important. There are at least as many ways to effect curricu­ lum change as there are curricula. Each change is unique due to the uniqueness of each different environment and the different people operating on their environments. My personal concern in this group endeavor was not to change what was to be memorized but to try to affect the way people think; to get teachers and other members of the community asking fundamental questions about their educational philosophy. Szent-Gyorgi (1964) stated a similar concern with regard to relevance: It is a widely spread opinion that memorizing will not hurt, that knowledge does no harm. I am afraid it may. Dead knowledge dulls the spirit, fills the stomach without nourishing the body. The mind is not a bottomless pit, and if we put in one thing we might have to leave another out. By a more live teaching we can fill the soul and reserve the mind for the really important things. We m a y even spare time we need for expanding subjects. 13 Jack Frymier (1970) states it much more eloquently than I with regard to curriculum change: The usual approach in curriculum development presumes that somewhere "out there" is a program, a method, an organizational scheme which fits all youngster's educational needs. No such programs, methods or organizational patterns did or ever will exist. In other words there are no group answers to unique needs of individual learners. We must begin to provide alternatives people in our schools; for the young this was rudimentary to the d e v e l o p ­ ment of the Besser program. We had hoped to encourage exploration by students in our school. Children are naturally curious; we tried to respond to their curiosity, rather than tell them what we want them to be curious about; this was our attempt to cooperate with nature rather than fight it. The Besser program will certainly provide more options and hopefully encourage students to explore. You are about to begin reading, from my vantage point the story of how we, at Besser, brought about change in our curriculum. This is certainly not the total solu­ tion but we feel it is a step in the right direction. Realistically it was a pretty big change in the eyes of the community; as much as we felt they would accept, and even then, with considerable reluctance and skepticism. Purposes of This Study The primary purpose for writing this case history is to present a documentary of what has been done to modify and to restructure the Besser Junior High School curriculum. All too often we in education focus on the results of program development and too seldom do we focus on the development of the program. I intend to include both aspects in this case history. For some readers this case history will serve as something an ex-classmate of mine referred to as the "nuts and bolts" for initiating change; for others this may serve as a yardstick which may be used to evaluate the Besser Junior High program or to contrast this program with other junior high programs. Since the success of any program depends on the people involved, in the development of this case history consideration will be given to the interaction between various individuals and groups. Need for Study In my opinion the need for this study is threefold. As a teacher directly involved in this curriculum change the first reason is personal. I have long advocated that in education we have been running on inertia. We are so busy that we have not stopped long enough to ask why we are doing what we do nor how the curriculum got where it was yesterday at Besser. This study is my personal attempt to gain parity with tradition. Secondly, I believe that the scientific model most frequently used in studies in education is a "cop out." We act as though learning is a group phenomenon; 15 as though we were dealing with dice rather than people. The scientific study, as used in education today, usually deals w ith group measurements: means, modes, medians, etc. Unfortunately the characteron^ we ultimately end up describing ma y be very unlike anyone in the study. This external composite Frankenstein does not tell us anything about the real stuff of education; the in­ ternal processes of an individual. Most teachers do not even know how to teach individuals; we were trained to teach g r o u p s . I reject the group scientific model in education. I think we would learn more from a model used by sociolo­ gists, the micro-sociological descriptive approach. This model requires that the researcher become a part of the small group being studied, live and work with the group and then describe what he has observed. in the mind of the reader; Conclusions are drawn the researcher in this study is a reporter and an interpreter. Thirdly, results of this study may be of value to other schools attempting to initiate a similar program; this study of development, implementation and philosophy will be available to them. A word I coined which describes a person who would fit all the medians, means, modes, etc. of the scientific group study. 16 Plan for the Study Chapter II, THE SEED OF CHANGE, deals wit h a number of factors, as I see them, which helped to set the stage for modifying and restructuring the Besser Junior High School curriculum. An attempt was made to recover the general nature of the dialogue and the collective philosophy that emerged from that dialogue. Chapter III, ORGANIZING FOR CHANGE, traces the organizational development from the original action items which were initiated by a small group of teachers through the final approval of the program for the 1971-72 school year by the Alpena Board of Education. various organizational phases, The dates of the original proposal, and informational items as presented to the Board of E d u c a ­ tion by the administrators involved is included in this chapter. Chapter IV, THE RESULTANT PROGRAM, contrasts structural aspects of the old program with the new program by "grade level" required, (i.e., old courses, new courses, units required units, and departmental requirements). Each of the new courses is listed by department in this chapter. Chapter V, ENROLLMENT AND SCHEDULING, outlines the method by which students selected the courses of their choice, the scheduling procedure, and the problems that arose during the enrollment procedure along with some proposed solutions. 17 Chapter VI, THE FUTURE OF THE PROGRAM IN ALPENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, is an attempt to deal with structural and philosophical affairs which will require more thought and work in the future. I also try to project the impact of the administration, curriculum committees and other schools and grade levels on this program in the Alpena Public School system; from these groups, countervailing forces, resulting are also dealt with in this chapter. Chapter VII, COMMENTS OF OTHERS INVOLVED, is an attempt to determine the credibility of this case study. Several of the people involved in the study will read the case study or parts of the case study and make comments on its accuracy or inaccuracy from their perspective. Chapter VIII, FUTURE STUDIES, lists some of the areas that could require further study with regard to the effectiveness of the program, the impact of the program on the various segments of the schools and the community, and achievement of long-range and short-range goals. Definition of Terms The following definition of terms applies t h r o u g h ­ out the remainder of this case study. E l e c t i v e .— A course which a student may choose to take or not to take; a course which is not required. 18 M i n i - c o u r s e .--A nine-week course which meets for approximately 47 minutes a day, five days a week (syn- unit). New P r o g r a m .— The method of organizing the Besser Junior High curriculum into nine-week modules of time rather than into the traditional semester or year plan, the reduced requirements, the wider variety of classes available to the students and the quasi-elimination of grade levels in some areas. Old P r o g r a m .— The method of organizing the Besser Junior High curriculum into the traditional semester or year plan, traditional requirements, classes available to the students, a small number of and the notion of grade levels. Q u a r t e r .— See Shift. Required U n i t .— A course which all students must take before completing a particular grade level; students may not elect other courses in lieu of the required units. S h i f t .— A nine-week time period in which seven courses (units) m a y be taken. period a new slate of courses At the end of a nine-week (new shift) goes into effect for each student and each teacher (syn--quarter, term). 19 S t a f f ,->-'The group of people working at a particular school (i.e.— principal, secretary, teachers, and anyone else involved with instruction in that particular school. T e r m .— See Shift. U n i t .— See Mini-course. Unit R e q u i r e d .--A requirement which dictates that all students must take a course within a general subject area before completing a particular grade level; students may then elect these courses within the prescribed s u b ­ ject area. CHAPTER II THE SEED OF CHANGE Factors Affecting Change As I see it there are basically four factors that affected the structural changes at Besser Junior High School: 1. The first factor in my opinion, was the failure of the traditional structure to accomplish the things that most Besser Junior High teachers felt should be accomplished in a junior high school. The pervasive, well-verbalized collective p h i l o ­ sophy of junior high teachers in the Alpena Public School system prior to the change was that the junior high years should be years spent w hen s t u ­ dents are not only allowed but encouraged to e x ­ plore different areas within the curriculum. The basic structure of the curriculum prior to the change did not allow this philosophy of the junior high teachers to emerge. 20 21 2. The second factor was the Besser Junior Hiqh School staff. This change would not have taken place if it were not for the teachers and the principal at Besser Junior High. The staff had to be receptive to the original idea or it could not possibly have been implemented; the ball rolling, they started kept it rolling and in less than nine months from the time the first formal action was taken (December 7, 1970) the New Program was in effect at Besser Junior High School (September, 1971) . 3. Another factor, I believe, was the impact which Dale Alam's humanitarian philosophy had on a number of people, either directly or indirectly, in the Alpena Public School system. In the summer of 1970 Dr. Dale Ala m brought a course to Alpena which was designed to deal with curriculum. The course was free and open-ended and attempted to provoke thought and discussion. Over this period of time the people enrolled in the course were challenged to either construct or reconstruct their educational philosophy under the scrutiny of an instructor who operates under the influence of a humanitarian philosophy. These people in turn elicited similar types of probing, 22 with regard to answering some v ery fundamental philosophical questions. There is probably no way of determining which people involved in the course entered that course with a similar type of philosophy and consequently changed very little. Perhaps the course just p r o ­ vided an opportunity for people to diagnose such a philosophy and then to either accept or reject it. In either case, people who ultimately accepted this philosophy had the opportunity to identify with one another and realize the potential for developing a mutual support system centered around this type of philosophy. Whatever the case may be, people sympathetic to the humanitarian ideals had considerable impact on promoting the structural change; several of these people did have contact with Dr. Dale Alam (Jere Standen, Jon Hopkins, Jan Hopkins, Dierking, 4. Connie Bill D e s C h a m p s ) . The fourth factor, the inservice program resulting from the 1970 teacher strike in Alpena, m a y be viewed as a ramification of the third factor. The teacher strike, which lasted from September 1, 1970 to September 27, 1970, provided an opportunity for Alpena Public School teachers to meet en masse with a program designed entirely 23 by teacher representatives. These teacher r e p r e ­ sentatives were given the authority to plan activities intended to serve as inservice a c t i v i ­ ties and at the same time was to act as a tactic to keep teachers united as a group throughout the strike. The title given to this committee was the Alpena Education Association Inservice Planning Committee. The Committee consisted of eight volunteer members: Richard Bellas Janet Gapczysnki Janet Hopkins Jon Hopkins Joe Marciniak Gene Reimann Gordon Snow Bill DesChamps counselor elementary mathematics music art art elementary science Alpena High Sunset School Besser Junior High traveling elementary Alpena High Alpena High Lincoln School Besser Junior High This committee chose to put emphasis on p r o ­ viding a wide variety of activities in order that each teacher involved might find something of value to him. A high priority was given to p r o ­ viding speakers and events that would generate discussion of educational philosophy. From this program of inservice activities I believe that two subfactors could have had a definite bearing on the philosophy that emerged at Besser Junior High S c h o o l : a. The fundamental design of this type of inservice program must have had an effect on 24 teachers in attendance (many teachers indicated to the Inservice Planning Committee members that this type of structure provided the best inservice program that they had ever a t t e n d e d ) . Teachers in general seemed to like the idea of many alternatives, a variety of interest areas, voluntary attendance of seminars, etc. The affect I am assuming here is the transfer from a situation where teachers arH ' provided with a wide variety of options to a situation where teachers are the providers of many options to those pupils or students in their charge. b. The second affect this particular inservice program seemed to have had on Alpena teachers did not arise from the general structure of the inservice program but from the impact the speakers and their logic had on the entire Alpena Public Schools staff. The speaker I suspect had the greatest impact on the educational philosophies of most teachers was Patricia Montgomery the owner and director of "Clonlara, a Free School" located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mrs. Montgomery made a very dynamic pr e ­ sentation. She stood in front of approximately 25 350 K-14 Alpena teachers and vigorously challenged the types of things happening in the Michigan Public Schools and had the audacity to use her school as the yardstick of what schools should strive toward. arguments, She provided rationale, resources, and examples. Admittedly, many teachers were very uneasy during this confrontation with Mrs. M o n t ­ gomery's ideals. At the conclusion of her 1-1/2 hour presentation she was given a s t a n d ­ ing ovation by the teachers whose methods she was criticizing. In many teachers' opinions this was the high point of the inservice activities. After her presentation to the entire staff Mrs. Montgomery spent about seven hours talking to teachers in small groups. In this type of setting several teachers had the o p ­ portunity to examine her philosophy at a closer range and to interact with her and to contrast educational philosophies. There is little doubt, in my opinion, that the first and second factors I have listed above are the two most important factors in affecting change. The third and fourth factors may very well not have been factors at all. My reasons for including factors 3 and 4 as causes 26 affecting change at Besser Junior High is, in all honesty, merely a description from m y perspective. Although I firmly believe that these causal factors are well founded I m ust not deny the possibility that I may have o v e r ­ emphasized the importance of these factors since I know of both of them in advance and had placed a great amount of hope in their success in making teachers examine their educational philosophies. Dialogue The factors I have mentioned, along with any other factors which may not have been obvious to the author, promoted a tremendous amount of dialogue within the c o n ­ fines of Besser Junior High School. Dialogue on the subject began wit h the teachers. Short o n - t h e - s t r e e t , in - t h e - h a l l w a y , o v e r - t h e - p h o n e , and in-the-bar discussions were the first traceable kinds of dialogue that took place. Obviously one can turn to the intrinsic changes that may have taken place within i n ­ dividuals that may or may not have affected their personal philosophies with regard to their readiness change. for accepting But I chose to avoid probing roots that plunge that deep. I opt rather to declare those kinds of things that lend themselves to interaction between people. I think the influence of Dale Alam and Patricia Montgomery provided the impetus for these casual d i s ­ cussions to gravitate toward a system-wide movement to 27 affect change in our methods and philosophy of education. Teachers throughout the Alpena Public School system became involved in discussions concerning the impact which they might have in promoting change. more frequent, more open, These discussions became and more pervasive. A t Besser Junior High School the early discussions focused on philosophy. What should schools be like? are the functions of schools? say they are doing? school? What Are schools doing what they What is the purpose of a junior high Many questions were also raised concerning "free schools" and what could be learned from them. Gradually the dialogue began to turn toward the practicality of these philosophical propositions. What can we, as teachers at Besser Junior High School do right now to make this a better school? This question became the focal point of a small group of teachers. Several sugges­ tions were discussed at length. After several weeks of discussion the concept that seemed dominant in this group was the short course concept (nine-week courses in lieu of the semester s y s t e m ) . It was at this point that these teachers opened the dialogue to the students. The Besser Junior High students reacted very favorably toward this concept. When I compiled a list of courses suggested by students and teachers in early December there was, as expected, a tremendous variety of 28 courses. Als o as was anticipated there was a swing toward more practical kinds of subject matter (see Appendix A ) . It was the middle of December when the Besser Junior High staff became aware of a similar program being considered at Thunder Bay Junior High. The Thunder Bay Junior High staff had begun studying the possibility of 10-week courses in the elective areas economics, and industrial arts). (music, art, home We were led to believe that their proposal was being seriously considered by the administration. This fact alone was enough of a prod to convince the doubters in the small Besser group that we should pursue our study, get it legitamitized by the administration, and begin organizing for change. The pre-organizational dialogue at Besser was exclusively within the subsets of teachers and students. At this time the administration had not yet entered the picture. Emergent Philosophy The four factors which I perceive as having affected change along with the pre-action dialogue resulted in what I refer to as the emergent philosophy. The term emergent philosophy refers to the general collective p h i l o ­ sophy which resulted in the changes that took place in the Besser Junior High School curriculum. 29 On December 15, 1970 the same small group of Besser teachers met and laid down the fundamental philosophy that was to become what I refer to as the emergent philosophy. It may be categorized as eight basic concerns? 1. The present curriculum structure at B.J.H.S. should be restructured to better meet the needs of each individual student. 2. The quantity of required material in the c u r r i c u ­ lum is unnecessary. The "dead wood" in the curriculum should be eliminated. 3. Each teacher should be allowed to become involved in the development of course offerings. 4. Provisions must be made for student involvement in determining school events assemblies, workshops, 5. (i.e.— courses, seminars, etc.). Student feedback should be encouraged in all aspects of the school operations. 6. The grade level is restrictive to the developmental process. Since each student is unique he should be allowed and encouraged to proceed at his own pace. Grade level restrictions should be reduced. 30 7. The Besser Junior High staff should attempt to restructure the curriculum with regard to r e ­ quirements and duration of courses. 8. Any program that is initiated at Besser Junior High School in the future should remain ex p e r i ­ mental in order that the curriculum becomes a vehicle which allows change, not a roadblock which prohibits change. These eight basic points represent a rather e x ­ treme departure from the concept of curriculum that was predominant in the Alpena Public School system and the community at large at the time of this study. The notion that there is a special bank of knowledge from which all students must make their withdrawals was challenged. The emergent philosophy certainly did not destroy that notion but it did take it from the realm of sacred cattle which must not be tampered with. A considerable amount of material that had traditionally been in the junior high curriculum was identified by a consensus among teachers as unnecessary for all students and consequently should be eliminated and replaced with more options for the students. The feeling that a reduction in curriculum r e ­ quirements could result in an increased number of options for students it was hoped would have the following effects 31 1. To make the junior high program more exploratory in n a t u r e . 2. To reduce disciplinary action against students as a result of students being, in large part, where they chose to be. 3. To make the junior high program more responsive to student needs . Increased student and teacher involvement in development, evaluation and redevelopment of curricular activities was a primary objective to all those involved in the very "stuff" of education. It was felt that any actual structural changes should result in the implementation of the aforementioned philosophy. Furthermore it should result in a different emphasis with regard to accountability. The shift in accountability would be from accountability to the insti­ tution to accountability to the students. Schools must become more accountable to those for whom the schools were supposedly designed. Finally, in order to learn from mistakes of the past and to avoid making those same mistakes in the future we must deemphasize the traditional rigidity of the curriculum. We must realize that results from c u r ­ riculum studies and/or curriculum committees should not endure as though they were carved in marble; they must 32 constantly be under scrutiny and if and w h e n they require change, methods of change should be accessible. This emergent philosophy includes an interesting m i x t u r e of idealism and pragmatism. ingredients, The mixture of in practice, were found to be quite success­ ful in laying the philosophical foundations for a new more relaxed structure. CHAPTER III ORGANIZING FOR CHANGE The Administration Becomes Involved I have chosen December 7, 1970 as the arbitrary date on which a few teachers at Besser Junior High began thinking in terms of organizing their efforts for change. My reasons in chronological order for having selected this date as the beginning of an action project are as follows: 1. It was on December 7 that I approached Horace Webb (Besser Junior High Principal) with the following guestions: a. Would it be possible for the science and English departments to offer an inter­ disciplinary course entitled Science Fiction? b. Would it be possible for the science d e p a r t ­ ment to offer a course called Science and Human Values? c. Could a course in furniture refinishing be offered if the industrial arts people were interested? 33 34 In each case the answer was that we could proceed with the studies required for implementa­ tion and if the end product of the study were satisfactory, he would help us try to initiate the courses for the 1971-72 school year. 2. Shortly after this conversation with the p r i n c i ­ pal, Paul Bray, a first year English teacher who was responsible for initiating this discussion on the Science Fiction course offering, and myself sat down during our common preparation period and began discussing how we could be assured that this course would be available to the students that would choose to take it. At that time we had to admit that there was little chance of interested students having time to elect this course as a part of their regularly scheduled classes under the existing curriculum structure since there was so much that "the curriculum" required. Paul and I agreed that the Science Fiction course was as legitimate as much of the material that riculum" required. "the c u r ­ The problem then became how do we affect the curriculum which is so rigid that we cannot initiate a new course which has a very high student interest? We felt that some curriculum requirements must be eliminated in order to fully implement such a 35 course. concept We concluded that the nine-week course (a topic of muc h discussion at Besser between October and December) might be an answer to several of our questions. It would be much easier to eliminate or amend nine weeks of "the curriculum" than 18 or 36 weeks. 3. As a result of this discussion between Paul Bray and myself I again approached Horace Webb and asked him if he would consider going further and consider a change from the traditional semester (18 week) organization to the nine-week structure. His response was again affirmative. 4. Directly following this informal discussion with Horace Webb; Paul Bray, Joel Osborne (Math D e ­ partment Chairman and administrative i n t e r n ) , Jere Standen (English Department C h a i r m a n ) , and myself discussed the potential of moving in this direction and decided that we should set up a meeting for all interested teachers on the earliest possible date. The date set for the first meeting was December 15, 1970. The meeting site was the wine cellar in Joel Osborne's home. Prior to the time of the meeting we had agreed to explore our own subject areas in more detail and be prepared for some action items at the upcoming meeting. 36 Other Events Affecting Change In the meantime other events were taking place that undoubtedly were to have an impact on the program we had been discussing at Besser Junior High. 1. On December 8, 1970 Ron LaBarre, principal of the other Alpena junior high school (Thunder Bay Junior High S c h o o l ) , gave his Monthly Report to the Superintendent concerning activities at Thunder Bay Junior High School. This Monthly Report to the Superintendent is included in the Superintendent's report to the Alpena Board of Education. refer to, The portion of LaBarre's report I listed in Section C, Exhibit #1, Report of the Superintendent of Schools, indicated that a committee was being formed to investigate the notion of mini-courses and what part they might play at Thunder Bay Junior High School in 1971-72 school year. LaBarre's report read as follows: Mini-courses Faculty and administration believe that our junior high students do not have a sufficient selection of elective courses. This is especially true of non-college bound students. A possible solution is to offer a greater variety of courses for shorter periods of time. Courses should run for six or nine weeks or a semester instead of an entire school year. Students would receive greater flexibility in choosing courses with the o p p o r ­ tunity of exploring areas or units currently not available. This approach, called the mini-course concept, is currently being explored by our staff. Administration and interested teachers have formed a committee chaired by Delbert Beyer, Assistant 37 Principal. If a plan develops that has merit, we will seek approval and attempt to implement this plan for the 1971-72 school year. 2. On December 10, 1970 the Science Curriculum Study Committee had set up a meeting for all secondary physical science teachers. Besser physical science teachers in attendance at that meeting were Don Zielinski, self. Science Department Chairman, and m y ­ We indicated that the Besser Science D e ­ partment felt that the Junior High Science C u r ­ riculum was literally log-jammed with "dead wood" and that it was our duty to admit to this fact and then to try to eliminate this material which was simply not functional for most students. In an attempt to remain as fundamental as possible we posed the following question, "What skills and knowledge in science must kids, m a t r i ­ culating from the junior high level to the senior high level, be able to exhibit?" The consensus was that there was probably very little that must be required of all students in junior high science. The high school teachers involved (Bill Shuler, Science Department Chairman and Adolph B r o s z , chemistry teacher) indicated that the most b e n e ­ ficial to most students entering high school science courses were the abilities to "follow directions and to observe." All teachers present 38 at this meeting agreed that most students could d evelop these abilities without any formal i n ­ struction in junior high science. The First Organizational Meeting At a Besser staff meeting on December 14, 1970 it was announced that there would be a meeting on December 15, the following day, at the residence of Joel Osborne concerning this idea of nine-week courses at Besser Junior High School. This was the first time the entire Besser staff was made aware that there was a group of people interested in exploring the nine-week course concept. The announcement promoted considerable d i s ­ cussion at that meeting and thereafter. On December 15, 1970 the following ten teachers met in Osborne's wine cellar to discuss the formulation of nine-week courses at Besser: Bernard Fish Mathematics John Heath Mathematics Joel Osborne Mathematics Department Chairman Jere Standen English Department Chairman Paul Bray Social Studies and English Don Zielinski Science Department Chairman J i m Wilcox Science Ed Rutherford Science Dick White Science Bill DesChamps Science 39 The meeting was extremely productive. It was felt that the results of this meeting should be presented to the Besser general staff for examination. Our plan was then to put the results of this meeting on paper for the entire staff to examine at a special meeting to be held December 21, 1970. I was appointed to prepare and make the report at that meeting. The sheets that were distributed at the December 21, 1970 meeting summarized the results of the small group meeting and categorized the material in three sections: 1. 1971-72 Recommendations for Restructuring the Besser Junior High Curriculum: a. Four nine-week courses replace the traditional 36-week course. b. Certain subject areas allow students to take classes across "grade levels." c. Any curriculum change at Besser should remain experimental ad infinitum in order that change might be easily implemented. d. Time and space be provided for student initiated courses, seminars, assemblies, w o r k ­ shops, etc. e. Student feedback be encouraged in developing, eliminating and restructuring curriculum and specific courses. f. The Besser faculty work toward implementation of some form of curriculum similar to the following Arbitrary Restructuring Outline. g. The number of units required for graduation be reduced. 40 h. 2. Each teacher participate in developing m e a n i n g ­ ful electives for the 1971-72 school year. Arbitrary Restructuring Outl i n e 1 Each course would last for one nine-week period. If we continue to have seven class periods per day, then each nine-week period would provide a maximum of seven units per nine-week period (one shift) which would amount to 28 units per year (four s h i f t s ) . The small group recommendations for restructuring are compiled below: Seventh Grade: Phys. Ed. English Social Studies Mathematics Science Eighth Grade: Phys. Ed. English U.S. History Mathematics Science Ninth Grade: English Social Studies Mathematics Science Health Ed. Phys. E d . 12 required units 4 required units 2 required units (electives) o units (2 electives) 10 8 4 4 2 units not required required units required units required units required units (electives) O' units (14 electives) (10 units not required) 4 4 2 2 required required required required units units units units (electives) (electives) (electives) 4 required units (electives) units (14 electives) (12 units not required) O 3. Possible Course Titles for Electives: Music (many) Journalism Industrial Arts (40 possible) Creative Writing ^This outline does not show the change of c u r r i c u ­ lum which was understood by the Besser teachers. It merely shows the material which was presented for c o n s i d ­ eration by the Besser staff. For a contrast see Tables I-IV. 41 Science Fiction Home Economics (many) Drama Racism Urban Life Rural Life Suburban Life Drugs Individual Differences Political Action Human Relations American Foreign Policy American Domestic Policy Civil Liberties Independent Study Student-initiated courses, workshops, seminars Student Rights Black History Chicano History Lapidary Mythology Speech Advertisement Writing Business Letter Writing Michigan Geology Geomorphology Paleontology Parisitology Entomology M ycology Embryology Sex Education Drafting Print Making Painting Minority Peoples General Psychology Learning Theories Sociology Population Pollution Human Ecology A World Community Open vs. Closed Societies Cultures Languages Consumer Science Contemporary Novels Institutions in America Values Great Issues assemblies, 42 Light Sound Heat Electricity Magnetism Mechanics Force and Work Simple Machines Chemistry Force and Motion The Human Body Photography Typing Sketching Sculpture Sculpture Weaving Collage Rocketry Jewelry Oceanography Design (many) Meteorology Federal Government State Government Local (City) Government History of Michigan Ceramics Crafts (many) Drawing (many) Basic Communication Drama Short Stories Poetry This was the first proposal presented by the study group to the entire Besser staff. There was lengthy discussion with regard to the advantages and disadvantages of such a program. It was felt that the program, as p r o ­ posed, had considerable merit. But, on the other hand, most teachers also felt that the administration w ould be unreceptive to such a drastic change. During this meeting it was mentioned that Thunder Bay Junior High staff, unknown to most of us until early 43 December, was attempting a similar program in the elective areas. To some teachers this provided all the impetus that was needed to join the push for examining the possibility for initiating our program as proposed to the Besser staff. As a result of this meeting, the unanimous a g r e e ­ ment between teachers and the enthusiasm exhibited by those same teachers in reaction to the proposed program, Webb, Besser Principal, ther. Horace agreed to pursue this matter fur­ He was to set up a meeting between the Besser staff and the administrative decision-makers. The receptiveness and resultant enthusiasm of the Besser teachers for this program made it unnecessary for any "sell job" to the teachers. This enthusiasm was to be one of the primary selling points which was to be used to convince the administration and the Alpena Board of E d u ­ cation of the possibility of success of such a curriculum change. The Christmas Vacation extended from December 23, 1970 to January 4, 1971, during this time there was a lapse in formal action. teachers' Upon return from this vacation the enthusiasm was still evident. Several informal discussions were arranged between Horace Webb, Principal, Besser and the administrative decision-makers. These informal discussions resulted in an administrative meeting 2 Many Besser teachers feel that their school is not provided with the financial backing, nor any other kind of backing for that matter, that Thunder Bay enjoys. 2 44 which directed a searching out of any nearby school districts w h i c h were operating similar programs. By January 11, 1971, two school systems that e m ­ ployed structures similar to our proposal were located: Howell, Michigan and Niles, Michigan. The administration decided to send a group of observers to examine these p r o ­ grams. Since both Besser Junior High and Thunder Bay Junior High were considering the shortened course concept and each school had different goals in mind, it was directed that both junior high schools be represented in this group. The people asked to make this trip were: Myron Blixt, Curriculum Director Horace Webb, Besser Junior High Principal Del Beyers, Thunder Bay Junior High Assistant Principal Bill DesChamps, Besser Junior High science teacher Arrangements were made for this group to visit Howell High School on Thursday, January 14, 1971 and Ring Lardner Junior High School in Niles, Michigan on Friday, January 15, 1971. The Board of Education Becomes Involved On January 12, 1971 the Alpena Board of Education was made aware for the first time that the Besser staff was studying the present junior high curriculum and that this study would result in recommendations to the Board. 45 The Board was made aware of our general curriculum study via the Monthly Report to Superintendent from Horace Webb, Besser Principal in Section C, Exhibit #1 of the Report of Superintendent of Schools. The report read as follows: Curriculum Study The faculty h a s c o m p l e t e d a partial study of our present curriculum and has prepared several basic recommendations for adoption next fall. Subject to approval for adoption, a more detailed study and complete recommendation will be forthcoming following tentative administrative approval for the experimental program. The V isit to Howell High School On January 15, 1971 the group selected to make the visitation departed for Howell, Michigan. Much discussion took place enroute concerning the mini-course concept. Since representatives from both junior highs in Alpena were present considerable time was spent contrasting the m i n i ­ course proposals at the two schools. Besser was ing implementing nine-week courses in c o n sider­ all areas, both r e ­ quired and elective, whereas Thunder Bay was only c o n sider­ ing the elective areas. Del Beyers, Thunder Bay Assistant Principal, per­ ceived the following reasons for Thunder Bay focusing on the elective areas: 1. Thunder Bay is considerably larger than Besser and as a result it is much more difficult to develop communications within their school. 46 2. Partly as a result of communication problems consensus could not be reached with regard to implementing mini-courses in the areas. "academic" A significant number of teachers opposed this concept not so much because they resisted change but because they had not had the opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of the mini-course concept and the things that could be done with that kind of structure. 3. The people within the elective areas had a meeting on the mini-course concept and found that they consensus within these areas. had It was then decided that the teachers in the elective areas would p u r ­ sue their goal of implementing mini-courses. I think that B e y e r s ' perceptions were accurate and I agree with the solution the Thunder Bay staff arrived at with regard to implementation of the mini-course c o n ­ cept at Thunder Bay. From this discussion it was also very evident that the entire Thunder Bay staff felt that the Besser proposal coupled with the tentative time schedule was grossly i m ­ practical. They felt that there was not sufficient time to study and make the necessary preparations for implemen­ tation of the proposed program by September of 1971. Per­ haps if Besser had been the size of Thunder Bay they may 47 have been correct but the Besser staff is relatively small (approximately 40 teachers) and very cohesive, therefore, communication and interpersonal dialogue is not the p r o b ­ lem it seemed to be at Thunder Bay. U pon arrival at Howell High School we had the o p ­ portunity to talk with people who were directly involved in the development and implementation of the Howell P r o ­ gram. The people from Howell with whom we conversed were: Will C h r i s t o p h e r s o n , Guidance Director for Junior-Senior High Schools Elon Kleinau, Unit Step Coordinator John Kremkow, Administrative Assistant We spent approximately two and one-half hours listening to their description of their Unit Step Program in operation in their secondary schools and directing questions at them concerning their program. cluded both theory and practice. Dialogue in­ This meeting was very productive in the sense that m any of our questions had been answered and we now had grounds for comparison of programs. A question that was raised to each of the three Howell administrators was "Since the teachers at Besser Junior High initiated this program in Alpena, are very e n ­ thusiastic, and have the support of our principal, do you feel that it would be possible to implement our program, w hich is very similar to yours, by September 1971?" each case the answer was emphatically affirmative. In They added that they felt that this was the only way that such 48 a program could be implemented in such a short time, with the support and involvement of the teachers. The Vi '" ' Junior On Friday, January 15, 1971 the group from Alpena visited Ring Lardner Junior High School in Niles, Michigan which used the Howell program as one of the models for their own Unit Step program. In the discussion at Niles we concentrated our discussion more on practice than on theory. The person who hosted us in Niles was James Bennett, Ring Lardner Principal. This Niles visitation increased our grounds for comparison of programs. At the time Horace Webb, Besser Principal and I agreed that the Besser staff had foreseen many of the problems that were encountered at Howell and Niles. We did not see any of these problems as being too serious to overcome. We were also pleased to find out that both Howell and Niles personnel were willing to provide us with the benefit of their experience and any other technical advice that we deemed necessary. John Kremkow and James Bennett both agreed to travel to Alpena to discuss their programs with both junior high staffs if the administra­ tion in Alpena were to request their services. While enroute back to Alpena the four members of our group summarized the materials gathered from the two 49 school systems we visited. Now Horace Webb and I were more convinced than before that the Besser staff could implement our proposed program by September 1971. Summary of Howell, Ring Lardner, Besser Proposed Programs and Howell Secondary Schools— Howell, Michigan Name of Program: Unit Step Time Required for Implementation: Purposes of Program: 1 year, grades 7-12 (1) to modulate the curriculum and meet student needs (2) to create a vehicle for change in the public school curriculum as opposed to being an end in itself. Definitions: (1) unit--an 8-week course day) (1 period per (2) shift--high school— an 8-week class schedule (6 periods per d a y ) ; junior h i g h — an 8-week class schedule (5 periods per day) Ring Lardner Junior H i g h -Niles, Michigan Name of Program: Unit Step Time Required for Implementation: 6 months in one junior high school Purpose of Program: Same as Howell Secondary Schools. Since Ring Lardner took Howell's program and adapted it, they are very similar. TABLE 1.— Seventh Grade Requirements Department Social Studies Phys. E d . Mathematics Ind. Arts Occup. Arts Home E c . Art Foreign Language Science (25) Do not have this schedule available for the Howell Seventh G r a d e — assume that it is very similar to the schedule that Niles is operating under. (Since 8th and 9th are very similar.) English Howell Ring Lardner Besser (32 Units) (28 Units) 4 required units, do not change teachers each unit-home base 3 required units and 1 unit required (elect) 12 required units of these three English, Social Studies, Phys. Ed. 2 required units 4 required units (3 levels) 4 required units (lab., r e g ., a c c .) 2 required units (home ec. & Ind. Arts) 0 2 units required during the 3 years 0 4 required units 0 4 required units (French) 2 required units TABLE 2.— Eighth Grade Requirements Department Howell (25) Ring Lardner Besser (32 units) (28 units) English 2 required units and 2 units required (elect.) 2 required units and 2 units required (elect.) 1-3/5 x 4 = 6-2/5 r e ­ quired units could chg. Social Studies 4 units required (elect.) 3 required units and 1 unit required (elect.) 4 units required (elect.) Phys. E d . 2 required units and 2 units required (elect.) 2 required units 2 / 5 x 4 = 1-3/5 required units Mathematics 3 required units and 1 unit required (elect.) 4 required units 3 levels 4 required units (lab, r e ., a c c .) Science 8th and 9th sometime 5 required units and 3 units required (elect.) 8th and 9th sometime 5 required units and 3 units required (elect.) 2 units required (elect.) 2 required units 0 2 units required during the 3 years 0 4 required units (French) 0 1 required unit and Ind. Arts, Home Ec . , O c c u p . Arts, 1 unit required Teen Activities (elect.) Art 0 Foreign Language 0 TABLE 3.— Ninth Grade Requirements Department Howell (25 units) Ring Lardner (32 units) Besser (28 units) English 1 required unit and 3 units required (elect.) 4 units required (elect.) 4 units required (elect.) Social Studies 4 units required (elect.) 2 required units and 2 units required (elect.) 4 units required (elect.) Phys. E d . 2 units required (elect.) 4 required units 1-3/5 required units Mathematics 3 required units and 1 unit required (elect.) 4 required units (3 levels) 2 required units Science 8th and 9th 5 required units and 3 units required (elect.) 8th and 9th 5 required units and 3 units required (elect.) 2 units required Ind. Arts Teen Activities 2 units required (elect.) 2 required units? 0 Health 0 0 2-2/5 units required Art 0 2 units required during the 3 years 0 53 Mechanics of Unit Step Program 1. A. Howell H.S.--five 8-week shifts with 6 units each shift (30 units/yr.) B. Howell Jr. H i g h — five 8-week shifts with 5 units each shift (25 units/yr.) C. Niles Jr. H i g h — four 9-week shifts with 8 units each shift (32 units/yr.) D. Besser Jr. High--four 9-week shifts with 7 units each shift (28 units/yr.) 2. At each of the 3 schools a master schedule is made for the entire year at the beginning of each year. All 3 schools at the time of this study intend to move toward scheduling just prior to the beginning of each shift similar to the way students register for courses in college. 3. Procedures for establishing courses are available from both Howell and Niles. 4. In all 3 schools methods of evaluation are in large part determined by departmental decision (either A, B, C, D, E, OR credit, n o n - c r e d i t ) . 5. Both Howell and Niles personnel indicated that the Jr. High seems to be the best placed to initiate such a program. 6. Howell had just adopted new curricula and found few problems in adapting them to the Unit Step Program. 7. The people in Niles felt that the five 8-week shifts did not fit their needs and thus went to four 9-week shifts (same as Besser P r o p o s e d ) . 8. In Niles: music, art, language, phys. ed., and ind. arts mark with credit, non-credit; other courses use A, B, C, D, E. 9. In Niles they found that since 7th graders have fewer electives available to choose from that it is better to schedule the 7th graders first. 54 10. Personnel from both schools found that scheduling is is much easier if courses require as few p r e ­ requisites as possible. 11. A Howell High School student must complete 75 units (60 academic and 15 electives) of a possible 90 units in order to graduate. Advantages of Unit Step P r o ­ grams in Niles and HowelT 1. Program allows school to adapt to students' needs. 2. Program provides a more responsive vehicle for change in the public school curricula. 3. Makes Jr. High program nature by encouraging courses in which they proficient (only fail truly more exploratory in students to sign up for are not necessarily 8 weeks). 4. Shorter duration of courses allows more immediate resolution of student-teacher conflicts. 5. Jr. High students can complete graduation require­ ments at some time other than the end of the school year. 6. Students, in most cases, are in particular classes because they elected to be there. 7. This program definitely increased the teacher and student involvement in curriculum planning. 8. This program greatly reduces the amount of time required to add or delete courses. 9. In Howell, "poorer students, according to our records, are doing a better job." 10. Teachers are more receptive to teaching slower sections due to the decreased duration of the courses. 11. The program created better interaction between elementary, junior high, and senior high teachers. 12. Teaches kids to make wiser decisions in course se l e c t i o n s . 55 13. Allows for simple transition to the extended school year concept. 14. Decreased discipline problems. 15. Easier to implement independent study for students. 16. Students, each shift, get between 50-60 per cent of the courses they choose (by c o m p u t e r ) ; 60-70 per cent after adaptations are made. 17. Encourages multi-media approach (paperbacks, newspapers, T . V . , resource people, films, etc.). 18. Greatly increases flexibility in curricula. 19. Smaller teacher turn-over under this program. 20. Involves teachers in guidance of students with regard to course selection. 21. Greatly increases the number of courses from which students can select. 22. Teachers are involved in setting up master schedules (shift b o a r d ) . 23. Allows students to cross grade levels. 24. Could eliminate "failing a g r a d e " — only fail a 9-week unit (or s h i f t ) . 25. Makes schools more relevant to students. Disadvantages of Unit Step P r o ­ grams in Niles and Howell 1. May require new school board policy for early and late graduations. 2. Teachers do not have a room of their own. 3. Counselors assumed scheduling problems and t h e r e ­ fore could spend less time with problems of individual students. 4. Increased cost in computer scheduling of students by $1.2 5 / s t u d e n t . 56 5. Increased cost, in Howell, by requiring addition of a Junior-Senior High Coordinator. 6. Would necessitate development of a new reporting technique for student progress. 7. Increases number of teacher preparations, some cases. 8. In Howell (high school) a more detailed explanation of records were necessary for college admissions people. 9. In Howell, student transfers at semester did not mesh with their 8-week shift (should not be a problem with a 9-week s h i f t ) . in Transition from Old Program to Unit Step 1. Limited availability of school plant was no more a factor than before. 2. Did not significantly affect the number of staff members required. 3. Howell personnel anticipated no problems with state testing programs. 4. In Niles students elected more art and vocational units. 5. Besser can benefit from the Howell and Niles experimentation. 6. This type of program could, in the future, facili­ tate a change in selection procedure of teacher applicants (could require teachers with a more liberal background rather than a s p e c i a l i s t ) . STANDARD FORM FOR WRITING COURSE DESCRIPTIONS COURSE NUMBER SHIFTS COURSE IS OFFERED PREREQUISITES COURSE DESCRIPTION TEXT REQUIRED COURSE TITLE DEPARTMENT CREDIT(S) LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY (circle one) 1 2 3 4 5 CREDITS COULD BE RECE:i v e d IN (circle one) COURSE REQUIRED ELECTIVE 58 Unit Evaluation from Howell, Michigan The following excerpts of pertinent questions and student replies are taken from a survey conducted last year at Howell Junior High School, Howell, Michigan. The q u e s ­ tionnaire was designed to have the student evaluate the existing Unit Program. Student replies are reflected as a Yes or No to each question. YES NO 96 213 Unit Step has broken up courses into too many parts for the parts to mean anything. 250 54 188 115 248 60 97 211 Unit Step has caused too many changes in "going to school." 167 139 Unit Step has made me like going to school more than before. Ill 19 3 Unit Step makes it harder to get to know the teachers. 86 224 Unit Step forces me to have to get used to too many teachers. 194 114 It is easier to "live with" teachers I don't like under Unit Step. 198 101 Unit Step has helped me learn and understand more about the world around m e . 98 214 Unit Step has given me more homework to do. 246 60 Unit Step has helped me meet more students. Unit Step has made it easier to study a subject and know what to do or what to learn. Unit Step has given me higher grades in the subjects. Unit Step has caused me to like some subjects more than before. 59 YES NO 71 2 31 Unit Step has caused me to be more confused in school. 201 101 Unit Step has made me more interested in school and to learn more about things. 34 265 Unit Step should be high. dropped from the junior 253 44 It is easier to use only chapters in a big text book than using the whole book and studying chapter by chapter. 231 45 Students appear to be happier under Unit Step. 228 74 Most of the courses I have taken I chose. On January 18, 1971 the Monday following the return of the group of four that visited Howell and Niles this summary of material was distributed to the Besser staff at a Besser staff meeting. A lengthy discussion followed in which even more enthusiasm was generated resulting in renewed drive by the Besser staff to implement this p r o ­ gram by September 1971. At the conclusion of this meeting most of the Besser teachers were convinced that we had enough evidence, involvement and enthusiasm to convince the administration and the Board of Education that we could make this program work. Many of us had already begun to prepare course descriptions, now more had indicated that they were going to begin writing course descriptions in their subject areas. A standard form was provided with the Summary materials on which to begin writing these descriptions in order that all necessary information would be included. 60 The developmental aspect was now in full swing at Besser Junior High. were not evident, With perhaps a few exceptions that there was total teacher involvement. Every Besser teacher was contributing to making this change in structure become a reality. A Besser, Thunder Bay, Central Administration Meeting On Saturday, January 23, 1971 the decision-makers from Central Office requested a meeting with teachers from Besser and Thunder Bay. At that meeting it was made very clear that the two junior highs had set their sights on different goals. It was also quite evident that neither school was willing to compromise their program at that time. Representatives from the two schools were very e f ­ fective transmitters of the program and enthusiasm at their respective schools. Lawrence McConnell, Superinten­ dent was quick to recognize this enthusiasm and state his intention to capitalize on this situation. Although McConnell did not want to "dampen enthusiasm" he expressed his concerns with certain aspects of the proposed program at Besser: the time table, the impact of this proposed program on the various curriculum committees, and the notion that the two junior high schools proceed along different paths. his concerns. Teachers from both schools respected 61 By the end of this meeting most people involved felt that it looked much more promising for the Thunder Bay program than for the Besser program. It seemed that there was a definite advantage to not tinkering with the "academic" subjects. Even though the Besser program was subjected to more scrutiny at this meeting the Besser contingent did feel that we had shown that our program did have sufficient merit to deserve nothing less than very serious consideration. This meeting was the first time the entire Besser teaching staff was involved, through representatives, in dialogue with the decision-makers concerning the proposed changes. I was elated over this encounter as I felt that they were listening but testing our sincerity and e n ­ thusiasm. h Besser Central Administration Meeting On Monday, January 25, 1971 the results of that meeting were conveyed to the Besser staff at a building meeting. The Besser teachers were not satisfied with the results of that meeting and requested another meeting, as soon as possible, in hopes of gaining more concrete answers with regard to the intent of the administration. We felt that it was the proper time to put the a d m i n i s ­ trative position on this matter under scrutiny. 62 As a result of this Besser staff meeting another meeting was arranged on Friday, January 29, 1971 at the Besser Junior High Library. the Besser proposal. This meeting was to focus on Alpena Public School personnel present at that meeting were: Lawrence McConnell, Superintendent John Darnton, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Horace Webb, Besser Principal Jere Standen, Besser English Department Chairman Joe Mischley, Besser Social Studies Department Chairman Joel Osborne, Besser Mathematics Department Chairman Bob Strong, Besser physical education teacher Bill DesChamps, Besser science teacher Ron LaBarre, Thunder Bay Principal Kathy McDonald, Thunder Bay English Department Chairman and Chairman of the English Curriculum Study Committee This was the first meeting in which there was a considerable amount of confrontation. practicality encountered theory, administrators, Tempers flared, teachers encountered Besser staff clashed with Thunder Bay staff and subject areas clashed but through it all the p h i l o ­ sophy that the Besser Program was supporting prevailed. Everyone involved in that meeting from Besser felt that this particular meeting was a milestone in our attempt to implement our program. I think the administration now had further proof of the teachers' conviction and the teachers recognized the importance of this kind of p e r ­ sistence and dialogue. 63 Nothing was really settled at that meeting but I walked away feeling that the Besser staff had been very convincing and that we had satisfied their concerns. was convinced, in my own mind, I that our program stood a very good chance of being approved. Even though I was very high on the chances of our success a few of the Besser teachers were beginning to wonder if this were not just "another study which the administration would file in the waste basket." Representatives from Howell and Ni3-es Visit Alpena February 8, 1971 had been designed as an inservice day. It had been negotiated that the morning was to be set aside for building level concerns, what was to be done with the afternoon time was not negotiated. quently Myron Blixt, Curriculum Director, Conse­ had made a r ­ rangements for representatives from Niles and Howell to visit Alpena and speak to all interested junior high teachers on that afternoon. John Kremkow, James Bennett, Howell Administrative Assistant and Ring Lardner Junior High Principal (Niles) were the administrators who were representing their school systems and had played important parts in the development and implementation of Unit Step programs in their re­ spective school s y s t e m s . 64 Each of the men were allotted time to explain their own programs and the advantages and disadvantages of switch­ ing to this type of program. They then opened the floor to questions. Throughout their stay both men were extremely e n ­ thusiastic about what this type of structure change enabled them to do that they had not been able to do prior to the change. They both indicated that the advantages far o u t ­ weighed the disadvantages. In all honesty, most of the information made available by the two men had already been thoroughly d i s ­ cussed by members of the Besser staff. convinced. So, in my opinion, We had already been the primary benefits of this presentation were the impact of the speakers on the a d m i n i ­ stration and the Thunder Bay teachers and the enthusiasm these men showed for their Unit Step programs. The Administration Supports the Besser Program On that same day at 4:00 p.m. another meeting had been arranged between the Besser staff and the administra­ tion in order to decide what was to be presented to the Board at their regularly scheduled meeting the following evening. It was at this meeting that decisions and c o m ­ promises were made that resulted in an agreement in what I shall call the Resultant Program. The details of the R e ­ sultant Program are presented in Chapter IV. 65 The administration was now in support of the Besser proposal (with m o d i f i c a t i o n s ) . It now became their task to convince the Board of Education that this change in curriculum should take place. The Presentation of the Two Mini-Course Proposals to the Board On February 9, 1971 the Board of Education met and listened to a mini-course presentation by the principals of the two junior high schools. The following three statements were taken from the report of Superintendent of Schools to the Board which is made available to all Board members and citizens who attend the Board meetings. Presentation The presentation this evening will be made by Mr. Horace Webb, Principal of Besser Junior High School, and Mr. Ron LaBarre, Principal of Thunder Bay Junior High School. These gentlemen will discuss the proposed mini-course structure being developed for the two junior high schools which will provide flexibility within the curriculum and a greater o p ­ portunity for students to explore areas of interest within both of these schools. Section A: Background Information about Items Requiring Action T T Offer Mini-courses at Junior High Level The first agenda item this evening r e l a t e s t o the presentation. The effectiveness of mini-courses within the junior high school will be enhanced by a change in one board adopted requirement at the ninth grade level. Currently students are required to take p h y s i ­ cal education in the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. Since this particular requirement was adopted by the board, a physical education requirement has been adopted at the senior high school level. Consequently, it would be appropriate to convert the ninth grade physical 66 education to an elective to allow students an additional opportunity to gain experience in mini-courses of their interest. R e c o m m e n d a t i o n ; That the Board of Education approve the elimination of the required physical education course at the ninth grade level. Monthly Report to Superintendent Thunder Bay Junior High School Mini-courses Under the leadership of Mr. Beyer, our staff has continued its work of developing mini-courses in the elective areas for the 1971-72 school year. In an effort to provide us with additional insight, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Webb, Mr. Blixt and Mr. DesChamps attended schools in Howell and Niles, Michigan where the mini-course concept is presently being utilized. From our s t a n d ­ point, all systems are go for incorporation of m i n i ­ courses in elective areas. The report made at this board meeting by Horace Webb and Ron LaBarre was very comprehensive. As a teacher intimately involved in helping to develop this program, I must say that they were able to treat all aspects of the implementation of this program fairly. disadvantages, they were mentioned. Where there were The proposal was certainly not candy-coated. The Board voted to accept the recommendation as made by the Superintendent, to eliminate the required physical education course at the ninth grade level. The board did not vote to approve the mini-course concept per se but since the rationale for such a decision was to "allow students an additional opportunity to gain experience in mini-courses of their interest" we at Besser assumed that this was our approval to move toward implementation. 67 Between February 10, 1971 and early M arch 1971 many small building meetings and departmental meetings were held at Besser. Most of this time was spent developing course descriptions which would fit within the curriculum as modified on February 8, 1971. All course descriptions were collected from the various departments on Thursday, March 4, 1971. day, March 10, By W e d n e s ­ 1971 the course descriptions had been typed and incorporated into a Course Selection Guide (see Appendix B) which was to be distributed to each student in order to assist them in selecting courses for the 1971-72 school year. Chapter V explains the mini-course selection procedure used at Besser. On March 9, 1971 the Board of Education held their first regularly scheduled March meeting. Both junior high principals included their reports on the status of mini courses implementation at their respective schools. Below are the two excerpts from the March 9, 1971 Report of the Superintendent of Schools: Monthly Report to Superintendent Thunder Bay Junior High School Unit Course Program A great deal of time and effort has continued in the development of the unit course approach for selected areas of our junior high curriculum. Our staff is engaged in establishing approved courses to be offered to students and, hopefully, we will be ready the latter part of March to present parents and students with registration information for the following school year. As a result of the Board presentation made by Mr. Webb and me, we have been granted a relaxing of some ninth grade requirements with the hope that this will provide us with additional flexibility necessary for the unit course approach. It is obvious to me that this concept will provide an interesting challenge in scheduling which should occupy any potential free time one might expect during the summer. Monthly Report to Superintendent Besser Junior High School Unit Step Program Following the school board's approval of the Unit Step Program for the junior highs next year, work has progressed at this point to where the catalog of courses to be offered is being readied as well as an initial course tally sheet to survey student interest in all courses. Work is also progressing on an acceptable* form to be used for key punching at the community college and for procedures for use of the computer at Oakland Schools. Scheduling of present eighth, seventh, and sixth graders should begin in late March. Even though the Board of Education never formally approved the mini-course concept with the relaxation of requirements suggested by the Besser staff, we interpreted a lack of reaction by the Board of Education to the above statements as final approval of the respective junior high programs. CHAPTER IV THE RESULTANT PROGRAM The Achievement of Objectives Of the eight recommendations originally proposed to the Besser staff (see page 39) by the ten teachers who first met to initiate the recommendations, all of the recommendations were achieved to some degree. 1. Four nine-week courses did replace the 36-week courses. 2. Most subject areas allowed students to take classes across 3. "grade levels." This curriculum change at Besser is expected to remain experimental in order that more changes might be more easily implemented. 4. In the future time and space is expected to be provided for student initiated courses, assemblies, and workshops. 69 seminars, 70 5. Student feedback is encouraged in developing, eliminating and restructuring curriculum and specific courses. 6. The Besser staff has worked very hard toward implementation of the form of curriculum similar to that proposed in the Arbitrary Restructuring outline 7. (see page 40). The number of units required for graduation has been reduced. 8. Almost every returning teacher has participated in developing meaningful electives for the 1971-72 school year. The most meaningful changes resulting from this curriculum study are: the reduction of units required for graduation and the right whish was granted to students to select classes across "grade levels." Both of the a f o r e ­ mentioned changes were implemented as a result of the basic structural changes from 36-week courses to 9-week courses. The New Program for the 1971-72 school year will allow students to select more electives in areas of their interest. 71 A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Old Seventh Grade Program and tTie New Seventh Grade Program TABLE 4.— A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Old Seventh Grade Program and the New Seventh Grade Program Old Program Course Units Required Electives New Program Units Required Electives Science 4 0 2 2 Mathematics 4 0 4 0 12 0 12 0 * 8 + 10 English Social Studies Physical Ed. Electives *Must select two courses from five non-academic areas. +Must select ten courses from many possibilities in both academic and non-academic areas (two of the ten courses must be science c o u r s e s ) . The primary reason for not providing more electives for seventh grade students was the feelinq of most seventh grade teachers that the average seventh grade student was not yet prepared to make wise elections. Furthermore, the seventh grade teachers felt that the seventh grade should be devoted to helping the seventh grade students make the transition from a situation where all their courses were predetermined for them to a situation where they would be free to select the courses of their choice. In the eighth 72 grade more electives would be made available and in the ninth even more electives would be provided. Seventh Grade Science^ In the seventh grade the most radical changes were made in the area of science. Seventh grade students would no longer be required to take 36 weeks of earth science. The nine-week course concept made it possible to eliminate one-half year of required earth science. Under the New Program all seventh grade students are required to take two specific nine-week earth science courses: vironmental Lab and 0401 Weather. units are elective; 0400 E n ­ The two remaining nine each seventh grade student must elect any two of the nine-week courses provided. Consequently, even though seventh grade students are still required to take a year of science, for one-half year, they now have the option, at least to select science courses in areas of their interest. Listed below are the science courses from which seventh grade students make their elections: For course descriptions, see Appendix B, Course Selection Guide which was distributed to all Besser Junior High students to assist them in selecting courses. 0402 +0403 +0404 +0405 +0406 +0407 ++0408 ++0409 ++0410 ++0411 ++0412 ++0413 ++0414 Science--A way of knowing Alpena Fossils Insects Aircraft Oceanography & Limnology Astronomy Amphibians & Reptiles Conservation Seminar Pollution Seminar Rocks, Minerals, Gem Polishing Wildlife Seminar Ornithology Independent Study Seventh Grade Mathematics 2 In seventh grade mathematics there were essentially no changes. In the past students were tested in the sixth grade to determine their entry level into seventh grade mathematics. levels: Students were then tracked to one of three Laboratory Math s t u d e n t s ) , Regular Math (designed for "slow" 7th grade (designed for "average" 7th grade s t u d e n t s ) , and Accelerated Math 7th grade s t u d e n t s ) . (designed for "exceptional" Under the New Program the same material is offered in four unit blocks (36 w e e k s ) . The courses offered seventh grade students are: 0300 M a t h — 7 0304 Lab Math 7 0310 Math 8 (accelerated track) +Courses also open to eighth grade students. ++Courses also open to ninth grade students. 2 For course descriptions, see Appendix B. In addition to the required seventh grade m a t h e ­ matics, seventh grade students are offered one elective which is also open to eighth and ninth grade students: 0305 Logic and Inquiry Seventh Grade Language Arts (English) Social Studies _ Block and Physical Education There were essentially no changes Arts (English) cation. in the Language Social Studies block nor in Physical Ed u ­ Under the New Program three class periods each day are still allocated for seventh grade block and Physical Education of the 15 class periods (Physical Education classes meet for a single class period two days of each w e e k ) . In other words each seventh grade student is still required to take 12 units of the Language Arts (English) Social Studies block and Physical Education. Additional electives offered to seventh grade students in these areas are listed below: Language 0104 0106 +0107 +0108 +0109 Arts Reading Improvement Reading for Fun Vocabulary--Basic Vocabulary--Enrichment Reporting--Oral and Written 3 For course descriptions see Appendix B. +Courses also open to eighth and ninth grade students. 75 Social Studies +0201 Geography of Latin America +0202 Oceania +0203 Geography of North America +0204 World Religions +0205 World Resources, Industry and Agriculture +0206 Maps, Graphs, Tables and Charts +0207 Independent Study Other Seventh Grade Electives in "Non-Academic" A r e a s ^ Under the Old Program seventh grade students had the option to select two 36-week, "non-academic" courses. Under the New Program seventh grade students have the option to elect courses in both "academic" and "nonacademic" areas if electives are provided by the d e p a r t ­ ment. "Academic" courses have been listed in the p r e ­ ceding sections. "Non-academic" course electives are listed below: Foreign Language 0500 French I 0501 French I I 0502 French I I I 0503 French I V 0504 Spanish I 0505 Spanish I I 0506 Spanish I I I 0507 Spanish I V * * * * * * * * +Courses also open to eighth and ninth grade st u d e n t s . 4 For course descriptions see Appendix B. *Courses must be elected as four-unit blocks. 76 Music + 0550 +0551 +0552 +0553 ++0554 ++0555 ++0556 ++0557 ++0562 ++0563 ++0564 ++0565 0570 0571 0572 0573 ++0574 Beginning Band I Beginning Band II Beginning Band III Beginning Band IV Intermediate Band I Intermediate Band II Intermediate Band III Intermediate Band IV Orchestra I Orchestra II Orchestra III Orchestra IV Mixed Chorus I Mixed Chorus II Mixed Chorus III Mixed Chorus IV Vocal Music Fine Arts ++0600 ++0601 ++0602 ++0603 ++0604 ++0605 ++0606 ++0607 ++0608 ++0609 ++0610 ++0611 ++0615 Basic Art Skills Drawing and Painting I Drawing and Painting II Design I Design II Printing I Printing II Sculpture I Sculpture II Ceramics I Ceramics II Darkroom Techniques Photo-Journalism * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Home Economics 0700 Who A m I 0701 Beginning Sewing I 0702 Beginning Sewing II 0703 Child Care 0704 Basic Foods 0705 Special Foods ++0706 Clothing Construction I ++0707 Home Economics Survey (Boys) ++0708 Interior Decorating & Home Furnishing ++0709 Creative Crafts in Home E c . +Courses also open to 8th graders. ++Courses also open to 8th and 9th graders. ‘Courses must be elected as four-unit blocks, 77 Industrial Arts ++0800 Sketching ++0801 Basic Woodworking ++0802 Laminating +0803 Bench and Wrought Metal +0804 Foundry +0805 Home Mechanics ++0806 Industrial Graphics A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Eighth Grade Program and t h ^ Ne w Eighth Grade Program TABLE 5.— A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Old Eighth Grade Program and the New Eighth Grade Program New Program Old Program Course Units Required Electives Units Required Electives Science 4 0 2 2 English Physical Ed. 8 0 3 2 3 0 Social Studies (U.S. History) A *t f ut A n Mathematics 4 * 0 4 0 8 + 13 Electives *Must select two courses from five non-academic areas. +May select 13 courses from many possibilities in both academic and non-academic areas (two of these courses must be in science and three must be in E n g l i s h ) . +Courses also open to 8th graders. ++Courses also open to 8th and 9th graders. 78 Eighth Grade Science 5 Under the Old Program all eighth grade students were required to take a 36-week course in Life Science (four u n i t s ) . Under the New Program eighth grade students are required to take 36 weeks of science but, similar to the seventh grade structure, each eighth grade student is required to take two specific nine-week life science courses: 0415 Cell, 0416 The Human Body. Tissues and Tools of Biology; and The remaining 18 weeks, eighth grade students must elect at least two nine-week science courses from those provided: +0403 +0404 +0405 +0406 +0407 +0408 +++0409 +++0410 +++0411 +++0412 +++0413 +++0414 ++0418 ++0419 ++0420 ++0421 ++0422 ++0423 Alpena Fossils Insects Aircraft Oceanography and Limnology Astronomy Amphibians and Reptiles Conservation Seminar Pollution Seminar Rocks, Minerals and Gem Polishing Wildlife Seminar Ornithology Independent Study Genetics Careers in Science Seminar First Aid Animal Training Animal Behavior History of Life ^For course descriptions see Appendix B. +Courses ++Courses +++Courses students. also open to seventh grade students. also open to ninth grade students. also open to seventh and ninth grade 79 ++0424 ++0425 ++0426 ++0427 ++0428 ++0429 ++0430 ++0432 ++0433 ++0434 ++043 5 ++0436 ++0437 ++0438 ++0439 ++0440 Ancient Peoples of North America Ecology Mammalology Parasitology Entomology Rocks and Minerals Space Travel Diseases Vascular Plants Non-vascular Plants Human Behavior Seminar Careers in Food Production and Natural Resources Geologic Measurement and Maps Slide Rule Ichthology The Mind Eighth Grade M a t h e m a t i c s ^ Eighth grade mathematics, under the New Program, remains the same and includes the same content in the same order as it did prior to the inception of the New Program except for the basic structural change from 36-week courses to nine-week courses. Seventh grade students are tested prior to entry into the eighth grade and are then tracked to one of the four available four unit block tracks 0304 0310 0314 0315 Lab Math A Math— 8 Lab Math B Algebra Once an eighth grade student is placed in one of the four tracks he usually remains in that particular track for the entire school year. ++Courses also open to ninth grade students. ^For course descriptions see Appendix B. 80 In addition the four required units of eighth grade mathematics eighth grade students are offered the 7 following n m e - w e e k electives: 0308 +0325 +0326 +0327 +0318 +0319 +0320 +0321 +0322 +0324 +0323 Logic and Inquiry Fractions Integers and Coordinate Planes Metrics and Scientific Notation Business Math Graphing Measurement Fundamental Set Theory Number Sentences and Formulas History of Mathematics Plane Geometry Eighth Grade Language Arts (English) So c i a l Studies Block and Physical Education** Under the Old Program all eighth grade students were required to take 36 weeks of Social Studies (one period per day) and 36 weeks of an English-Physical Education block (two periods per day) from which two periods each week were set aside for Physical Education. Under the Old Program the eighth grade, grade, separated the Language Arts block into Language Arts (English) unlike the seventh (English) Social Studies and Social Studies. An example of an eighth grade schedule under the Old Program might be as follows: 7 For course descriptions see Appendix B. +Courses also open to ninth grade students. g For course descriptions see Appendix B. 81 Period Monday Tuesday -------------------- 1 Wednesday Thursday Friday English --------------------- 2 3 4 ----------------- Social Studies ----------------- Under the New Program Language Arts Social Studies, (English) and Physical Education are now separate entities in the eighth grade. An eighth grade student is now required to take six units of English, four units of Social Studies and two units of physical education. O Eighth Grade English Each eighth grade student is required to take: 0112 0113 +0110 +0111 Novel Short Story Basic Communication I Composition In addition to these three required eighth grade English courses each eighth grade student must elect three units from the elective courses provided:^ 0 For course description see Appendix B. +Each student has a choice of either of these two courses. g If an eighth grade student elects both 0110 Basic Communication I and 0111 Composition he would be required to make only two additional English elections. 82 +0107 +0108 +0109 ++0115 ++0116 ++0117 ++0118 ++0119 ++0120 ++0121 ++0122 ++0123 ++0124 ++0125 ++0127 ++0128 ++0129 Vocabulary Basic Vocabulary Enrichment Reporting— Oral and Written Pleasure Reading Practical English Mass Media Poetry Lesson Attack Skills Science Fiction Research Writing Speech I Speech II Drama I Drama II Speed Reading Mythology Journalism I Eighth Grade Social Stud i e s ^ Each eighth grade student is required to take: 0220 Discovery, Growth and Independence 0211 Growth of America, 1783-1840 0212 Westward Movement Through the Civil War In addition to the three required eighth grade social studies courses, each eighth grade student must elect one unit from the elective courses provided: +0201 +0202 +0203 +0204 +0205 +0206 +0207 ++0213 ++0214 ++0215 ++0216 ++0217 Geography of Latin America Oceania Geography of North America World Religions World Resources, Industry and Agriculture Maps, Graphs, Tables, and Charts Independent Study Citizenship Responsibilities State and Local History Personal Economics History of American Minority Groups Contemporary Issues +Courses also open to seventh and ninth graders. ++Courses also open to ninth g r a d e r s . ■^For course descriptions see Appendix B. 83 Eighth Grade Physical Education^ The Old Program required all eighth grade students to take physical education for an entire year, two class periods per week which amounts to 1-3/5 units per year (see sample schedule on page 81). The New Program requires all eighth grade students to take two specific units of physical education: students are not provided elective courses from which to choose their units. The actual time allotted to physical e d u c a ­ tion increases by approximately 25 per cent over the course of a year. Physical education classes now meet five days per week for two shifts (18 w e e k s ) . Other Eighth Grade Electives in 11Non-Academic*1 A r e a s i^ Under the Old Program eighth grade students were required to select two 36-week courses from the five "nonacademic" areas. Under the New Program eighth grade stu­ dents are required to select eight additional units in either "academic" or "non-academic" areas as provided by the various departments. Eighth grade "academic" course electives have already been listed in the preceding sec­ tions. "Non-academic" courses are listed below: ^For 12 course descriptions see Appendix B. For course descriptions see Appendix B. 84 Foreign Language ++0508 Introduction to French ++0509 Introduction to Spanish 0510 French II Section I 0511 French II Section II 0512 French II Section III 0513 French II Section IV 0514 Spanish II Section I 0515 Spanish II Section II 0516 Spanish II Section III 0517 Spanish II Section IV Music +0550 +0551 +0552 +0553 +++0554 +++0555 +++0556 +++0557 ++0558 ++0559 ++0560 ++0561 +++0562 +++0563 +++0564 +++0565 +++0574 ++0576 ++0577 ++0578 ++0579 ++0580 ++0581 ++0582 ++0583 ++0584 ++0585 ++0586 Beginning Band I Beginning Band II Beginning Band III Beginning Band IV Intermediate Band I Intermediate Band II Intermediate Band III Intermediate Band IV Advanced Band I Advanced Band II Advanced Band III Advanced Band IV Orchestra I Orchestra II Orchestra III Orchestra IV Vocal Music Mixed Chorus I Mixed Chorus II Mixed Chorus III Mixed Chorus IV Choir I Choir II Choir III Choir IV Music Appreciation Music Theory Small Ensemble * * * * * * * * ★ * * * * * ★ * * * * * * * * * * * * * ★ * * it *Courses must be elected as four-unit blocks ♦Courses also open to seventh grade students 4-4-Courses also open to ninth grade students. 4-4-4-Courses also open to both seventh and ninth grade students. 85 Fine Arts +++0600 +++0601 +++0602 +++0603 +++0604 +++0605 +++0606 +++0607 +++0608 +++0609 +++0610 +++0611 ++0612 ++0613 ++0614 +++0615 Basic Art Skills Drawing and Painting I Drawing and Painting II Design I Design II Printing I Printing II Sculpture I Sculpture II Ceramics I Ceramics II Darkroom Techniques Movie Production Micro and Macro Photography Photography Art Photo Journalism Home Economics +++0706 Clothing Construction I +++0707 Home Economics Survey (Boys) +++0708 Interior Decorating and Home Furnishing +++0709 Creative Crafts in Home Economics 0710 Creative Cooking 0711 Clothing Selection and Care ++0712 Specialty Cooking ++0713 Home Entertainment and Hospitality ++0714 Home Nursing and Child Care ++0715 Clothing Construction II ++0716 Human Relations ++0717 Personal Improvement ++0718 Making Time and Money Count ++0719 Family Meals Industrial Arts +++Sketching +++0801 Basic Woodworking +++0802 Laminating +0803 Bench and Wrought Metal +0804 Foundry +0805 Home Mechanics +++0806 Industrial Graphics +Courses ++Courses +++Courses grade students. also open to seventh grade students. also open to ninth grade students. also open to both seventh and ninth 86 ++0807 ++0808 ++0809 ++0810 ++0811 ++0812 ++0813 ++0814 ++0815 ++0816 ++0817 ++0818 ++0819 ++0820 Wood Refinishing and Antiquing Sheet Metal Intro. Drawing Machine Woodworking Orthographic Drawing and Dimensions Power Mechanics Mini Bike Repair Pattern Development Sectional and Auxiliary Pictorial Drawing Machine Drawing Perspective Drawing Plastics I Plastics II Electricity A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the old Ninth Grade Program and the N e w Ninth Grade Program Ninth Grade S c i e n c e l3 The Old Program required that all ninth grade students take 36 weeks (4 units) of physical science. The New Program requires all ninth grade students to take two units (18 weeks) of physical science. Even though two physical science units are required in the ninth grade ninth grade students are free to elect any two of eight physical science courses offered: 0442 0443 0444 0445 0446 0448 0449 0450 Mechanics Measuring Instruments of Physics Force and Motion Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table Waves and Their Effects Light Electricity and Magnetism Atomic Energy ++Courses also open to ninth grade students. 13 For course descriptions see Appendix B. 87 TABLE 6.--A Comparison of the Basic Requirements of the Old Ninth Grade Program and the N e w Ninth Grade Program Old Program Ne w Program Course Units Required Electives Units Required Electives English 4 0 1 3 Social Studies (Civics) 4 0 2 2 Mathematics 4 0 4 or 2 Science 4 0 2 0 Phys. E d . Health 4 o 0 1 0 0 Electives * 8 + 18-20 0 or 2 *Must select two courses from five non-academic areas. +May select 18-20 courses out of m any possibilities in both academic and non-academic areas (three of these courses must be in English, two courses must be in social studies and two mus t be in m a t h e m a t i c s ) . 88 In addition to the two physical science courses ninth grade students may also elect from the following list of science courses: +0419 +0420 ++0421 +0422 +0423 +0424 +0425 +0426 +0427 +0428 +0429 +0430 +0432 +0433 +0434 +0435 +0436 +0437 +0438 +04 39 +0440 ++0409 ++0410 ++0411 ++0412 ++0413 ++0414 +0418 14 Careers in Science Seminar First Aid Animal Training Animal Behavior History of Life Ancient Peoples of North America Ecology Mammalology Parasitology Entomology Rocks and Minerals Space Travel Diseases Vascular Plants Non-vascular Plants Human Behavior Seminar Careers in Food Production and Natural Resources Geologic Measurement and Maps Slide Rule Ichthology The Mind Conservation Seminar Pollution Seminar Rocks, Minerals and Gem Polishing Wildlife Seminar Ornithology Independent Study Genetics Ninth Grade M a t h e m a t i c s ^ Under the Old Program all students were required to take a full 14 36 weeks of mathematics in one of the four For course descriptions see Appen d i x B. ^For course descriptions see A p p endix B. +Courses also open to eighth grade students. ++Courses also open to seventh and eighth grade stude n t s . 89 four available tracks. Under the New Program each ninth grade student is also required to be registered in one of the four available tracks, which are essentially the same as under the Old Program: 0314 0330 03 35 0340 Lab M ath 9 Math 9 Algebra Geometry With the exception of 0330 Math 9, ninth grade mathematics is unchanged. 36 week courses. 0314, 0335, and 0340 are all If a ninth grade student elects 0330 Math 9 he must also elect two additional mathematics units from the courses offered to 0330 Math 9 students: ++0308 +0318 +0319 +0320 +0321 +0322 +0323 +0324 +0325 +0326 +0327 0332 0333 0334 Logic and Inquiry Business Math Graphing Measurement Fundamental Set Theory Number Sentences and Formulas Plane Geometry History of Mathematics Fractions Integers and Coordinate Planes Metrics and Scientific Notation Irrational Numbers and Trigonometry Basic Arithmetic Operations Independent Study Ninth Grade Language Arts (Elnglish)lb Under the Old Program all ninth grade students were required to take 36 weeks of English. All students +Courses also open to eighth grade students. ++Courses also open to seventh and eighth grade s t u dents. 16For course descriptions see Appendix B. 90 were exposed to the same material. Under the New Program ninth grade students are still required to take 36 weeks (4 units) of English but only one of the four units is required of all students; the other three units are electives. All ninth grade students must take 0133 Short Story II. They must also elect one of the following courses: 0130 Basic Communications 0131 Composition 0132 Creative Writing In addition to 0133 and 0130, 0131, or 0132 each ninth grade student must make two elections from the following courses provided by the English Department: ++0107 ++0108 ++0109 +0115 +0116 +0117 +0118 +0119 +0120 +0121 +0122 +0123 +0124 +0125 +0127 +0128 +0129 0134 Vocabulary--Basic Vocabulary--Enrichment Reporting--Oral and Written Pleasure Reading Mass Media Practical English Poetry Lesson Attack Skills Science Fiction Research Writing Speech I Speech II Drama I Drama II Speed Reading Mythology Journalism I Novel +Courses also open to eighth grade students. ++Courses also open to seventh and eighth grade students. 91 0135 0136 0137 0138 Journalism II Journalism II Journalism II Journalism II Section Section Section Section I II III IV * * * * Ninth Grade Social Studies (Civics) I / The Old Program required all ninth grade students to take the same 36-week Civics course. The Ne w Program also requires the ninth grade students to take 36 weeks (4 units) of social studies but only two units are required of all ninth grade students; the other two units are electives. All ninth grade students mus t take: 0230 State and Local Government of Michigan 02 31 National Government and the Constitution In addition to these two required units each student must elect two units from the social studies courses provided: ++0201 ++0202 ++020 3 ++0204 ++0205 ++0206 ++0207 +0213 +0214 Geography of Latin America Oceania Geography of North America World Religions World Resources, Industry and Agriculture Maps, Graphs, Tables and Charts Independent Study Citizenship Responsibilities State and Local History ‘Courses must be elected as four-unit blocks. 17 For course descriptions see Appendix B. +Courses also open to eighth grade students. ++Courses also open to seventh and eighth grade students. 92 +0215 +0216 +0217 02 32 0233 Personal Economics History of American Minorities Groups Contemporary Issues Comparative Governments You and the Law (Civil Liberties) Ninth Grade Physical Education 18 Under the Old Program all ninth grade students were required to take 36 weeks of physical education. Ninth grade physical education classes m e t one period per day, three days per week for 36 weeks (2.4 units). Under the New Program all ninth grade physical education requirements have been completely eliminated (see page 65). Ninth grade students are now free to elect physical e d u c a ­ tion courses from those provided by the physical education d epa r t m e n t : 0650 0651 0652 0653 0660 0661 0662 0663 0664 0665 0666 0667 Physical Education--Girls I Physical Education— Girls II Physical Education--Girls III Physical Ed u c a t i o n — Girls IV Physical Education— Boys I Physical Education--Boys II Physical E d u cation— Boys III Physical Education--Boys IV Boy's Individual Fitness W r e s t l i n g — Weight Training Badminton--Weight Training Aikida Ninth Grade Health Under the Old Program all ninth graders took Health and Safety two days a week for the one semester (.8 units). +Courses also open to eighth grade students. 18 For course descriptions see Appendix B. 93 The New Program has required one unit of health that must be taken by all ninth grade students: 0441 Drugs, Narcotics and Communicable Diseases The health requirement is the only additional requirement to the Old Program in t h e entire restructuring process. Other Ninth Grade Electives in "Non-Academic11 A r e a s -l^ Under the Old Program all ninth grade students were free to elect two, academic" areas. 36-week courses from the six "nonUnder the Ne w Program students m a y elect 13 courses with no strings attached. There are no d e ­ partmental requirements governing these electives. Stu­ dents may choose any course they desire as long as they have fulfilled the necessary prerequisites. "Academic" course electives have already been listed in the preceding sections, "non-academic" courses are listed below: Foreign Language +0508 Introduction to French +0509 Introduction to Spanish 0530 French III Section I 0531 French III Section II 0532 French III Section III 0533 French III Section IV 0534 Spanish III Section I 0535 Spanish III Section II 19 * * * * * * For course descriptions see Appendix B. +Courses also open to eighth grade students. *Courses must be elected as four-unit blocks. 94 0536 0537 0538 0539 0540 0541 0542 0543 0544 0545 0546 0547 0548 0549 Music ++0554 ++0555 ++0556 ++0557 +0558 + 0559 +0560 + 0561 ++0562 ++0563 ++0564 ++0565 ++0574 +0576 +0577 + 0578 +0579 + 0580 + 0581 + 0582 + 0583 + 0584 + 0585 + 0586 Spanish III Section III Spanish III Section IV French I Section I French I Section II French I Section III French I Section IV Spanish I Section I Spanish I Section II Spanish I Section III Spanish I Section IV Latin I Section I Latin I Section II Latin I Section III Latin I Section IV * * * * * * * * * * ★ * * * Intermediate Band Intermediate Band Intermediate Band Intermediate Band Advanced Band I Advanced Band II Advanced Band III Advanced Band IV Orchestra I Orchestra II Orchestra III Orchestra IV Vocal Music Mixed Chorus I Mixed Chorus II Mixed Chorus III Mixed Chorus IV Choir I Choir II Choir III Choir IV Music Appreciation Music Theory Small Ensemble *Courses must be elected in four-unit blocks. +Courses also open to eighth grade students. ++Courses also open to seventh and eighth grade students. 95 Fine Arts ++0600 ++0601 ++0602 ++0603 ++0604 ++0605 ++0606 ++0607 ++0608 ++0609 ++0610 +0611 +0612 +0613 +0614 +0615 0616 Basic A r t Skills Drawing and Painting I Drawing and Painting II Design I Design II Printing I Printing II Sculpture I Sculpture II Ceramics I Ceramics II Darkroom Technique Movie Production Micro and Macro Photography Photography Art Photo-Journalism Independent Study Home Economics ++0706 Clothing Construction I ++0707 Home Economics Survey (Boys) ++0708 Interior Decorating and Home Furnishing ++0709 Creative Crafts inHome Economics ++0712 Specialty Cooking ++0713 Home Entertainment and Hospitality ++0714 Home Nursing and Child Care ++0715 Clothing Construction II ++0716 Human Relations ++0717 Personal Improvement ++0718 Making Time and Money Count ++0719 Family Meals 0730 Summer Job Training 07 31 Clothing Construction III Industrial Arts ++0800 Sketching ++0801 Basic Woodworking ++0802 Laminating ++0806 Industrial Graphics +0807 Wood Re-finishing and Antiquing +0808 Sheet Metal +0809 Machine Woodworking +0810 Machine Woodworking +Courses also open to eighth grade students. ++Courses also open to seventh and eighth grade students. 96 I | I | $ \ I if f NARCOTICS 0441 205 School Last Attended___________________________ (School Name) (Address) Print all information neatly. Print the course number in the spaces under each title or under the word, "ELECTIVE." Be sure each space has a number. Do not write in the titles of courses. Do not select a course more than once as an elective. For alternate courses, write in the numbers according to first choice, second choice, etc. APPENDIX E COURSES THAT WERE ELIMINATED AS A RESULT OF THE SECOND TOTAL TALLY APPENDIX E COURSES THAT WERE ELIMINATED AS A RESULT OF THE SECOND TOTAL TALLY 0123 0201 0232 0308 0321 0322 0326 0327 0332 03 34 0345 0402 0414 0417 0419 0423 0424 0425 04 26 0428 0429 0433 0434 0436 0437 0443 0445 0447 0500 0501 0502 0503 0508 0530 0531 0532 0533 Speech II Geography of Latin America Comparative Government Logic and Inquiry Fundamental Set Theory Number Sentences and Formulas Integers and the Coordinate Plane Metrics and Scientific Notation Irrational Numbers and Trigonometry Independent Study-Teacher Aide Probability and Statistics Science: A Way of Knowing Independent Study Science Laboratory Aide Careers in Science Seminar The History of Life Ancient Peoples of North America Ecology Mammalology Entomology Rocks and Minerals Vascular Plants Non-vascular Plants Careers in Food Production and Natural Resources Geologic Measurement and Maps Measuring Instruments of Physical Science Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table Michigan Geology French I Section I French I Section II French I Section III French I Section IV Introduction to French French III Section I French III Section II French III Section III French III Section IV 206 207 0571 0572 0573 0574 0576 0577 0578 0579 0584 0585 0602 0604 0606 0608 0613 0615 0616 0650 0663 0711 0714 0814 0815 0816 0817 0830 0831 0832 Mixed Chorus (7) Section I Mixed Chorus (7) Section II Mixed Chorus (7) Section III Mixed Chorus (7) Section IV Mixed Chorus (8-9) Section I Mixed Chorus (8-9) Section II Mixed Chorus (8-9) Section III Mixed Chorus (8-9) Section IV Music Appreciation Music Theory Drawing and Painting II Design II Printing II Sculpture II Micro and Macro Photography Photo-Journalism Independent Study Physical Fitness, Powderpuff Football, Volleyball Track-Field and Softball (Boys) Clothing Selection and Care Home Nursing & Home Care & Home Safety Pattern Development, Sectional and Auxiliary Pictorial Drawing Machine Drawing Perspective Drawing Architectural Drawing Design Independent Study in Industrial Arts APPENDIX F ENROLLMENT AND SCHEDULING FLOW CHART APPENDIX F ENROLLMENT AND SCHEDULING FLO W CHART Assign numbers to course offerings 4^ Students Select Courses 'I' Student Election Sheets 4^ Key Punch Student elections - to Oakland 4 * Computer nU Tally and Conflict Matrix Student Elections nU 4^ Use Tally and Conflict as A i d in Building Master Schedule A2 I Develop Master Schedule 4* Completed Master Schedule 4* A2 Key punch 4/ Master schedule cards vL Student Elections COMPUTER (Oakland) STUDENT ELECTIONS - matches elections against master schedule CONFLICT LISTINGS STER SCHEDULE CARDS 4' Adjust master schedule and resolve conflicts 'I' *COMPUTER Key Punch corrections 'i' GOOD RESULTS *no-back to computer YES CLASS LISTINGS STUDENT SCHEDULES 208 ^ M A S T E R SCHEDULES