What are the Steps in Building a Contemporary High School Master Schedule?

Master schedules are road maps for delivering curriculum opportunities for students in grades 9-12. The following twenty-one steps provide specific directions for providing an efficient and equitable master schedule to guide staff and students. Ultimately, the final product is a mechanism for students to receive courses requested to reflect their unique needs, interests, skill levels and career aspirations within the resources available. Opportunities for intervention/enrichment should be included in designing the master schedule.

STEP 1: Connect with the mission/vision statement of the school/district.

• Review statement; update if necessary.
• Use as standard when making scheduling decisions.

STEP 2: Choose a primary framework or basic organizational plan for the school.

• Traditional schedules feature 6, 7, 8 or 9 periods per day, including a lunch module or period.
• Semester 1/Semester 2 schedules are based on an eight-period instructional day. Four classes meet daily for one semester at 80-90 minutes each. The other four classes meet during the second semester at 80-90 minutes each. Lunch is a module connected to periods 3 and 7.
• Day 1/Day 2 schedules are also based on an eight-period instructional day. Four classes meet on the first day at 80-90 minutes each while the other four classes meet on the second day for 80-90 minutes each. Lunch is a module connected to periods 3 and 7.
• Trimester schedules are usually implemented by schools seeking an alternative to a six-period day plus lunch. This model provides greater opportunity for electives. Divided into three 12-week segments, classes meet for one, two or three trimesters at approximately 70 minutes each. Lunch is a module connected to periods 3, 8, and 13.
• Rotating-drop schedules are constructed as an 8-period day with a common lunch for all students and teachers. Four classes rotate in the morning, dropping one class each day. In the afternoon, three of the four classes meet each day. Class length is usually 60 minutes; all students and teachers have lunch between the morning and afternoon rotations.

STEP 3: Choose inserts.

• Options include single subject, combination, interdisciplinary, Freshman Academy and career pathway cohorts.
• Within any of the structural options, inserts provide opportunities for flexibility, curriculum integration and integrated focus on standards or competencies.
• Credit recovery programs enable students to increase the likelihood of graduating in four years.

STEP 4: Organize an opportunity for intervention/enrichment as an integral part of the school day.

• Tier I is the responsibility of every classroom teacher.
• Tier II and Tier III are accomplished in the intervention program.
• Review intervention models available: within freshman academy, managed by career pathway cohort, school-wide intervention period or module, required study hall, English/social studies combination team, math lab supplement, Tier III math/Tier III reading, or credit recovery.
• Design professional development program to help staff recognize and implement intervention/enrichment.

STEP 5: Create bell and lunch schedules.

• Structural frameworks impact bell and lunch schedules.
• Lunch and passing times can vary in length.
• Teachers’ contract may determine length of lunch period.

STEP 6: Determine composition of cohorts, academies or pathways.

• Parameters of each cohort/academy/pathway should be specifically defined.
• Freshman academies ease the transition to high school.
• Pathways may include medical careers, business management, engineering, education or leadership.
• Common planning time enhances achieving desired outcomes.

STEP 7: Prepare curriculum information and course selection process.

• Determine required and elective courses.
• Students’ requests can be online or printed form.
• Include information to inform students and parents of unique programs/opportunities, including pathways and career tech options.

STEP 8: Establish student database.

• Numbering system reflects specific department, course number and cohort or pathway.
• Database becomes a dynamic counseling and administrative tool that is constantly updated throughout the remainder of the school year and summer.
• Database is initial step for decisions about courses to be offered, sections needed, and teachers required in cohort and/or department.

STEP 9: Create department summaries.

• Student course requests become basis for equitable distribution of available FTE.
• Chart includes number of requests per course, sections to be created, average class size, weight of each course, and aggregate periods of instruction needed per department.
• When continually updated, summaries become a managerial tool to develop and refine master schedule.
• Teachers’ contracts impact staff needed.

STEP 10: Create table to summarize FTE requests by department.

• Goal is equitable distribution of available FTE as determined by course requests and realistic class size.
• When reductions are needed in total school FTE, utilize department summary to identify sections or courses to be eliminated.
• Exact number of FTE for school is confirmed.

STEP 11: Determine assignments of each FTE allocated to the building.

• Referring to department summary, assign each section of a course to a specific staff member.
• Assignments should begin with teachers involved in cohort/academies/pathways to assure achieving objectives of that grouping.
• Monitor average daily pupil load and number of preparations for each faculty member.

STEP 12: List singletons and doubletons.

• Singleton is a course with one section; doubleton is a course with two sections.
• Create list of all singleton courses in department summaries; list all doubleton courses in department summaries.
• Lists are utilized to spread singletons and then doubletons over all periods of the day, an initial step in building the master schedule. This will maximize the likelihood of students receiving their first choice of courses.
• Spreading singletons is crucial for all structural frameworks, especially trimester schedules.

STEP 13: Create conflict matrix for singleton courses.

• Conflict is defined as two singleton courses requested by a student that should not be scheduled at the same time.
• Matrix serves to analyze patterns of students’ choices as opposed to the tally which was the basis of determining the number of sections to be offered and teacher assignments.
• Matrix should be created for each singleton course in the master schedule.
• Doubletons can often be separated visually but could follow process used for singletons.

STEP 14: Develop blueprint for cohorts/academies/pathways

• Blueprint is a preliminary plan for determining when core courses are available for specific cohorts/academies/pathways.
• Students in specific cohorts/academies/pathways benefit when the same teachers teach the same students at defined times during the school day.
• Elective courses should be available to students in any cohort/academy/pathway.

STEP 15: Place singletons on grid for master schedule by teacher and by period.

• Conflict matrix data becomes the basis for placing singletons followed by placing doubletons on the actual grid.
• Initial run(s) of master schedule will ultimately identify additional conflicts that may have not been anticipated.

STEP 16: Enter remainder of courses.

• All remaining sections can now be placed on grid.
• Confirm that teacher assignments are consistent with contract language.
• Be sure students have access to electives especially related to cohort/ academy/pathway program requested.

STEP 17: Audit total seats available for each period and for each grade level.

• Each period should have the same number of seats available.
• To the extent possible, each period should have the same number of seats available for each grade level.
• Continue to use conflict matrix information in decision-making.

STEP 18: Prepare for initial run of the master schedule.

• Utilize database to confirm that all students have full course requests.
• Review encoding of teachers’ assignments (course number, section number, seat capacity, period of the day, accessibility for inclusion students and room number).
• Course requests can be prioritized or weighted to insure seats for students with numerous singletons/doubletons.

STEP 19: Adjust master schedule as needed in subsequent runs.

• Identify students with incomplete schedules and determine adjustments needed in the master schedule.
• Identify sections that closed as well as those that did not load to capacity.
• Adjust master schedule to accommodate specific situations.
• After modifications, activate additional run(s), repeating the two-part analysis until the greatest number of students have been scheduled and sections of the same course have loaded equitably.
• Once 90% or more of the students have been fully scheduled, students with incomplete schedules should meet with a counselor or administrator to choose alternate electives.
• Prior to the first day of school, complete schedules should be printed for entire student population.

STEP 20: Implement professional development.

• Training in the implementation of the schedule provides teachers with ownership.
• Framework and inserts chosen impact details of the professional development program.
• As needed, training may be an on-going process.

STEP 21: Assess the scheduling process and the product created.

• Formal assessment should be conducted by school leadership team.
• Determine the extent to which the schedule reflects the mission/vision of the school/district.
• Assess the extent to which the schedule enhances the teaching/learning process.
• Teachers, parents, and students should participate in this process.
• Record modifications/adjustments to be considered for the following year.

SUMMARY

This scheduling paradigm features a step-by-step approach to create a schedule that honors student course requests and focuses on enhancing student achievement. When students receive guidance in course selections, schools are effective in providing meaningful career and college readiness experiences.