Students at Clarkston Junior High School and Clarkston High School will experience a major overhaul with the beginning of the 2008-09 school year. The two-semester program students and staff have followed for years will be replaced by a trimester system in an effort by the Clarkston school district to meet new state graduation requirements.
Under the current system, CHS students take 12 classes during a school year, six classes per semester. Under the trimester system, students will enroll in 15 classes, five per semester. Currently, semesters last for roughly 18 weeks at a time, but the new system will have each semester running for approximately 60 days. Under the new system, students will earn seven and a half credits, an additional credit and a half more than the current system.
CHS Assistant Principal Vince Licata said one system will end, and the next day, the next will begin, without breaks in between. Winter holidays and traditional days off will remain the same.
The Clarkston School Board voted unanimously to approve the new system after discussion at the Jan. 9 board meeting. Original discussion included possibly implementing the changes next year, but Licata said the district will need 18 months to make all the needed changes.
‘There’s a lot of staff development that needs to happen and we felt (the 2007-08 year) would be a rush for us,? Licata said. ‘We wanted to make sure we make the proper transitions.?
Students must obtain 26 credits to earn a diploma from CHS, and the new trimester system will allow students to earn 28.5.
The new state requirements will only affect core classes. The board has not yet decided how elective classes will fit into the new system, but Licata said he expects the board to discuss the matter further at the next board meeting in February.
Beginning in November, the board heard presentations from study groups lead by Licata and CJHS Principal Shawn Ryan. The group examined multiple options to meet graduation requirements, which must be in place for the class of 2011, including the addition of an additional class hour to the current schedule. They focused on the trimester option after it was estimated to be the most cost effective option.
Cost control has been a major influence in recent discussion. The board voted in December to cut $4 million from the 2007-08 budget, but still expected to post a deficit for the year. Dr. Al Roberts, superintendent, said he hopes to have a balanced budget by the 2008-09 school year, even with the additional costs from the new requirements.
Licata said an additional benefit from the trimester program is the chance for students to make up a failed class. With an additional semester, students will have more opportunities to work a class into their schedule, should they previously fail.
New state guidelines require all high school students in Michigan to take: four credits of math including a minimum of Algebra II, four credits of English, three credits of social studies, three credits in science, two credits of world language (the same language), a physical education credit, an art credit, and 20 hours of online experience. Licata said that under their current system, CHS students already meet the requirements for English, social studies, physical education, art and online experience.