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FAQWho and what was the Design Team?The Charge Statement from the School Board (November 16, 2006) assigned the design team the task of development of a complete program re-design for grades 6 - 12, the goal of the program being preparation of all students for post-secondary success in the 21st century and reflecting District 112's commitment to development of world class schools. David Brecht, Principal of Chaska High School, facilitated the team of 60+ people representing building administrators, district staff, teachers, students, parents, and community members. A list of the membership is located here. Design Team recommendations were approved by School Board in November 2007. Who is the Transition Oversight Team and what is its role? The Transition Oversight Team (TOT) is made up of the superintendent and all members of his cabinet, the building principals for each of the five secondary buildings, the director of curriculum and instruction, the president of the teachers' union local, and individual teachers selected from each of the five building core teams. Their mission is to coordinate the work of the five teams and make sure the implementation plans are consistent in quality across all buildings and programs as well as remaining true to the original intent of the design tem report approved by the board. Their work is ongoing until the transition is complete. What are Core Teams and what is their role? There are five core teams, two high school teams and three middle school teams. Each core team includes the building administrators for that building as well as a group of teachers who are assigned to that building for fall 2009. The core team role is to develop a specific implementation plan for the new secondary program in their particular building. They will work within the scope of parameters established by the design team report and monitored by the TOT. It will be their responsibility to work out details of scheduling, recommended course offerings, and structure of the operations within their building. The work of the core teams will be ongoing throughout the 2008-09 school year. Will the new high school programs keep the 4-block schedule? No. All five secondary schools are adopting the current PRFC 7-period/modified block schedule. In the spring of 2008, a working group of teachers and administrators convened to begin the discussion of schedule options. At the time, the middle schools were operating on a seven-period day; the Freshman Center was operating on a modified block schedule and Chaska High School was operating on a traditional four block schedule. The first discussion at the time was about the goals of the re-design and what was hoped for in the way of outcomes. Following that discussion, the working group heard from an outside scheduling expert about schedule options and values to drive scheduling decisions. The group discussed about 15 values. Three were identified as key to the success of the redesign: improve student achievement, respond to student needs, establish teams/houses/small learning communities/magnets. At that point, the conversation and the results of the working group discussion were referred back to TOT, who ultimately developed a recommendation for use of the modified block (currently in use at PRFC) for all secondary schools beginning in fall 2009. That recommendation was subsequently reported to the school board and accepted by them as part of the overall re-design plan. Will the secondary school be open enrollment or have attendance boundaries? The original hope was development of a plan allowing unrestricted open-enrollment between high schools. Subsequent discussions determined that both practical budget issues and State High School League requirements made this almost impossible. Attendance boundaries were drawn and will apply to the two high schools effective fall 2009. A policy for intra-district transfers is being developed, similar to the current policy regarding elementary and middle schools transfer requests, and it is hoped that plan will be approved by the school board in October 2008. What will the Chanhassen High School Mascot and School colors be? Name/Mascot: The Storm Colors: Navy Blue and Gold What was the process through which staff were assigned to schools for fall 2009? These decisions were made in the spring of 2008. In late winter, staff members were given an opportunity to indicate their preferences for fall 2009. Those requests were compiled and taken into consideration. Ultimately, however, priority for assignments was given to recommendations from the subcommittee of the transition oversight team, who met to review individual teaching positions in light of the core team recommendations and the overriding desire for equitable balance between and among all building staffs. The tentative assignments were announced in May of 2008. Will the middle schools and high schools have the same programs? Will the district expect alignment between schools? Yes. The community can expect overall alignment in the broad secondary design decisions and some minor differences in the details. Each of the schools will undoubtedly develop its own "personality" and culture, but the program design will be the same in all cases. Will the high schools have small learning communities? Both high schools will be organized around "areas of study." Students will be able to concentrate of particular fields of interest: Arts and Communication: Communication Arts; Performing Arts; Visual Arts Global Studies: Business, Marketing, and Finance; World Cultures and Languages; World Politics and History Health Sciences and Human Services: Health Science / Biomedical; Human Services and Public Safety; Education and Training S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math): Manufacturing; Engineering / Architecture & Construction; Science When will the new high school be completed? Building construction on Chanhassen High School is currently on schedule and planned for completion by June 30, 2009. Construction updates and information can be found here. Will there be a 9th grade experience like the Freshman Center in the two high schools? Both high schools will work with students in grades 9 and 10 within interdisciplinary teams. The program will be designed to help freshmen make the most of their four years in high school. The faculty will focus on building relationships and creating continuity by getting to know students over longer periods of time. The Core Team is exploring the possibility of 9th grade teachers in core subjects of math, science, English and Social Studies moving on to 10th grade level courses with their students. This is similar to looping programs used at several Eastern Carver County elementary schools. Will the seniors for the graduating class of 2010 all be allowed to stay at Chaska High School? After lengthy discussions with administrators and students of the class of 2010, as well as review of the outcome of a similar decision in the Lakeville Public Schools, it was decided to allow the entire graduating class of 2010 to remain at Chaska High School. Beginning with the class of 2011, however, both schools will be operating a fill 9-12 program. How will the community be informed about the process and decision making? Regular attempts will be made throughout the transition process to communicate with all stakeholders. Look for information in district and building newsletters, on the district website at www.District112.org and on the websites of the individual secondary schools as well. | ||||||||||||||
