The Wake County school board will sign off today on how each school plans to hold professional learning time for the 2010-11 school year now that time won't be set aside by dismissing school every Wednesday.
Wake is officially leaving it up to individual schools to pick from several methods identified by staff. But the board is being asked today to approve waivers for several of the schools.
Sixteen schools are asking for waivers from meeting for an hour every week. Board policy says the PLTs are supposed to meet weekly for at least an hour.
Three high schools want waivers to ring their opening bell five minutes early as a way to recoup instructional time. This will allow the school to start about 25 minutes later one day a week.
The high school waivers are needed because the board previously adopted this fall's bell schedules.
It's pretty split among the high schools which of the four options they'll use.
Ten schools will have teachers meet before or afterschool. Seven schools will use SMART Lunch. Five will use common planning time while three will use the late start.
Most middle schools will use common planning periods during the school day. A few schools will have teachers meet afterschool.
Among elementary schools, slightly more schools plan to have teachers meet before or afterschool as opposed to combining blocks of time during the instructional day.
Comments
Doesn't this show everyone
Tue, 06/15/2010 - 10:54 — aquaman4life68Doesn't this show everyone that PLT's are just a pain and completely useless. YES, I know there are those that act like it is the "second coming" but I haven't heard much of anything good from them. Most of the teachers that I know, say it is just "FORCED" meetings, that they simply put stuff down on paper just so it looks good. Granted, this isn't helping out their fight or argument, but just let it go. Teachers have enough on their plates this day and time. Now we expect them to come in or stay an extra hour each week, along with staff meetings at least 2 times a month, plus committee meetings as well. I think, the plate is full, it's time for our school board to step up and show that they really care and take some of this "crap" like PLT's off of the teachers' plates.
useless? really? according
Tue, 06/15/2010 - 13:32 — jeannie84useless? really? according to a recent story on WRAL (Focused effort on Wake County dropouts, absentees is working, June 8, 2010 -- you'll need to find it yourself; I haven't figured out how to post links here - sorry!), PLTs have helped to REDUCE the number of dropouts from about 1,600 in 2007-08, to under 1,403 in 2008-09
I've heard nothing but praise from teachers and principals about this vital, collaborative planning time which the BOE majority sacrificed in the name of parental convenience; now another benefit of PLTs has been realized; guess all that talk from Tedesco, Goldman, Prickett, Malone and Margiotta about working to raise student achievement and the graduation rate was just that - talk.
" PLTs have helped to REDUCE
Tue, 06/15/2010 - 18:54 — Apexter" PLTs have helped to REDUCE the number of dropouts from about 1,600 in 2007-08, to under 1,403 in 2008-09"
Wow. There was nothing else involved in reducing the dropout rate --- this reduction was solely based upon the fact that there were PLTs? An amazing study, that.
If so, it proves that Wacky Wednesdays weren't necessary for the effective implementation of PLTs, as that didn't begin until the 2009-2010 school year.
so now you're saying the
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 07:55 — jeannie84so now you're saying the "status quo" was doing something right??
Sure...
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 10:07 — Bob_SconceUp until the point that they decided to upset the school schedule to accommodate PLTs. I don't think people were upset with the previous way of doing PLTs -- it's the current (soon to be former) Wacky Wednesdays that they got wrong.
Thank you!!
Tue, 06/15/2010 - 19:14 — aquaman4life68Thank you!!
...
Tue, 06/15/2010 - 19:08 — SideburnsThis comes from the woman who also believes MYR reduced the number of suspensions at Leesville Middle. Another amazing study I guess.
How does this show that they
Tue, 06/15/2010 - 12:10 — danofncHow does this show that they are useless?
If anything, it shows that they are apparently "worth it"?
The new board cancelled the early release for PLTs without taking the time to talk to any teachers or school administrators. Then, when they finally heard about how effective those people thought PLTs were, they decided to find time for them to continue.
The fact that teachers "have enough on their plate", as you said, is exactly why PLTs were implemented in the manner that was used. It showed teachers that the district thought there was enough benefit to PLTs to set aside time during each week for them.
How many teachers do you know?