Scheduling Algebra 1 and Spanish

[Virginia]

Years ago, I attended a conference where you presented your Algebra 1 scheduling...many teachers teaching Algebra 1 the same block, assessing student progress, regrouping students to remediate those who may have fallen behind, and continuing this throughout the year and for some, in to summer school. I am a Spanish teacher and have thought about this over and over for Spanish 1. We are finally at a point where we have enough Spanish teachers to do this and we have an administrator who is interested...not convinced 100%. She is also a member of the Freshman Transition network so I hope that she will read this discussion. She has presented the idea informally to the building principal who does not think that it will work. We are on a 7 block schedule with 1st block meeting daily and the others alternating.

 

Is this a guidance scheduling nightmare for you?

Where does this fall in the scheduling process?

Has your foreign language department ever considered it and if so, have they done it successfully?

How do you deal with different teaching styles and classroom management styles when regrouping?

How do the parents feel about it? How do the students feel about it?

Has your failure rate decreased?

Has above average success increased?

At the end of the year, how many students attend summer school and of those, how many pass Algebra 1 for the year?

 

I appreciate any ideas, comments, you may have regarding this possibility.

[Scott Habeeb]

Was that a conference at UVA? If so, then I think you are referring to an idea proposed by Lynn Canady, professor emeritus at UVA. You might want to contact him directly. Let me know if you would like his email address.

[Virginia]

It was at UVA and Dr. Canady was also a presenter there! Thank you for the "refresher". I will contact him. I am still wondering if any schools have used this for Algebra 1 and found it successful and if their level 1 foreign language teachers have tried it as well.

Thanks again.

Va

[Scott Habeeb]

Virginia - let me know if you need any contact info for Dr. Canady. Be sure to tell him "hi" for me. He wrote the forward for our book, but I haven't spoken to him recently.