The latest news on implementing the 3×5 schedule
To support student learning and increase operational efficiency, Eugene School District 4J is aligning schedules at all high schools. The school board voted in April 2012 to implement the 3×5 schedule (3 trimesters per year, 5 class periods per day) in all 4J high schools by 2013–14, and high school teachers and administrators began preparing to implement the new schedule.
Churchill High School changed to the new schedule in September 2012. Other high schools chose to wait until September 2013.
The Latest
3×5 Steering Committee
Update September 3, 2013
We are happy to report that we are on track in implementing our new student information system, Synergy, and using it to create high school student schedules on the 3×5 trimester system. There are still refinements to be made, but the implementation is off to a strong start.
One change to expect as we implement Synergy is that student schedules will look a bit different than before. At some schools, only a first-trimester schedule is being provided at this time. At other schools, students will receive their schedules for all three trimesters.
As always, some students’ initial schedules will need adjustment. Counselors and other school staff will be making adjustments to individual student schedules in the upcoming weeks.
If you have any questions about your student’s schedule, please contact your school counselor or principal.
Update June 2013
High schools have completed their initial preparations to implement the 3×5 trimester schedule in the fall. We’ll resume providing occasional updates in September. Have a great summer!
Update May 10, 2013
High schools are continuing to work with students to forecast next year’s courses, provide sample student schedules, and hold parent meetings to share information and answer questions.
At South Eugene HS, the principal also has visited classes to explain to students how the 3×5 schedule will work. The school has worked with 8th grade students at South’s feeder middle schools, Roosevelt and Spencer Butte, to forecast their courses for next year on the 3×5. South Eugene’s faculty has provided input on the bell schedule and is also discussing a late start schedule on Wednesday.
Update April 18, 2013
Choosing courses: Students currently in grades 9, 10, and 11 are forecasting the courses they will take next year on the 3×5 schedule. For example, at Sheldon High School, all but 20 current freshmen have been scheduled and sophomores will be scheduled next. Hiigh school administrators and counselors also are beginning to do forecasting for current 8th graders who will be entering high school this fall.
Course planning: Administrators and teachers continue to plan course offerings to accommodate and support students on the 3×5. Most of the new course offerings are made possible because the 3×5, compared to the semester system, makes an additional term available to support both students needing remediation and students wanting to advance.
- Churchill HS is offering new classes in the third trimester for students to recover credit in English, biology and geometry.
- Churchill HS is also offering a third trimester Advanced Placement preparation social studies class. It provides students with an academic experience that supports their then enrolling in Advanced Placement studies in the fall.
- South Eugene HS has determined that instruction in both Spanish and French will be available continuously throughout a school year. This will allow students to take 1-½ years of world language in a single year. For example, students taking French 1 this year will next year be able to take French 2 and the first half of French 3.
- Eugene International High School (IHS) is modifying its projects model for the 3×5 and planning an expansion of Theory of Knowledge into 11th grade.
Community information meetings: Schools continue to conduct meetings about the 3×5 schedule for their school communities.
- North Eugene HS held Site Council and parent meetings at which participants identified their program priorities for the 3×5. Next week North will host a meeting for 9th–11th grade parents regarding the expansion of its International Baccalaureate (IB) program.
- Sheldon HS will conduct parent meetings next week at Cal Young Middle School and Monroe Middle School about forecasting schedules on the 3×5.
Visiting a 3×5 district: South Eugene HS plans to send a group of staff to Sherwood HS to learn about their working with the 3×5 schedule there. Sherwood HS has been rated “Outstanding” on their state report card.
Update April 10, 2013
The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee and Equity Committee met jointly last week to discuss the high school common schedule.
Students espressed a wish to have a “student friendly” frequently asked questions document, including answers to the question, “Why is this good for me?” FAQs for students from each school were developed and are posted below.
These one-page documents identify benefits of moving to the 3×5 schedule from a South, Sheldon, Churchill and North student perspective, along with a short list of reasons the district has selected the 3×5 as its high school schedule.
The New 3×5 Schedule: What’s In It For Students?
Churchill | North Eugene | Sheldon | South Eugene
Update April 5, 2013
Visitors from a 3×5 district: Four teachers from Sisters High School in Sisters, Ore., visited our district on April 1 to talk with 4J high school teachers about teaching on a 3×5 trimester schedule. Many teachers from South Eugene, as well as several from North Eugene and Sheldon, came to hear about the Sisters experience.
Teachers met in groups by subject (language arts, math, science, social studies) to hear how Sisters High School staff work with the 3×5 and to ask questions. They discussed (1) practices for teaching in 70-minute class periods, (2) strategies for working with both accelerated students and those needing extra support, and (3) ways to organize courses for the trimester schedule.
Sisters High School is a small, high-achieving school in central Oregon that has been using a 3×5 trimester schedule for many years. Some facts about Sisters High School:
- Its class of 2012 had a four year cohort graduation rate of 86.5%, which is 19% above the state average. Of the 2012 graduates, 84% enrolled in a two-year or four-year college.
- During the last two school years Sisters High School exceeded the state average for students meeting standards in reading by 9%, in math by 7%, in writing by 16%, and in science by 15%.
- The school was rated Outstanding on the Oregon school report card for the past three years.
Some teachers from 4J may visit Sisters High School later this spring to learn more about the 3×5 schedule.
Teacher collaboration: High school teachers across the district met in content area (subject) groups on April 1 to continue work related to transitioning to a trimester schedule. At North Eugene, language arts and social studies teachers met together to discuss their curriculum and units of study in relation to 12-week trimesters.
International High School: International High School teachers have determined the schedule for IHS on the 3×5 schedule. Teachers are working in teams to plan for fully transitioning to trimesters.
Overview Spring 2013
Course planning: Teachers have been meeting throughout the year, during planning days and at other times, to organize courses for the trimester system. They are adjusting course lessons for 70-minute class periods and 12-week terms.
Curriculum guides: School curriculum guides are being rewritten to reflect the change to the 3×5 schedule. Students are using the guides to plan what courses they will take on the trimester system.
Choosing courses: Materials have been developed for students to select courses on the 3×5 schedule. Students are selecting courses for next year during the months of March and April.
Master schedule: Administrators at each high school and IHS are preparing their master schedules with courses designed for 12-week trimester terms.
School staff meetings: Administrators at each high school have held meetings to discuss the 3×5 schedule with school staff and the school community at large. Implementing the new schedule has been discussed at parent council, site council, management team, school leadership, curriculum committee, and general faculty meetings.
Community information meetings: School choice events, incoming freshman nights, and other information meetings at high schools this winter and spring have highlighted the 3×5 schedule.
