High school may have longer day

The school day at Central High School may be lengthened by 30 minutes if the Cape Gir?ardeau school board approves a restructuring plan to be presented Monday.

The proposal was introduced to the school board at a July retreat after nearly three years of study. Board approval would give the green light to determine steps for implementation, including coordinating new bus schedules, determining the cost of hiring four new teachers to teach study skills classes called Preparing for Academic Success, and finding space for those PAS classrooms in an already overcrowded school.

Citing dropout rates of 20 percent for all students and 40 percent for black students, principal Dr. Mike Cowan proposes requiring the PAS class of all freshmen to help them adjust to high school. The class would be required of older students who lack credits and are at risk of dropping out. Those GPA or credit requirements have not been determined yet.

Topics of the class include study skills, responsible relationship building, bullying, sexual harassment, wellness, safe driving, diversity training, social skills and the monitoring of graduation plans. College and career planning will also be discussed.

Sophomores, juniors and seniors can continue to take the class or take a different eighth class for remediation or enrichment. Juniors with high grades and good behavior will have the option of attending school for one period less a day and seniors will have the option of attending school for two periods less a day. Seniors currently have the option of not attending one class.

Cowan hopes this will serve as a reward for students with good grades and will provide an extra opportunity for struggling students to earn enough credits to graduate. A new Missouri law increased the number of math and science classes students must take in high school.

"For our population that struggles, that is going to be a huge obstacle. Those kids who struggle had difficulty getting two units in four years. This will be another opportunity each year to complete those courses," Cowan said.

Sophomore Becca Bliss rolled her eyes when discussing the PAS class. "There are a lot of people that won't take it seriously, so they won't get anything out of it," she said. But, she added, the college planning aspect is a benefit.

Sophomore Michael Miller thinks most of the topics should be the parents' responsibility to discuss with their child. "I personally don't think it will have an effect on academic performance. That's mostly influenced by the home life and how the child is encouraged to do in school," he said.

Cowan recognizes that some may question whether the topics of the class are part of a school's responsibility. But he said that employers tell him they are looking for workers with "soft skills" such as punctuality and the ability to work with a team.

Nearly 20 teachers served on the committee to draft the restructuring plan, studying similar plans used in Illinois and Kansas. The plan calls for dismissal at 1:05 p.m. one Friday a month for teachers to discuss teaching or assessment methods.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123