Farmington, Farmington Hills

January 15, 2014

Volunteers analyze HS Structure Committee survey

results
By Sherri Kolade
C & G Staff Writer
click to enlarge

Photo by Sherri Kolade

Kristin Weber, left, instructional coach at North Farmington High School, facilitates a survey committee forum
Jan. 10 at the 10 Mile Building as Alycia Hall, Farmington Public Schools District parent and survey analyzer
volunteer, looks on.
FARMINGTON/FARMINGTON HILLS Survey results are in, and more than 900 residents in the
Farmington Public Schools community opined on what makes a high school experience valuable.
After six years of trimester schedules for FPS high school students, the Board of Education will decide on the
possibility of having flexible or varied schedules.
Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Catherine Cost spoke before the board during a Sept. 18
meeting about a High School Structure Committee, which would make high school scheduling
recommendations to the board in the spring.
Volunteers are in the process of finding out from the community what is valued most in high school, such as
elective choices, student-teacher relationships and more.
After the community forums which took place during the second week of January and this week are
complete, the Board of Education will be closer to deciding on high school schedules for FPS.
The committees official plan will be presented to the board in April.
From May 2014 to May 2015, the committee would start working on a curriculum to help students understand
what impact potential scheduling changes would have on graduation requirements, among other things.

The trustees approved the committee during a study session last fall.
The Structure Committee also will be charged with considering the impact of high school scheduling on class
size, and identifying the state of the trimester structure using data to determine its strengths and challenges,
among other duties.
The committee is made up of 39 people, including administrators, teachers, parents, students and the like.
During a Jan. 10 community forum at the districts Ten Mile Building, 32789 W. 10 Mile Road in Farmington,
three community members, separate from the committee, reviewed answers from a 10-question survey the
committee put out for the district. A number of forums were held recently to discuss the survey results; a few
were rescheduled during the week of Jan. 6 because of the weather.
Michael Johnston, director of technology services, said community members, even though they did not conduct
the survey, are analyzing its results, and it is all about transparency.
We want their perspective, not the districts perspective, Johnston said.
A High School Structure Committee subcommittee, High School Structure Subcommittee Community Values,
will also analyze the data along with community members, he said; 13 committee members are on the
subcommittee.
Students, parents and community members took the survey.
Survey topics included important personal values regarding a high school experience. The results came in and
ranked course offerings as most important on a scale of one to four, with one being the highest at 47.3
percent, or 434 votes. School day structures were ranked as the least important at 31.4 percent, or 288 votes.
It was seemingly all neutral ground for survey takers who voted to keep the current trimester schedule, 12 to 14
weeks long, at 35.8 percent, or 315 votes; 24.7 percent, or 218 votes, wanted to make the school schedule 16 to
18 weeks long.
According to a No. 1 ranking at 44.9 percent, or 412 votes, providing students an opportunity to participate in
advanced coursework is crucial to a high school experience. Ensuring that students have the same teacher for all
sections of a course came in last at 52.7 percent, or 483 votes in the less important category at a No. 6 ranking.
During the Jan. 10 forum, the three attendees said some of what they gathered from the survey results showed
that core classes and electives are important, and eight classes might be too much, but up to seven is plausible.
The forum was scheduled to meet Monday to discuss survey result comments.
In 2012, the administration and Board of Education requested that an evaluation be done of the current trimester
model, Cost said.
The process was not intended to recommend alternative scheduling models, according to a district document.
The district converted to trimesters, which divide the school year into three 12-week sections, in 2007 because it
was thought that the trimester model would save money.
Cost said after the meeting that currently, the trimester model is a five-class schedule from 7:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

One example of another schedule could include students taking six classes, also within a 7:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
time frame. Another recommendation could include students starting the school day at 10 a.m. and ending at 4
p.m.
Executive Director of Instructional Support Services Jon Manier said the community forums are open.
It is an exercise in transparency, he said.
Farmington Hills resident Tim Schoenherr, a parent of three in the district and a committee member, said he is
on the committee to offer his assistance.
(I want) to provide the parent perspective regarding the current schedule analysis, as well as recommendations
of changes if in fact it goes in that direction, Schoenherr said.
He added that he doesnt have any preconceived ideas or hopes about the scheduling outcome.
My hopes are that whatever the outcome is, that it will be what is best for the students and the district, and not
for any other reason beside that.
For more information, go to http://www.farmington.k12.mi.us/ or email Cost at
catherine.cost@farmington.k12.mi.us.
You can reach C & G Staff Writer Sherri Kolade at skolade@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1046.