State College High School Principal Scott DeShong gave a presentation on the updated education model for the high school, which would go along with it’s physical remodeling, at the State College School Board of Directors’ meeting Monday night.
The educational model includes the changes that will be made to the high school administration and curriculum structure to improve the students’ learning.
The model is separated into the ninth grade experience and the upperclassman experience. Right now, ninth graders take classes on a departmental structure, meaning all their subject classes are separated from one another.
Students may not see their core subject teachers more than once a day, DeShong said. With the updated educational model, students would be able to see their core subject teachers more than once a day informally to create better relationships with those teachers, DeShong said.
Ninth graders would also take a seminar class that would allow them to interact more with upperclassmen and also help them plan out what they want to do academically for the rest of high school.
As for upperclassmen, the slogan “No Student Left Unknown” was created to describe their educational model. A major part of their educational model is to have “a team of core teachers and elective programs working with a group of students.”
Upperclassmen would have more collaborative time in their schedules to help create more relationships with teachers across the curriculum, DeShong said. Students would also have more time to do more project-based learning, meaning a group of students would be given a problem where they must use skills they learn from across the curriculum to solve the problem.
Teachers would also see a change in the way they operate, DeShong said. Planning time would be given to teachers allowing them to discuss the education of shared students, DeShong said.
“This is a structure that would allow [students] to collaborate with teachers who have same kids,” DeShong “It allows them to be able to allow us to make better decisions about teaching and learning.”
The planning came about first from a model planning team that included teachers, students and building administrators. This team made visits to other schools that have a similar size and similar demographics to see how those schools addressed the academic needs of students.
Board member Laurel Zydney was concerned about students who aren’t involved academically and aren’t interested in school, and how they will be brought into these academic communities.
“I don’t think we’ll ever get away from that student,” DeShong answered. “With this [plan] we hope to know him better and direct him better.”
The entire plan is supposed to be up and running by the 2018-2019 academic year.
The implementation of this plan is supposed to go along with the remodeling of the school. The board still has yet to decide between the two renovation plans. Concept B would include additions and renovations to the existing North and South buildings with a walkway connecting the two buildings. Concept D would include major renovations to the South building so that core classes could all be held on the same side of the street.
A community forum will be held Sept. 11. The final vote on the renovation project is scheduled for the Sept. 23 school board meeting.
The board also heard from John Beddia from Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates, the architecture firm the State College School District has hired. Beddia discussed a timeline for a voter referendum on the renovation project.
A referendum vote could be held in February or May referendum.
Beddia said the February referendum would allow several months of construction over the summer months, before students come back to school and before winter hits the region.
Beddia noted that a May referendum would be cheaper because it would not involve costs associated with a special election.
