©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Blocking the Four-Block in Order to Improve Graduation Rates |
The way the school day is structured at Galesburg High School is either part of the solution, or part of the problem.
That was one of the items discussed at a public forum Thursday night at GHS in order to address the school's declining graduation rate as part of a state order.
District-205 Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Joel Estes says it's possible that, given the overall graduation rate is around 76%, student schedules and classroom time needs to be investigated.
"One of the things that we are going to do as a school district and a staff at Galesburg High School, is do a real thorough study of the four-block," Estes said. "We know that it is an issue for some students, and that will be part of our plan."
Estes says that is "the right thing to do." But while the suggestion garnered some audience applause, one student who spoke -- senior Nick Anderson said "not so fast."
"Our students here who graduate and go on to college are very marketable to colleges, with our classes, with the length of classes, with the schedules we have," Anderson said. "Our administration is working hard, as they've just added an (Advance Placement) for next year. I think that, without the block system, we wouldn't have that opportunity."
Anderson says in addition to advance placement courses, under four-block, students are able to take classes at Knox and Carl Sandburg Colleges, something they wouldn't have the time to do under a traditional class schedule.
A final restructuring plan, as it's being called, will be voted on by the Galesburg School Board at their March meeting.
(Joel Estes, Dist. 205 Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, gives a presentation on the Galesburg High School restructuring process Thursday night. WGIL News Story and Photo by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 02 12 10 by Newsroom |
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