Students debate high school schedule Students debate high school schedule (February 06, 2004)

Students in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District are following two schedules this year: the regular one that has been in effect for many years and a new one where finals are given before winter break and the school year starts a week earlier. Los Altos High School students tested the new schedule by taking their tests before winter break, and Mountain View High School students continued to take finals after break.

Despite the teachers' decision not to use the new schedule on either campus next year, teens are still talking about its pros and cons. Here, two YAG members summarize the perspectives that are representative of many students at MVHS and LAHS.

Proposed schedule disruptive for teens and adults

By Astra Bryant

Few students can claim that they've never experienced scheduling changes. Students welcome some scheduling changes, like adding a teacher in-service day. Students do not welcome other scheduling changes, like lengthening school periods.

Recently, the school board proposed changes that the majority of Mountain View students do not welcome. As Mountain View students, we did not have the opportunity to sample the proposed finals schedule (unlike our Los Altos counterparts). However, even though we did not experience the proposed change firsthand, most of us believe the drawbacks to changing our time-tested calendar outweigh the benefits.

It's nice to have two extra weeks to study for finals in January. Many students need that precious time to load information into their craniums.

Giving finals before winter break may force teachers to rush to fit their material into one less week, which can only be detrimental to the students. Also, starting one week earlier cuts August very short, leaving students less time for the traditional last-minute vacations with families that always seem to fall on or about the third week in August.

Such a change in schedule may be more disruptive to both teen and adult schedules than the school board anticipated. Mountain View teachers recently agreed with their students when they voted overwhelmingly to reject the new schedule.

Astra Bryant is a senior at Mountain View High School.

Pilot schedule worth a try

By Preeti Piplani

Last year, Los Altos High School students began discussing a finals schedule that would move first semester finals to the week before winter break.

The Los Altos faculty voted in favor of the schedule and Superintendent Rich Fischer made the final decision, authorizing us to pilot the schedule for one year.

Since this decision was made on Sept. 15, 2003, faculty, students and parents learned about it after the school year had already begun. First semester classes were shortened to accommodate the changes.

As a result, there was less time in semester-length classes like health, civics, economics and psychology for teachers to teach the required amount of material. If the new finals schedule were to continue, the first day of school would be moved a week earlier to give semester-length classes equal teaching time.

While some might argue that this change would take time away from family and student vacations, an additional week of vacation in June compensates for an early return in August.

By adopting the new finals schedule, students could truly take a break from the rigors of high school. Students would not have the option of studying during the two-week break and could instead spend time with family, begin their college search, work on long-term projects or finish college applications. Students could also relax and enjoy those two weeks without the threatening cloud of finals looming over their heads.

In a recent student vote, approximately 87 percent of the Los Altos student body said they prefer finals before break, and 69 percent said they support the current proposal to begin school one week early. This overwhelming majority is a clear indicator of student opinion.

This year's post-finals activities at Los Altos like "TGINF: Thank Goodness It's (Not) Finals Week" further indicate a thankful and appreciative student body who can look back on a winter break that was free of pre-finals anxiety.

While teachers ultimately decided not to adopt the new schedule for next year, Los Altos student opinion still favors it.

Preeti Piplani is a senior at Los Altos High School.

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