Advisory changes made to help students to succeed

In an effort to help improve grades and help keep students from skipping, changes have been made to freshman and sophomore advisories.
Administrators say this year’s changes to advisory, including no advisory on Friday mornings, videos and not being able to leave the class are hopefully going to improve student success.
“The reasons for the changes are to help get the at risk students the help they need for grades,” Vice Principal Synthia Kirby said. “We want to figure out the ones that are struggling in certain classes, and get them to an advisory to get them that help they need.”
These changes will also keep students from getting passes from teachers and then never going to the class.
“Last year during advisory we would have students skipping class by just giving us a pass and roaming the halls,” coach LaKeith Grant said. “This will hold kids accountable for their actions.”
The changes have been met with mixed reactions.
“I don’t think the morning announcements are important really for the sophomore advisories,” marketing teacher Chris Marvel-Loskot said. “But, for the freshmen it is absolutely great.”
For all the positives, many students who benefited from advisory last year aren’t happy with the current system.
“The whole point was for homework help and for us to make up tests,” sophomore Marissa Thomas said. “It’s hard for us to make up tests for teachers that are coaches because they have practice after school.”
Sophomore Maci Baker was worried about volleyball when she heard the changes.
“My first thought was ‘hmm that’s going to be hard with volleyball’,” Baker said. “Volleyball makes it hard to make up tests.”
Thomas hopes there are changes coming to advisory.
“It’s okay this year,” she said “But I liked last year way better.”

Advisory Seen as Success

With a year to test out the advisory period, students, teachers, and administrators feel it has been a beneficial addition to the schedule.

“Advisory was multipurpose: give students an opportunity to make-up missed work and to help students who struggle with TAKS,” vice principal Synthia Kirby said. “The students did have the extra time to make up assignments. We will have to wait until TAKS results arrive before we will know if it improved TAKS scores.”

Kirby feels that most students and teachers were glad to have the extra time in the morning.

“I think some students appreciated the time during the school day to get more help from their teachers, but others did not take proper advantage of Advisory,” Kirby said. “For the most part, teachers were able to see the value in the Advisory period.”

Students feel like advisory is a beneficial addition to the schedule.

“If someone forgets their homework or needs to study, advisory gives them the time that they need,” sophomore Cali Barton said.

Coach Todd Chamberlain thinks advisory is a good class especially for students who can’t go for help after school.

“I’ve had several students come for help this year,” Chamberlain said.

As for changes, Chamberlain thinks advisory is perfect the way it is.

“I like how it’s at the beginning of the day,” Chamberlain said. “It’s good how juniors and seniors don’t have to come if they don’t need too.”

Kirby says there are some possible changes, “but nothing is carved in stone at this point.”

Rider Adopts New Schedule

The new year started off with a new schedule including four minutes between classes and a 29-minute advisory period.

Some students have found it difficult to get to their classes with the 1-minute shortened passing time.

“It doesn’t make much of a difference,” senior Alan Snyder said. “[Although,] it does make it a little harder to make it to classes that are farther away.”

Some teachers feel that the lack of time between classes is a plus.

“There are a lot of people wasting time in the halls,” AP Macroeconomics and United States History teacher Joe Pearson said. “Generally, students can make it to class, but I understand it might be hard if you have to come from art, speech, drama or the technology wing and get to a classroom on the other side of the school. Having four minutes between classes cuts down on the students that seem to have too much time between classes. With a breakneck race to class there is no time for ‘extraneous’ activities.”

Many students have been scheduled for advisory period at 7:45 that lasts until 8:14 so they have time for tutorials during the school day. Qualified juniors and seniors are exempt from advisory period.

Those select students who do not have to attend advisory period, as well as the teachers who are present for advisory period, are finding the extra time beneficial and efficient.

“What we wanted to do was to give students additional time to make up tests and quizzes,” AP Human Geography teacher Charlotte Dockery said. “As with any first time deal, we will have to work out the kinks, but for the first round of this schedule, it is doing pretty good.”

This new schedule has been put into place to help the students as well as the teachers.

“The schedule was built into the day because many students have to ride the bus or have practice after school,” Dockery said. “It was hard for the teachers from one department to come together since they have different planning periods. In my department many of the teachers are coaches, so it is easier to have the new schedule so we can talk about how our classes are going and discuss if we have anything we need to work on.”

Many teachers feel that the new schedule is a good thing.

“It threatens juniors and seniors. After three tardies they have to come in at 7:45,” Pearson said. “There’s not a whole lot [of cons]. As a teacher who travels, it is a bit more difficult for me to help students in the morning during advisory period. Many students just come to me in the afternoon for help. This schedule isn’t perfect, but no schedule is.”

Pearson said he knows that there are things that must be sacrificed for this schedule to be in effect.

“In economics you learn that for everything you get, you have to pay something,” Pearson said. “For this I’ve had to give up my teaching speed. I’ve gone at a slightly slower pace than usual to accommodate the time. Like with anything in life, this schedule has trade-offs and costs, but I’m confident that Mrs. McDonald has evaluated this schedule and found that it is worth the resources, and feels that it will achieve good results.”