Starting Aug. 19, students and teachers will begin to adjust to a change in Aragon’s schedule due to the implementation of flex time.
Last semester, Aragon’s teachers debated on whether a 35 minute tutorial period in between a class period and lunch on block days would be beneficial for promoting academic success. On April 22, on a 62 to 12 vote, teachers passed the Flex Time Proposal, creating a mandatory study period for all students.
“Students will get to adapt to flex time starting on the 19th and the 20th in their third and fourth period class, but will be allowed to choose their flex time classrooms starting on Aug. 26,” explains Vice Principal Joe Mahood.
According to the majority of teachers, the amount of support for flex time’s passage was expected. English teacher Sandra Skale says, “We were not really surprised by the turnout. The idea behind flex time was not drawn out of nowhere. Five years ago, we starting considering having a tutorial period at Aragon for students who [were] struggling academically and [needed] more support than we were offering.”
English teacher James Daniel agrees, saying, “Flex time is still a work in progress. It is a safety net for our students. We would not have passed it if there were serious concerns. But we can always fix any concerns after the first semester and improve it.”
Flex time will occur on block days before lunch. Similar to a normal class period, students will be required to be inside a classroom before the bell rings to avoid receiving a tardy. But instead of an fixed classroom system, students will be allowed to check into different classrooms, depending on their individual needs, with their student ID card.
Fremont High School in Sunnyvale served as a model for Aragon’s new schedule. “There was a committee that worked all last year researching and visiting different schools. We liked the version [of flex time] at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale served as a model for Aragon’s new schedule. “A committee worked all last year researching and visiting different schools. We liked the version [of flex time] at Fremont High School the best, and that is where the [duration of the session] decision came from, as well as the [idea behind getting] ID scanners,” explains Mahood.
Skale adds, “Attendance was a concern for teachers at first. We bought ID scanners to expediently take attendance so that we can know where students in case of an emergency [and] also so attendance would not take much time out of flex time.”
Aragon bought 80 barcode readers that cost about $40 each, according to social science teacher and technology coordinator Jim Smith. Each barcode reader will be plugged into a teacher’s laptop’s USB port and used to take attendance. “[We’re using] a web-based program that we’re getting from the guy who developed it, a teacher down in Fremont Union High School District.”
However, the program is able to do more than just take attendance. “It also has the capability [for students to] to schedule times with [specific] teachers [that they want to get help from during flex time]. It has more capabilities than simply taking roll, but I’m not sure which ones we’re going to use initially,” says Smith.
Unless a teacher requests for a student’s attendance, students are able to choose where they go. After a three week grading period, students who receive two or more D’s or F’s must attend an intensive tutorial in the library.
Principal Patricia Kurtz says, “We will offer tutors and resources for students who are at risk of failing or are receiving Fs and Ds. Faculty are still deciding on how to run the intensive tutorial and will be meeting next week to work on this process.”
For competitive athletes who may end up missing school for games, flex time may offer an opportunity to balance both school and sports. Junior Oliver Chang says, “I am taking a pretty rigorous schedule junior year, and during tennis season, there is always a conflicting struggle between prioritizing an important game or an important test because missing the slightest amount of school can be dangerous. Flex time is comforting because I have a good amount of time to make up for early dismissals.”
Vice Principal Joe Mahood also believes flex time will make lunch less stresful, saying, “Lunch was a complicated time crunch for students. Students had to quickly think and choose what to prioritize during lunch, whether it be going to a club meeting, going to a teacher’s room, making up work, or sitting down and actually eating lunch.”
Junior Carolin Jia adds that flex time will free up space during lunch for students to participate in other activities. “A lot of people want to be involved in extracurriculars but must also focus on academics. Since flex time makes time for seeking help in classes, students will be able to get more involved in lunchtime activities during lunch.”
Skale concludes, “I am confident that students will appreciate flex time as an opportunity to be motivated to get help because it’s being built into their day and not taking any time away from their personal life.”
