West Seattle High administrators say the school's four-period day schedule is supported by a majority of its staff and the proposal to modify it is being externally driven by a small percentage of parents who are pressuring the district to change it.

Based on complaints from parents and two program evaluations, which produced mixed results, the Seattle School District plans to develop a modified version of the schedule, said Irene Stewart, West Seattle's School Board member. The schedule could be ready by the 2008-2009 school year.

Evaluation of the school's schedule and crediting system is something Stewart has wanted to see for the past 10 years.

"I wouldn't say the district is buckling to anything," Stewart said. "We see a picture of considerable academic effectiveness, plus issues that should not be ignored - communications, teacher training, electives, advanced learning, transferring credits, and school choice."

The first study conducted last spring by the independent contractor EdAdvocates and the district's review released in October found the schedule to be effective but also indicated there's room for improvement.

West Seattle High School has organized its curriculum into a four-period day for the past 12 years. The school offers four 85-minute periods each semester.

Typically, high schools in Seattle have six, 55-minute periods a day. West Seattle High students take eight different courses a year, while those with a six-period day take six.

Some parents say the current schedule poses scheduling limitations that affect teaching and learning. Electives are sometimes ditched because students can't fit them into their schedule, and parents say block scheduling can hinder learning continuity for core classes, such as math and science because they are only one semester, creating gaps of up to one year.

Jeff Ursino, head of the school's science department, said it's only a small percentage of students that are impacted in that way.

While maintaining continuity is helpful in some subjects, he said, it's a false assumption that the moment a student stops' studying a subject, their education disappears.

But the chair of the school's math department stated in the district's review "students 'learn math in small increments over time' and there are 'intrinsic problems' in a long period for his students."

Though the staff is willing to look at changes, it's being done out of a response to pressure, said Ursino.

"We've been defending ourselves from an organized, deliberate attack on our system and our ability to self govern," he said. "It should be clear that a large majority of staff, while yes, we are always willing to look at what we do and to self examine, for the most part we are looking at changes in self-defense."

Stewart said staff has had "ample opportunity" to voice opinions and concerns at School Board meetings and participate in both evaluations, but "ultimately, the chief academic officer decides what is best academically for this school system."

"The chief academic officer, Carla Santorno, has set a path to address a lot of these concerns, it's just not happening quickly, which is frustrating to me," said Stewart. "I applaud (her) for taking this analysis on, and I trust her to make those decisions."

Calls to Santorno were not returned.

Assistant principal Bob Court said he acknowledges parent's concerns but maintains that the program is working well for students.

Part of the problem stems from misconceptions and a lack of knowledge about the system, he said. For instance, saying that instructors teach a years' worth of curriculum in one semester is a faulty assumption, Court said.

"The reality is a semesters worth of U.S. history is more thematic than it would be necessarily in a year long course," he said.

Ursino said another advantage is students spend more time in class and take more classes than they would at a traditional six-period day school. West Seattle High students take eight different courses a year, while those with a six-period day take six.

"The number of minutes (students) spend in class versus walking in the hallways is immense," he said. "And that's not getting talked about."

Judy Peterson, the school's interim principal, said students' "opportunity for an enriched education is much greater here" because they earn 32 credits over four years, while students at traditional schools earn 24. Parents have argued that the school's credit system makes it difficult to transfer credits within the district.

Both evaluations recommended the school create a formal and ongoing professional development program for new teachers to clarify the instructional goals of the four-period day.

The majority of students, staff and parents surveyed for the district's evaluation agreed that the benefits of the program outweigh the challenges. Most teachers described the current schedule as offering "more depth and less breadth," allowing them to "go deeper and scaffold learning."

The report also points to a steady rise in scores on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning throughout a seven-year period (1999-2005). However, this year's 10th grade scores are slightly below the district average in all subjects.

The spring audit found that science and math scores showed a slight downtrend, while writing and reading portions of the test have continued to rise. Value Added data "showed remarkable gains" when compared with other schools in the district (Ballard, Ingraham and Hale high schools). Overall, the audit found academic achievement at the school has increased during the last few years.

Ursino said the district doesn't fully understand the impact major changes could bring.

"That ignores the fact that over 12 years, the mechanics of our schedule have largely morphed our staff, curriculum, even our new facility, such that a regression back to a six period day would be devastating to our program, and would not retain what is unique and best about (this school)," he said.

Rebekah Schilperoort can be reached at rebekahs@ballardnewstribune.com or 783.1244.