Livermore, Granada high schools shifting to semester schedule

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Students attending either of the two comprehensive high schools in Livermore will face a transition from the current trimester schedule to a more traditional semester system in the 2024-25 school year.

Earlier this month, eighth through 11th grade families of Livermore and Granada high schools received emails from the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District detailing the new class schedule and its benefits.

The district said in its email that strong and supportive teacher-student relationships were identified as a key component to students’ academic success and well-being through various forms of outreach to teachers, counselors and administrators and meetings with high school student advisory groups as well as feedback from the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan and English Learner Advisory Committee meetings and surveys.

“At the high school level, the trimester system has been identified as a barrier to relationship-building as teacher-student assignments have the potential for change each trimester, roughly every 60 days,” LVJUSD officials said.

This revelation is what prompted the decision to move to a semester schedule, which is not completely new to the district as the high schools previously operated on semesters prior to switching to trimesters in 2008.

“Semester systems are commonly used by surrounding districts and throughout the state, and we are confident that this structure will better meet the social-emotional and educational needs of our high school students without impacting current and future 4-year plans and robust elective opportunities,” the district said.

Although the 2024-25 calendar is still in the finalization stage and has not been approved by the Board of Education yet, next school year is tentatively planned to begin approximately one week earlier in August than this year.

The proposed first day of school will be no earlier than Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, with an anticipated last day of school on Friday, May 30, 2025.

“This shift will allow for both high school semesters to include a like number of instructional days, and for the first semester to conclude prior to winter break,” district officials said.

While acknowledging that the first year of any transition can be difficult, district officials stressed that the schedule change will not impact any high school student’s ability to fulfill their existing four-year course plan or to access courses needed to meet college application requirements.

The benefits of the semester schedule highlighted by the district include eliminating gaps in learning with year-long courses, increasing the likelihood of students remaining with the same teacher for both semesters, providing more time to complete assignments and demonstrate learning during the instructional period, and providing additional support and enrichment time for students with disabilities, among other potential advantages.

Under the new semester system, LVJUSD will be implementing an A/B block schedule model which provides four, 90-minute instructional blocks each day, along with 10-minute passing periods and a 30-minute lunch. Five additional minutes will be added to class three and four to account for morning announcements.

The majority of students will complete a full schedule (60 units) by taking six classes in total each year; attending three, 90-minute instructional blocks each day. For students taking classes one through six, each school day would begin at 8:40 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m.

“For athletes, this schedule can be advantageous as it should avoid students missing class time in order to participate in competition,” the district noted in its correspondence to families.

For students who desire to take more than six classes, this schedule allows for addition of a seventh or eighth class to be added into an open spot on either an A or B day. For these students, the school day would begin at 8:40 a.m. and conclude at 3:40 p.m. on the days their additional classes meet.

While the high schools will have to adapt to this forthcoming change, the district said that elementary and middle schools will remain on the trimester system at this time.

“Elementary and middle school students largely remain with constant teacher assignments for an entire school year, and therefore do not experience the same trimester challenges to relationship-building that high school students do,” district officials said. “Continuing the trimester structure for elementary and middle school will allow teachers to preserve three assessment / grading periods throughout the school year as they monitor student progress and needed supports.”

The district encouraged families to reach out to their respective administrators with questions or concerns, saying, “We will work with families to overcome any challenges and ensure that the 2024-25 school year gets off to a great start.”