To better align curricula and keep staff informed,
administrators at San Benito High School are asking for the
addition of a division chairperson for their independent study
program.
Hollister – To better align curricula and keep staff informed, administrators at San Benito High School are asking for the addition of a division chairperson for their independent study program.
Started in 2003, the high school’s long-term independent study program has grown from fewer than 35 students to 173 students. Karen Schroder, director of student services, said communication can be difficult sometimes with the program being so independent.
“I think the department, we feel it needs to stay as it is, more or less, with just a little more coordination with the school,” Schroder said.
One way to increase communication would be through the addition of a division chairperson, Shroder said.
The extra cost of a division chair would be between $16,183 and $23,449 for the chair’s stipend and additional planning period.
Independent study teachers meet with students once a week to help them with all of their schoolwork and teach the subject matter.
The addition of a division chair would allow the department to share information about the independent study program and receive information about the other departments. A division chair could also help each of the teachers with curriculum development, Shroder said.
“We’re currently not in sync. We need that cross-pollination to pick up strategies and stay informed,” she said.
In addition, Shroder said, it’s important to keep the independent study students informed about policies and rules at the school, and a division chair would help link the students to that information.
“The independent study students are San Benito High School students. They can participate in athletics and extracurriculars and the students have to follow the same school rules,” Schroder said. “So there’s a real overlap.”
