Request for Flexibility 2014-15 Proposal INSTRUCTIONS: Please write your responses in the boxes below. SCHOOL NAME:
Johns Creek High School
CONCEPT NAME:
Waiver of Personal Fitness Requirement
Long Term Outcome - Enhance individualized learning and guidance Strategic Initiative - Allow for seat time waivers in specific courses based on STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: participation in extra-curricular activities. Concept Summary 1) Describe the need/challenge that your school seeks to address.
A significant number of the students at JCHS are multi-sport athletes or are in the marching band, where their level of physical activity is more excessive than the requirements of the mandated Personal Fitness course. For these students, the requirement of Personal Fitness are duplicative and impact their ability to enhance their learning opportunities through other course offerings.
2) Describe the proposed concept, and explain how it addresses the need/challenge identified above.
JCHS desires to enhance individualized learning and guidance in order to support students with personalized learning solutions that ensure credit completion and grade level academic success. In addition, JCHS seeks to prepare every student to excel in college and career. Currently, all students are required to complete 0.5 credit of physical fitness during one semester. This particular course requirement often limits our students' schedules and their opportunities to take other enriching academic classes. Students who are involved in JCHS's extracurricular athletic offerings and marching band program receive instruction and coaching through their co-curricular participation that duplicates the required curriculum in Personal Fitness (36.051) course. JCHS seeks to waive the personal fitness requirement credit for students who have lettered in a varsity sport or participate in marching band. This waiver is similar to the one already in place for JROTC students (as defined in State law 160-4-2-48). Moreover, this waiver will open an extra class period in a designated semester for students to have more educational opportunities. Commencing with the 2015-2016 school year, JCHS students may exempt the personal fitness requirement through one of the following means: (1) earning a varsity letter during one season of a Georgia High School Association (GHSA) sport at JCHS; or (2) completion of two seasons of JCHS marching band.
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8/14/2014
Request for Flexibility 2014-15 Proposal 3) Include any research or evidence that the concept will positively affect your school’s student population. If no research exists, please articulate the rationale for the likelihood of success of the concept, and describe your plans for risk mitigation.
The leadership and School Governance Council at JCHS conducted research to understand the implications of this request. The school consulted Centennial HS Governance Board and Principal as they submitted a similar RFF last year. Additional discussions were held with JCHS coaches, physical education teachers and marching band to ascertain their opinions on potential benefits and issues. Parents and student have been requesting a waiver of the Personal Fitness requirement for several years. As defined by the Georgia Department of Education (see www.georgiastandards.org), it is the role of quality physical education programs to help students develop health-related fitness, physical competence in movement activities, cognitive understanding, and positive attitudes toward physical activity so that they can adopt healthy and physically active lifestyles. We believe that students will experience these program elements through participation in approved athletic programs and marching band. Risk mitigation - Given that marching band does not cover the personal fitness content, incorporating such content in other aspects of marching band through coaching or through other seminar style courses could address these topics. JCHS offers approximately 35 other semester long courses that could replace Personal Fitness in a student's schedule and is planning to implement other courses, requested by students and parents, which include health and physical education topics.
4) Outline the expected results in the columns to the right.
Project Outcomes Establish schedule flexibility for those already physically active and create greater opportunity for individualized learning
5) List any waivers from state law, regulation, and/or rule required to implement the
O.C.G.A. §20-2-142 (c) and Georgia Board of Education rule SBOE 160-4-2-48 require participation in personal fitness for one year in high school. JCHS seeks a waiver from these requirements for students as identified in section 1.
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Short-Term Goals Allow JCHS students who are already engaged in a significant level of physical fitness, to earn 0.5 credit in a different course other than mandated Personal Fitness. Waiver(s) Requested
Long-Term Outcomes Enhance individualized learning and guidance
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Request for Flexibility 2014-15 Proposal concept. (Facilitators will identify the specific laws, regulations, and/or rules requiring exemption.)
O.C.G.A. §20-2-142 (c) states: “The State Board of Education shall prescribe a course of study in health and physical education for all grades and grade levels in the public schools and shall establish minimum time requirements and standards for its administration.” SBOE 160-4-2-48 contains a provision stating: “Health and Physical Education: One unit of credit in health and physical education is required. Students shall combine one-half of credit of Health (17.011), Health and Personal Fitness (36.051), or Advanced Personal Fitness (36.061) to satisfy this requirement.”
6) List any flexibility from Fulton County Schools’ policy required to implement the concept. (Facilitators will identify the specific Fulton County Schools policies requiring exemptions.)
Fulton County Schools Board Policy IHF (8) governs graduation requirements for students. JCHS seeks to waive the following provisions within this policy for student athletes as identified in section 1: Seat Time: “A unit of credit for graduation shall be awarded to students only for successful completion of state-approved courses of study based on a minimum of 150 clock hours of instruction provided during the regular school year, 135 clock-hours of instruction in summer school.”
Graduation Requirements: “One (1) Unit of Health and Physical Education defined by: Health -- .5 unit and Personal Fitness -- .5 unit.”
Impact on Students and Families, Personnel, Departments, Processes, and Schools 7) List any impact of the concept on the following: Students and families; Personnel; The school schedule; Transportation; School nutrition; Teaching, learning, and assessment; Other schools; and Any other area not addressed above.
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Students and Families: Students may choose to take an alternative physical education elective or additional academic elective course that they may not otherwise have time for in their schedules. This request for flexibility honors the time and commitment displayed by our students and their families to sports and marching band at JCHS. School Schedule: The proposed model could positively impact the Personal Fitness class sizes for teachers and students, especially as the maximum number of students in each class currently caps at 35 students. Also, in line with the JCHS strategic plan, it would enable the school to offer additional single semester courses in a variety of disciplines enhance life skills of our students. In addition, many 211 over the past year of our students are electing to take Personal Fitness as a virtual school class in order to open up a 1/2 year slot in their class schedule for other courses. Staffing: Consideration has been given to the impact on hiring of coaches because fewer Personal Fitness courses could affect staffing. After discussions with PE/Health Department Chair, Joey Matthews, it was felt that the reduction in Personal Fitness students as a result of this waiver would not greatly impact the staffing needs of coaches. The reason given that many of them also teach Health classes, and the 8/14/2014
Request for Flexibility 2014-15 Proposal estimated number of students who could benefit from the waiver constitutes approximately only 17.9% of the student body. Budget 8) Please use the budget template on the next page to provide the estimated costs of the proposed concept. In the space to the right, please identify, to the extent possible, how you plan to modify your school budget to cover additional costs. If applicable, identify external funding sources.
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This proposal is not anticipated to affect the budget in any manner. There is not a foreseeable need for additional funds to support this RFF.
8/14/2014
Request for Flexibility 2014-15 Proposal INSTRUCTIONS: Please enter the expected costs of your concept for the applicable school year(s). To calculate the totals for the Amount Budgeted columns, highlight the entire table, and press F9. You may customize the budget items. SCHOOL NAME: 2015-2016 Budget Item Item Description Amount Proposed Funding Amount Proposed Funding Amount Proposed Funding Notes (Include quantities Budgeted* Source(s)** Budgeted* Source(s)** Budgeted* Source(s)** if applicable) Teacher(s) 0 0 0 Paraprofessional(s)
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GRAND TOTALS
*When determining the Amount Budgeted for personnel costs, the principal should consult with the Learning Community Human Resources Director. **For the Proposed Funding Source(s), please indicate which of the following funding sources you intend to use: General Fund, Student Activities Fund, School Foundation/PTA, FCS Seed Fund, Grants, or Other (please specify the source).
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8/11/2014
