The Moscow School Board is considering reducing credits required to graduate high school to encourage fuller schedules, improve attendance, and address student and teacher burnout and mental health.

The goal is to “decrease loads for students and teachers,” said Moscow High Principal Erik Perryman.

Currently, the district requires 51 credits to graduate, but the state minimum is 46. A reduction to that minimum would allow the high school to go from seven class periods a day to six.

About a dozen students, teachers and patrons attended last week’s school board meeting to oppose the plan.

Some argued the process of considering the change was rushed and didn’t include enough patron input. Students raised concerns that their class schedules are already tight, and reducing opportunities for electives could hurt their chances of getting into competitive colleges.

Staff were split on the proposal, although about 60% supported reducing the graduation requirements, according to a district survey.

The board only discussed the idea last week. The earliest final decision could be made in July, Superintendent Shawn Tiegs told EdNews, but the timeline is up to trustees.

The proposal

The district offers students 56 credit opportunities in high school, above its 51-credit graduation requirement.

That gap has led some students, especially juniors and seniors, to take lighter course loads because they can still earn enough credits to graduate, Perryman said. As a result, many arrive late, leave early or spend less time on campus.

“We end up with seniors who need honestly like three credits a semester in order to graduate,” Perryman said. “And that affects attendance.”

It also affects state funding. Idaho school districts receive state funds based on their average daily attendance, not enrollment.

Other reasons for a change revolve around workloads for students and teachers.

“Fewer classes per day for both staff and students to lower some stress levels, make it easier for teachers, and make it easier for students,” Perryman said.

The school day would not be shortened, however, allowing for more time in each class period, about 40 minutes per class per week.

“We’re not reducing to get easier, we would like to reduce to go deeper,” Perryman said.

Originally, the expansion to seven class periods provided more electives to students to give them more choice over their schedule and more classes they’re excited about, Perryman said.

“Turns out that a lot of our students are taking advanced classes, and they want time,” Perryman said.

The proposed reduction would come entirely from elective credits, lowering the number required for graduation from 17 to 12.

Tiegs told EdNews the reduced class load would not impact the high school’s staffing levels. It’s also unlikely to impact district finances, he said.

Some other elective options may eventually be cut, depending on participation levels, he said. School counselors have worked out a proposed course schedule that would still allow students to take four years of music or a foreign language under the six-course-a-day model, Perryman said.

Class sizes might go up slightly, but under the proposed schedule, the largest class would be about 30 students, Perryman said.

The district also plans to pare back enrollments in the state’s online learning platform, the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance, after changes at the Statehouse increased the cost for districts to offer some courses.

What other districts do

The state minimum for graduation is 46 credits, but local leaders can require more. The state does not track graduation requirements set by school districts, according to a review of data districts are required to submit to the state.

Earlier this year, the Lake Pend Oreille School District in Sandpoint reduced its requirement from 54 credits to the state minimum. The district also transitioned from a block schedule to a six-period day.

Lewiston has a 58 credit graduation requirement and a block schedule. The Blaine County School District also requires 58 credits. The Boise district has a 48-credit graduation requirement, which includes 17 elective slots.

Moscow, Lake Pend Oreille, Blaine County, and Boise all have ongoing or permanent supplemental levies. Lewiston also has unique levy rules because the district was created before the State of Idaho. Those levies largely pay staff salaries and benefits, which allow for lower class sizes and stability for programs not funded by the state, including sports, career technical education, advanced courses, and expanded electives.

Other North Idaho Districts at the state minimum include: Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Lakeland, and Kellogg.

Educators, students and parents push back

All the patrons who spoke at last week’s board of trustees meeting opposed the change or raised concerns about the process of creating the proposal.

Mark Shipley, a science teacher at Moscow High, told trustees he’s happy with seven periods. He also raised concerns that the survey for teachers didn’t provide enough context.

“The process feels rushed,” Shipley said.

The questions on the survey weren’t about student success but about reducing workload, he said. At the end of a long week most teachers might say yes — teaching one less class sounds nice, Shipley said.

He also criticized the lack of student involvement in the process and questioned whether reducing classes is the best or only way to solve burnout for students and teachers.

Lee Anne Eareckson, who teaches French and science at the high school, agreed that the process was rushed and that the people involved were limited.

Eareckson said she prefers more classes that are smaller compared to fewer that are fuller. Eareckson quoted a student also critical of the proposal: “We’ll have just as much homework and less fun because the electives are fun.” 

Mackenzie Waynant, a freshman, said she was surprised to hear about the proposed change from a teacher.

“The students were not involved, we have not been told about this schedule change at all,” she told trustees. “I can promise you if we were, this room would be overflowing with students who do not like it.”

Waynant said she wants to go to a competitive college, and many of her electives are advanced-placement classes. Reducing the number of daily courses would force her to drop a drama class, she said.

Lillian Camin, also a freshman, said she’s unsure how students can continue in a subject like band, a foreign language or art for four years with the reduced courses. She hoped to take a mock trial class, along with music, language and advanced courses.