A proposal has been presented to the Board of Education to bring back the 9-period day to Walt Whitman High School beginning with the 2023-2024 school year. Whitman switched to an 8-period school day in 2011 due to budgetary constraints.

The 9-period day would start at 7:30 a.m. and end at 2:15 p.m.  It would consist of nine 40-minute periods with five minutes passing time.  Currently, the 8-period day has eight 45-minute periods, with five minutes passing, and ends at 2:10 p.m.

The proposal was presented by the district’s Curriculum Council, which determined that the extra period will provide increased academic opportunities to students on both ends of the educational tract from Advanced Placement (AP) to remedial.

Required courses for graduation, expanded AP opportunities, Academic Intervention Services (AIS), and ENL requirements can leave students with very few chances to explore their interests or career path through the multitude of electives offered at Whitman.  A recent survey of Whitman students found the top three areas where students wanted to see improvement were elective classes, social and emotional support, and time during the school day.  The Curriculum Council believes a 9-period day can help address all of those student concerns and more by:

• Providing all students with the mental and physical break offered by a lunch period in their academic day
• Providing a greater number of electives relevant to students’ post-graduate plans (college and career readiness)
• Helping ENL and Special Education students capture all the required courses they need in order to graduate on time

Students will begin working on their schedules for the 2023-2024 school year in December.

At the most recent Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. John Murphy, presented to the Board a proposal to bring back the 9-period day at Walt Whitman High School.