ADAPTING TO THE NEW ADAPTIVE SCHEDULER

Students at Clear Creek Amana High School have varying thoughts and opinions about the new Adaptive Scheduler which was launched on October 28th. The Adaptive Scheduler is a new system for students to choose where they want to go during Advisory for the week or get requested by a teacher. On Mondays, students go to their homeroom Advisory and choose where they want to go for the rest of the week unless they have already been requested by a teacher. The options include structured study halls, teacher support, enrichment, math labs, club meetings, etc. There are both benefits and disadvantages to the new Adaptive Scheduler. 

The Anchor Staff sent out a survey to the student body to gather opinions. Out of 62 responses, 64.5% of students said they think the Adaptive Scheduler is easy to use, 24.2% said it was not easy to use, and 11.3% said it’s sometimes easy to use. Despite the Adaptive Scheduler being easy to use for most, many students said that it is not helpful for them. 32.3% of students said that the Adaptive Scheduler is helpful, with a little over half (54.8%) of students saying that it is not helpful, and 12.9% think it’s kind of helpful. Most people, 62.9%, prefer the old way of asking or emailing teachers to be put on their list for Clipper Learning Time (CLT) compared to the new Adaptive Scheduler. Yet, some students, 35.5%, prefer the Adaptive Scheduler. 1.6% of students did not have a preference. The survey also asked if students have been able to sign up for the options they want or if they’ve been filled up before they could sign up. 51.6% of students have been able to sign up for the options they want, 35.5% have not because they filled up before they could sign up, and 12.9% have had both happen. Many students brought up the frustration of signing up for a certain Advisory but later in the week something else comes up and now they need to go to a different Advisory. The good news is that teachers are able to override it as long as there’s communication among everyone involved so you can go see the one you need. The numbers aren’t very drastic nor contrasting, illustrating that the student body has a lot of different ideas about and experiences with the Adaptive Scheduler. 

SCHOOL COUNSELOR MEGAN CARLO, WHO HELPED DESIGN THE PROGRAM FOR ADAPTIVE SCHEDULER; PHOTO BY JULIETA ORTIZ

There was also a wide range of opinions for the enrichment options. 26% of students had good things to say about enrichment. They described the enrichment options as interesting, fun, cool, and enjoyable. 42% of students had negative things to say about enrichment. They said that it’s unneeded, boring, and there’s not enough options. 32% of students had neutral opinions about enrichment either saying that it’s okay or they haven’t tried it yet. 

Olivia Fuller said, “I am all for having clubs during enrichment time, however I don't think that should limit other meetings outside of school hours since not all students can go to it during Advisory and not all students can go outside of school hours.” This brings up a good point that having clubs during Advisory makes it more accessible for some students but it shouldn’t be the only time because other students need to use Advisory for schoolwork and may not be available. Multiple people brought up the fact that students are no longer able to go to the library or cafeteria during Advisory for having all A’s and B’s. This is because the library and cafeteria served as study halls and since teachers now host structured study halls, it was considered unnecessary. Thus, it was removed. 

But now there’s no longer a reward for having good grades. Having a 

reward for students with good grades is a good thing because it can be motivating, encourage hard work, and serve as positive reinforcement. If going to the library and cafeteria during Advisory can no longer be an option, it would be beneficial to have a different reward of sorts. 

Overall, students at Clear Creek Amana High School have mixed feelings about the new Adaptive Scheduler. While it is easy to use, many people prefer the old way with the Google sheet spread and asking to be on teacher’s lists. Most students don’t find it very helpful and want more options available for enrichment.