C1 My Turn - LCHS: Best model for academic success

Community members, board of trustees,

My name is Cayden Stone and I am the ASB (Associated Student Body) president at Lake City High School. The purpose of this letter is to offer a rebuttal to recent baseless and unwarranted claims in a recent opinion letter written by a Coeur d’Alene High School student.

As we know, one of the most contentious issues currently facing our community is the debate on which high school schedule would best serve our students. As I'm sure we can all agree, it is paramount that we find a schedule that pushes academic success while remaining productive in all aspects of a student’s current and future goals. I believe the block schedule, currently implemented at Lake City High School, is the best option to achieve that goal. Coeur d’Alene High School’s “traditional” schedule on the other hand, is consistently selling its students short of countless opportunities that LCHS students have been enjoying for years.

The ending of that article claims, “Opposition to the truth of this situation will only contribute to increasing ignorance in our society.” I agree with that statement wholeheartedly, but can’t seem to understand why one would conclude an article full of opposition to the truth that way.

First off, the argument that CHS students are more prepared for college than Lake City students is absurd. The Lake City block schedule itself is much more similar to a college schedule. Like the block schedule, college classes do not meet daily. If students wish to receive daily instruction on a subject during college, they partake in study hall or office hours, both of which are offered and taken advantage of at Lake City under the block schedule. Daily instruction is possible at Lake City at the same rate it is in college. These study halls can also be built into a Lake City student’s school day schedule for further convenience.

Furthermore, Lake City has a much higher rate of students graduating high school with their associates degree due to flexibility given by the block schedule. After all, what better way to prepare for college than taking college courses! There are kids in our community that rely on free dual enrollment courses as their college education. The traditional schedule forces most students to choose between a genuine high school experience or a free college education they may need. The block schedule gives you the best of both worlds.

Closely related to the topic of college is standardized test scores. The information in the aforementioned article is misleading. If you look at the data with a growth mindset, you’ll see PSAT and SAT scores at Lake City High School show as much or more growth than CHS. The assessments only measure math and language arts. The assessments do not measure the experience and other learning that students do in coursework, nor the content asides those two topics.

Some point out that our AP exam percentages are lower across the board than CHS when it comes to scoring fours or higher on the AP exams (per Dr. Mike Nelson’s Assessment & Accountability updates). This is simply because we have a much higher amount of students able to enroll in AP courses due to the opportunity of the block schedule. To me, this is actually an advantage of the block schedule as one can experiment with an AP course while still being able to be enrolled in their other elective interests — a luxury the traditional schedule does not offer.

Another argument made is that our class time under block schedule is used poorly and ineffectively. I disagree with this statement on a variety of levels. I have 90 minutes to learn a new topic, discuss it with a teacher and sharpen my skills on it. The claim that our teachers have to “reintroduce” a subject every class is yet another absurd claim, however not a surprising one considering most CHS students have only ever known the traditional schedule and have little to no clue how the block schedule operates day to day. Having been in both schedules personally, I can attest block schedule teachers have no more difficult of a time “reintroducing” content than traditional schedule teachers I’ve had. It also has made no difference to me as a student.

Lake City also has a wider option of electives to choose from that instruct students on hobbies they may have or careers they are considering. CHS does not offer courses like outdoor studies, survival science and bigger music and fine arts programs like Lake City does. Our band at Lake City is five times bigger than Coeur d’ Alene’s. This is in part due to the opportunity for students to take AP, KTEC and dual credit courses while still participating in enriching opportunities like debate, drama, multimedia, music, art and the many other programs we offer. CHS does not share that same level of opportunity.

Our student leadership programs like Student Council, PACK and Sources of Strength are actual classes that students can have during their school day. At CHS, the Student Council has to meet before school for only around an hour. As the head of my Student Council, I have to say having 90 minutes every other school day to work on projects is extremely convenient. Many other leaders of clubs and organizations here at LCHS agree with that sentiment.

High school is about finding what you are passionate about. Our CTE programs and electives are so much more diverse thanks to the block schedule. Students find what they love to do. Our teachers work so hard to ensure success and anyone that claims our relationships with them are worse than the student-teacher relationship in a traditional schedule has clearly never been in a block schedule like ours. Having been in both, I can say my relationships with teachers are much stronger than the ones I had in traditional.

At the end of the day, I want CHS students to have the same opportunities as us Lake City students. In my opinion and the opinion of many others, they are constantly being denied opportunities that they and every other student deserve. I’ll admit, I had reservations about the block schedule before I entered it. However, in time, you come to see the ultimate benefits far outweigh the negatives and your opportunity and experience improve instantly. There’s no question why the block schedule is being implemented across the country at such a fast rate.

While there are two intensely differing opinions on this matter, we all must see that at the end of the day, this is education we are talking about. To me, it is quintessential that education is bold, opportunistic, equitable and enjoyable. Through personal experience, research and countless conversations, I believe that the block schedule is what is ultimately best for all students.

Kind Regards,

Cayden Stone

ASB President- Lake City High School