By Lizeth Moctezuma, Staff Reporter
April, 2022
As the next academic year lies on the horizon, with a new wave of students coming in, big changes are coming to the structure of the KIPP Austin Collegiate school day. Though we will still end the day at 4:45, KAC will move to an 8-period day to align our schedule with other KIPP Texas high schools. This decision has been years in the making. 10th-grade Assistant Principal George Ramirez spoke to the Cardinal Post to give insight into the forthcoming adjustments.
First, the eight periods will allow KAC underclassmen to have two free electives of their choosing and the upperclassmen to receive three. Changes to block days will be minimal, although the culture block will be replaced with another academic period. Meanwhile homeroom and classes will be appropriately shortened to fit the additional period into our schedule. Spreading students across more sections won’t affect a teacher’s workload, though class sizes may differ.
When asked about the reasoning behind adding the eighth period, Mr.Ramirez mentioned flexibility to try out the different classes we offer at KAC: “The biggest advantage to it is around student choice and student opportunity,” he said.
“If I think about an athlete on our seven-period schedule… they don’t get an opportunity to take as many electives because they’re in athletics. So now with students having the option of having two electives each year, it’s exciting because that student gets to try out multiple things.”
With the freedom to explore the curriculum, students can receive exposure to classes they had never even heard of before. “I think that’s going to be a game-changer for lots of students versus it being so limited in some of the stuff they’ve been able to do in the past,” Mr.Ramirez said.
As our campus continues to change to best-fit students’ needs, this is one of many shifts to look forward to as KAC proceeds to expand in its programs and as a school.
The Cardinal Post 