Discussion continued with members of the Aberdeen School Board during their meeting Tuesday about the proposed trimester schedule slated to start in fall 2017 at Aberdeen High School.

An announcement flyer was sent about a week ago to parents and families of students at AHS and Miller Junior High.

“The minutes for each course will increase a little bit,” said Sherri Northington, principal of AHS. “But it doesn’t change the overall school calendar.”

The current system is two terms with six class periods taught during each term. The trimester system will be three terms with five classes during each term. At the end of a trimester school year, AHS students will have completed 15 courses instead of the 12 completed after a two-semester school year.

School staff have created course descriptions for classes to be offered during the 2017-18 school year. The teachers will review the scope and sequence of curriculum for their courses and make any needed adjustments to suit a trimester schedule.

Updates will be provided as this school year progresses, such as specific information about AHS graduation requirements and changes in the daily schedule.

The board members will only approve the policy change related to meeting these state mandates and not the actual mandates.

“The board will be able to question the reasoning behind it,” said Superintendent Tom Opstad.

Lynn Green, director of the school district’s Career and Technical Education, explained that trimesters have advantages over semesters for staff, students families and, especially, the students themselves.

“With one less class, stress levels decrease a bit,” she said. “Students have one less subject where they have to complete the homework and their workload is more focused.”

It’s also somewhat easier for students falling behind in a subject to catch up within the trimester system, Green pointed out.

The change to a trimester system is to bring the district into compliance with a new state requirement for high school students to complete at least 24 credits to graduate. AHS currently requires 22 credits minimum to graduate.

State-mandated changes in course requirements include successfully completing additional English, science, social studies and coursework in world language or personalized pathway, which would be three locally determined courses tied to a chosen future career. Students will need fewer electives as well.

A portion of these changes took effect as early as for students who graduated this past summer, but final implementation is for the class of 2019.