Upon the commencement of the second semester for the 2024-2025 school year, many Pleasant Valley students found themselves with a packed schedule due to school board and district requirements.
The Iowa Department of Education Establishes a set number of required individual courses per subject in order to graduate, with no specific number of classes per semester. On the contrary, the PVCSD Board Policy states, “High school students must be enrolled in at least five academic courses plus physical education each semester,” in regards to graduation requirements.
This five course requirement fails to consider the number of credits students need in order to graduate. It inevitably leaves graduates with an excess number of unnecessary credits. While taking ten classes a school year, including electives, students naturally have fewer classes they can take by their junior and senior years, forcing them into classes they may not be interested in. “I feel like I am just wasting my time. I am taking classes I am not very interested in and therefore don’t really care about. It’s just really frustrating,” said senior Sarah Rigdon.
Not only does a student taking an elective they are uninterested in consume valuable time in their day, but it can inadvertently create unnecessary struggles for other students and staff members. Electives, such as art and business electives, are commonly chosen for being “easy” and “low effort”. Seniors who enroll in these classes may take up the spot of a student who is actively interested in the field. Teachers may also spend excess time managing large class sizes despite low interest from some, especially upperclassmen.
Additionally, with the strict restrictions placed on schedule changes, many students wind up with a schedule filled with potentially avoidable study halls. For seniors who are most likely taking elective filled schedules, meaning minute amounts of homework or tasks outside of class, this may just mean time wasted, leaving many frustrated. “I am required to be here first through seventh period while only taking five classes. To make matters worse only two of those five classes are classes I need to graduate. It really infuriates me knowing I am coming to school to sit around and take classes I don’t even need,” said senior Mckynley Gnewuch.
This time wasted sitting in study hall could be depriving students of opportunities. Rather than remaining idle with little to no work to complete, students could be working to earn money to put towards college expenses, gaining work experience from an internship or apprenticeship or simply accomplishing tasks that cannot be done at school. “Having a full schedule with multiple study halls really makes me feel like I am causing myself more work outside of school. Instead of being able to accomplish tasks and get things done at home I am stuck sitting in study hall, ultimately causing me more work in the long run,” Gnewuch continued.
While it can be assumed the five class requirement is due to an effort to increase school and district rankings, it comes at the cost of students’ time, opportunities and productivity.
