Upon receiving schedules on Dec. 9, students discovered dramatic changes in their course lineup. These alterations resulted from Infinite Campus’ choice of scheduling.

“It’s stressful for everybody, but it will work,” counselor Vonda Nunley said.

Certain criteria must be met in order for counselors to consider and review requested schedule changes. Empty blocks, missing core courses, multiple courses of the same subject and previously taken classes will be accepted as valid reasons for requesting change. Also, students wanting out of an extracurricular course must have the sponsor’s approval to take them out.

“I’m lucky that my schedule didn’t get messed up that bad,” Kelly Franklin said. “I’m happy that I have mostly the same teachers, but would prefer to be in the same block.”

According to Franklin, her current teachers already know her problems in their subject, and forming relationships with new teachers will deny her the opportunity to build on her previous experiences with them.

“I’m moving to a teacher who doesn’t know me or my weaknesses,” Franklin said.

Counselors currently try to rectify errors on student schedules who meet the required prerequisites for adding or dropping a course.

“We are trying to be as accommodating as possible,” Mrs. Nunley said. “The problem is overloading.”

While students deal with rearranged schedules, Joy Jarrell was placed in courses she did not request or list as alternates.

“I thought everything was going to remain the same,” Jarrell said. “I didn’t know they even had a bookkeeping class.”

Placement in classes with different teachers because of Infinite Campus leads to new expectations in a course.

“The continuity of having the same teacher all year would be ideal,” BCIS teacher Mrs. Roberts said. “Infinite Campus continues to be difficult for both teachers and administrators to manage information.”

According to math teacher Sara Kamphaus, the classroom environment changes upon switching students in and out of one period to another. She worries the personalities of her classes will change.

“You work all year to get your class to the point where it is a family,” Kamphaus said. “Now it’s like the first day of school all over again.”

In order to allow as many students as possible to receive the schedule they need for the spring semester, MISD elected to allow Infinite Campus to schedule courses in the spring semester using a “floating” format. Because of this choice, some students may have the alterations to their schedule, but still possess the same teachers for the class.

“It’s going to be a struggle,” Mrs. Nunley said, “but it’s not something we can’t work through.”

See our editorial about MISD’s grading system.