Rochester Plan Adds Flexibility To High School

By Robert C. Johnston

Rochester, N.Y.

With a plan that will allow students to map out their routes to a diploma over three, four, or five years, the school district here is hoping to shake up one of education's most tradition-bound institutions: the public high school.

The "Pathways" plan, proposed by Superintendent Clifford B. Janey and approved unanimously by the Rochester school board July 20, will give students the option of staying in school an extra year, or finishing up a year early. By formalizing those diploma options, officials here want to give students the time they need to master state-mandated material before falling hopelessly behind—as many now do.

Students who finish early under the plan, which is scheduled to take effect in the fall of 2002, could go on to college or remain in high school for enrichment programs or college-level courses...