Our strategic plan, published at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, established this as the first strategic initiative: “Advance our overall program to ensure academic excellence and develop pathways of learning that allow our students to continue to go beyond the traditional college preparatory model.” As a component of that work, we launched a schedule review and reimagining committee whose purpose was to redefine the way we spend our time. We worked with Independent School Management (ISM) to evaluate our schedule, understand our community and our needs, and explore the most current research on how teenagers learn best. The result of this nearly year-long process has been this new 7-mod schedule that will powerfully amplify the core values of our school, while opening up extensive and individualized pathways of learning for every student. This new, more flexible calendar, as well as the expanded curricular offerings, gives students more choices, an increased opportunity to take additional courses exploring topics they love and are interested in, while allowing them to have a balanced and manageable daily schedule that can be tailored throughout the year to meet their individual needs. Students will have a broad and deep academic foundation that prepares them well for college and life beyond high school.

This new 7-Mod schedule allows students to create an individualized and meaningful pathway of learning that supports their educational goals and allows them to meet and exceed our graduation requirements, explore their passions, interests, talents, and strengths, and demonstrate academic rigor and commitment. The beauty of the 7-Mod schedule is that it allows our students to access the same academically rigorous college prep education that we have always provided…AND they will have increased flexibility and choice, with a broad variety of electives available to them. Students don’t have to sacrifice things they love to ensure they meet graduation requirements. Students can choose from more courses and experiences. Mod Abroad courses maximize impact, with a strong curricular connection and time for preparation and reflection built in. With only 3-4 classes per Mod, students have more time—to get involved in extracurricular activities, seek extra help, enjoy campus events, spend time with friends, sleep, and breathe. Because each Mod comprises different classes and experiences, school stays fresh and students look forward to what the next Mod will bring. Take a look at these sample schedules to see a few of the ways students can customize their program to reach their goals.

Yes. A number of highly regarded high schools in the United States use a very similar module system. The module approach to curriculum has been used by independent schools for many years to a high degree of success. In fact, one of the schools we have researched has been using this schedule since the 1970s. That said, the mod schedule is an extremely innovative approach to education and only schools that are willing and able to innovate, create, and expand their curricular offerings while also continuing to deliver an excellent college preparatory curriculum are able to offer this type of schedule. The 7-mod schedule is ideally suited for our approach to teaching and learning, with an emphasis on a community-minded culture that allows every student to be known, seen, and celebrated for who they are.

The academic year—late August-early June—is divided into 7 mods, each 24 days long, or about 5 weeks. An individual class ranges from 1 to 6 mods in length, providing the right amount of time to dig into each subject. (In terms of instructional minutes, 3-mod courses are roughly equivalent to a full-year course at many schools.) Classes in a multi-mod course do not necessarily meet in consecutive terms, so the combination of classes a student takes changes each mod. Students take up to 4 classes per Mod. Each class is 75-minutes long, with breaks built into the day. In keeping with research on how to best structure time for busy high school students, the day includes time for clubs, homework, extra help, socializing, pursuing interests, relaxing, and enjoying campus life. One of our goals for our new daily/weekly/annual calendar has been to prioritize holistic wellness. We’ve worked to decrease the hectic pace that can so often characterize the high school experience. Longer class periods and breaks can allow students to alternate between the intensity of classwork and rejuvenation offered by a long lunch, a walk around campus, or a game of spikeball with friends. Read the research that supports spaced learning and the move to a modular calendar for more detailed information about why this system works best for teenagers.

Research about the way students learn (and more importantly, about how they retain what they have learned over the long term) is at the foundation of this schedule. Too often, the traditional school calendar and schedule leads to a “learn it for now” mindset, when we should be helping our students to “learn it for life.” The mod schedule allows for the kind of deep, immersive learning that sticks, making knowledge more permanent and meaningful. Studies show that “sticky” learning happens when students are deeply immersed in study for a finite period of time, followed by a break and then a brief period of review. This learn-break-review cycle promotes the kind of “relearning” that makes for lasting knowledge. As Peter C. Brown says in his 2004 book Make it Stick, “the best way to learn something well is to forget it…effortless recognition creates shallow learning, but effortful recall facilitates stronger memory.” Read more about the value of spaced learning.

One of the goals was to create a schedule that provided deep learning. We were guided by Independent School Management’s (ISM) examination of research on the importance of time and spacing in learning. This research–and observations in many schools–supports the idea that periodic breaks give students the opportunity to actively remember what they have already learned, creating more durable knowledge that lasts beyond the “studying for the test” period. From ISM's article How Much Time is Enough? (Ideas & Perspectives, vol. 32 no. 5): "When teaching in-depth (rather than breadth) takes place in classrooms, students suffer less short-term memory loss and little long-term memory loss. In-depth teaching is typically associated with more intense experiences and varied teaching approaches carried out in longer class periods." From CAL Digest, "Scheduling Foreign Languages on the Block" October 1998: "Anecdotal accounts of students' language retention seem to point out that the loss of language is no greater after a one or two semester break than it would be after the summer recess. From research dealing with retention rates at the college level: "Students retain 85% of what they had originally learned after 4 months and 80% of what they had originally learned after 11 months." Students tend to forget factual information quickly but have a significantly higher retention rate with information they learned through critical thinking because the information is not just memorized but internalized.1 Canady, R.L. & Rettig, M.D. (1995). Block scheduling: A catalyst for change in high school. Princeton, NJ: Eye on Education.

Generally, classes that were one semester will now be three mods, and year-long courses (Humanities I, II, III) will be six mods. In our current schedule, World Language classes are year-long, but the class periods are shorter (40 minutes). In our new daily schedule, these classes will be 75-minutes long. Therefore, each language level will be three mods long. Generally, students will continue to take one level of language per year, except at the higher levels (which we have always allowed) where a student may take level 4 and AS in the same year. As with all of our classes, three mods is equivalent to one year in a traditional school schedule. Thus three mods of language will be equal to one year/one level. Additionally, there are new 1-mod elective courses offered within each language and students may opt to take those in addition to the language level they are taking (so long as they have met the prerequisites). For each mod of a course, students will receive one credit. Three credits is equivalent to one year of instruction. Students can combine three one-mod courses from the same discipline to receive a full year of course credit in that discipline. Students should refer to the Course Catalog to see the credit category for each course. For example: One Year of Visual Art: Introduction to Painting (1 mod) Introduction to Drawing (1 mod) Introduction to Sculpture (1 mod) Or Intro to Ceramics (3 mods) One Year of English: Creative Writing (1 mod) Graphic Novel (1 mod) Personal Storytelling (1 mod) Or American Countercultures (3 mods)

Yes. The majority of our courses are actually taught by only one teacher, and for those courses, students will naturally have the same teacher for all three mods. For the courses in which multiple sections of the same course may be taught by different teachers, we will align student schedules so that they remain with the same teacher throughout the duration of the course. This does impact some of the flexibility inherent to the mod schedule, but we think this tradeoff is worth it to allow students a consistent teacher experience for each course. An exception to this will be in the core integrated humanities courses where students generally have two teachers, one for each of the semesters. In the mod schedule, this will equate to being scheduled with one humanities teacher for three mods and a different humanities teacher for the next three mods.

Each course is scheduled as a one Mod course, but many courses will require three Mods to complete the sequence. Each course receives one credit per mod. All courses will receive a grade at the end of each mod and these grades will be recorded on the transcript.

With courses varying in length from one to six Mods, there will no longer be a need for a universal “exam week.” Teachers can schedule exams and other assessments when they are appropriate for the course. ISM's research recommends that independent schools "maintain conditions that facilitate high levels of student performance throughout the year," noting that exam periods "interrupt and interfere with those conditions." "There is no evidence that exam periods advance learning or retention. […] It is clear that students cram for the test and that long-term memory is rarely involved." This is based on "Optimizing Distributed Practice: Theoretical Analysis and Practical Implications," Experimental Psychology, 56(4), 2009, 236-246. "Although most colleges still have exam periods, most do not require exams to be given during the scheduled time, and more than 60% of professors opt for alternative assessments." This is based on ISM's "College Student Assessment Study 2009."

The Mod Schedule encourages teachers to shift the way they do assessments, focusing on creating “conditions that facilitate high levels of student performance throughout the year," rather than on big end-of-term assessments.

We have been in the process of phasing out Honors courses over the last few years in favor of amplifying and deepening our Advanced Studies (AS) program. We decided to move away from this type of tracking for core graduation requirements (such as Algebra II) to better align our program with our educational philosophy. Historically, students were placed on an honors math track based on placement tests taken when they were 8th graders, and we found this metric to be insufficient in determining students’ capacity for advanced study. Additionally, the University of California system and many other colleges and universities do not always take Honors weighting into consideration for classes taken in 9th and 10th grade when calculating students’ overall GPA. We are now focusing on amplifying our Advanced Studies (AS) program. AS courses may be open to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders and are available in all disciplines. They are defined by a high level of rigor, and are weighted one point on the GPA scale. Many AS courses are comparable to, but with greater depth and curricular flexibility, to AP courses.

In general, we encourage students to take one level of math per year, although it is common for students to take Algebra II and Geometry in the same year. Students who take Algebra I in 9th grade will be able to take Calculus by senior year, and students who take Algebra II and Geometry in 9th grade will be able to reach the highest math levels we offer (Multivariable Calculus or Linear Algebra) by senior year.

Generally, no. Exceptions to this will be at the higher levels (which we have always allowed) where a student may take level 4 and an Advanced Studies language course in the same year.

Many of our arts courses will now be offered as 1-mod courses, while many of our current art electives will be offered as 3-mod courses. Performance-based multi-mod classes such as Jazz Band, Chamber Singers, and Production & Design Studio may be offered sequentially and/or scheduled in certain mods to allow for preparation for concerts and shows. Our arts graduation requirement will stay the same: students are required to take two years’ worth of arts courses. Students are required to take 3 mods of art in 9th grade, and 3 mods in the same discipline by the time they graduate. Students who have taken two Foundation Arts courses have already satisfied this requirement, but we encourage students to keep exploring the arts through the broad array of 1-mod electives. In our new structure, students can meet their arts requirement in a variety of ways. They can take 3-mod electives or AS seminars, or they can choose to take any 3 mods that fall under one discipline (three one-mod visual arts courses, three one-mod music classes, etc.) These courses do not need to be taken all in the same year.

Given the fast pace of five-week mods, the Add/Drop period cannot function like it has in the past, as joining a class a week into the mod would mean the student has missed 20% of the content. With that in mind, Add/Drop will function in the following way: For One Mod Courses: Students will need to make any changes to their one mod courses by the end of the previous mod. For example, for one mod courses that meet during Mod 2, students will need to make any changes to those courses before the end of Mod 1. For Three Mod Courses: Students will need to make any add/drop requests by the end of the second day of classes in the mod. Barring extenuating circumstances, dropping or changing courses outside of the timeframes listed above will result in a “WD” (withdraw) on the student’s Sonoma Academy transcript. Note: Students will receive their course enrollments for the entire year over the summer, so they will see all of their courses, including the 1-mod courses and be able to request changes as they do typically.

Yes, we are changing our attendance policy to reflect the increased impact of absences in the context of the mod schedule. This will be reflected in the 2024-2025 Student Handbook. We place a high value on in-person, collaborative, and experiential learning opportunities that happen across advisory, core courses, community time, electives, and ensemble times. To that end, the maximum number of absences a student can accrue per class in a single mod is five absences. Students that reach the absence limit will meet with members of our Student Support team to determine if they need to repeat the mod, develop a plan to make up the coursework, or withdraw from the course. Absences will be classified into three distinct categories: exempt, authorized, and unauthorized. Students that reach the absence limit (5 per mod) will need to meet with the Director of Student Experience and/or other members of the Student Support team to make arrangements to repeat the course or makeup the coursework during a later mod in the school year. Exempt Absences These are absences pertaining to academic or extracurricular courses that have been approved by the Assistant Head of School (who determines the impact to the overall schedule and leads teaching and learning at SA) in consultation with our Director of Student Experience and Belonging. These absences from class are noted, but do not count against the allowable absences in a class. Students are required to make up all academic work in a timely fashion by the protocols determined by each instructor and department. In most cases, this will not exceed a week’s length of time. Examples of exempt absences include: Athletics releases for games, extracurricular releases for competitions, field trips, college visits and college admissions rep meetings. Authorized Absences All authorized absences count toward the total number of allowed absences in a class. In those instances where illness or events preclude a planned absence form, families must notify the school of the absence by 8 am on the day in question. Unauthorized Absences Unauthorized absences count towards the total number of allowed absences in a school year. The following conditions result in an unauthorized absence: Student skips class, Parent/guardian is unaware of student absence, Parent/guardian is unwilling to excuse student absence.

College admission officers look at end results: courses taken and grades on the transcript to assess a student’s performance, not at the school's schedule structure. Colleges look at how students maximize their learning opportunities—both through the challenges they undertake and the success they achieve—within the curricular options available. By expanding those options, our students can differentiate themselves and go further than ever before as they pursue course pathways related to their academic interests and future goals. If anything, this switch to the Mod System will only enhance our student’s capacities to demonstrate rigor, depth, challenge, and their individualized and unique pathways of learning. Transcripts will continue to reflect each student’s academic course load and every transcript is sent with a Sonoma Academy school profile that gives an overview of the academic and co-curricular programs at SA. In many ways, the new Mod system will allow students to demonstrate greater challenge and rigor, as well as to differentiate themselves in their pathways of learning from other students. Other schools using the mod calendar have matriculation lists that are very similar to ours, with a mix of well-known colleges and universities large and small, public and private, all over the country.

With most colleges in the United States employing a holistic admissions process, where application review is focused on both the quantitative and qualitative strengths of each applicant, the mod schedule will allow for students to continue to dive deeply into their required core subject areas while also demonstrating their unique interests and passions through their elective choices. Colleges focus more on how students maximize their learning opportunities within the curricular options available to them—both through the challenges they undertake and the success they achieve—rather than the actual daily or annual schedule of each high school in the country. By expanding those curricular options, our students can differentiate themselves and go further than ever before as they pursue course pathways related to their academic interests and future goals. If anything, this switch to the mod schedule will only enhance our student’s capacities to demonstrate rigor, depth, challenge, and their individualized and unique pathways of learning. Our College Counselors communicate regularly with admissions offices about school shifts and updates, via our School Profile and individual conversations with our assigned admissions counselors, and that will be no different with this shift to a new schedule model. They will have all the context they need to understand these changes and how individual students have taken advantage of the opportunity available to them.

Transcripts will continue to reflect each student’s academic course load, with each course (including one mod electives) shown on the transcript. Every transcript is sent to colleges with a our School Profile that gives an overview of the academic and co-curricular programs at SA. Students in the classes of 2025, 2026, 2027 will have a note explaining our switch to the mod schedule so each college has a full picture of our academic program. Our College Counselors are working closely with colleagues from other high schools that use a mod schedule to design a transcript that is clear, concise, and easy to digest for admissions offices. In many ways, the new mod system will allow students to demonstrate greater challenge and rigor on their transcripts, as well as to differentiate themselves in their pathways of learning from other students.

In our current structure, students generally receive 7 to 8 grades for each year. In the mod system, they could have up to 28 grades over the course of a year. The impact of each individual grade will be less in terms of a student’s overall GPA, because there will be a higher total number of grades on their record. Our hope is that this actually makes receiving grades less stressful for our students. Colleges look at students’ GPA in the context of their school, their grading scale, and the weight they place on advanced courses. All SA students will experience the impact of the change in the same way, at the same time, and part of the College Counseling office’s job is to communicate GPA context to colleges for each SA applicant. It is important for students to do their best, challenge themselves at an appropriate level, pursue interests, continue to explore courses in all disciplines throughout their four years of high school, and most importantly enjoy their high school experience.

Part of the goal of the mod schedule is to open up more elective opportunities to all SA students, which has been a consistently voiced desire among many of our students for many years. The wide array of 1-mod electives accomplishes this goal. There are more ways to demonstrate rigor than just through weighted AS courses; students can also demonstrate rigor and passion by diving more deeply into the subject areas that fascinate and fulfill them. Pedagogically, we are more focused on providing students with opportunities to get excited about deep and unique learning, rather than only pursuing classes that will boost their GPA. That is a transactional approach to education that is not aligned with our core academic values. Since all students will have a minimum mod enrollment requirement each year, all SA students will experience the 1-mod elective program, so no one student’s GPA will be more impacted than another. Colleges consider GPA within the context of the student's high school experience, especially at Sonoma Academy. They look at the rigor of courses taken, like Advanced Studies courses, to understand the GPA's context. It's important to note that colleges do not compare GPAs across different high schools, as each school has its own grading scale and policies.

Yearbook will be scheduled as a 3-mod course (this will give 3 visual arts credits toward our graduation requirements). There are a number of introductory 1-mod debate courses and participation on the Speech & Debate teams is still an extracurricular activity. Robotics will continue to operate as an extracurricular program.

We have designed a daily schedule that includes an expansive block of time in the middle of the day, breaking up the four academic class blocks. We are calling this time period Community Time because of the way it supports community and individual wellbeing (taking care of yourself is an important part of being a good community member!). Community time is a 30-60 minute time period (the length of time depends on what students choose to participate in) that occurs before lunch four days per week and creates dedicated time for leadership activities, choir and ensemble participation, affinity and club meetings, structured study support, athletic or physical wellness activities, or some needed homework/socializing time, in addition to weekly Community Meeting & PS gatherings.

We will no longer have Exploratory in this new schedule. However, our broad array of 1-mod electives will keep the exploratory spirit alive, allowing students to try new things, take risks, and pursue passions and interests. In fact, in the new system, students will have more opportunities than ever to try different electives and explore the various disciplines, teachers, and expansive course offerings we have developed.

Next year, we will expand our vision for our international programs to pilot a new program called Mod Abroad. We will also continue to offer Passport Program courses within the Intersession block as well as during Spring Break, and possibly immediately following graduation as well. The Mod Abroad program allows for a classroom-component that will be incorporated prior to traveling in order to provide additional learning and context for the travel component. Students interested in the Mod Abroad courses will need to apply for the courses and meet any necessary prerequisites. Just as with Passport Program courses, the associated costs of travel within the Mod Abroad courses will be covered by the Passport Program Fund and will count as that student’s Passport Program experience. Both Mod Abroad courses will be scheduled in Mod 4. Students who wish to participate may have a reduced number of one-mod elective choices as a result, because four of their open blocks will be scheduled to occur during Mod 4 in order to participate in the course. More information about how to apply for a Mod Abroad course will be distributed to students during the course planning process.

Yes. Students who are interested, but have already traveled on a Passport Program, may still apply. If accepted and scheduled for the courses, families would incur the travel expenses associated with that Mod Abroad, just as they would if opting to signup for an additional Passport Program course.

Our physical education program philosophy is centered on promoting the importance of regular physical activity and leading a healthy lifestyle. We believe that physical education is crucial for the overall wellbeing of our students. Our program also seeks to instill a lifelong appreciation for physical activity and encourages students to find activities that they enjoy. We aim to provide a supportive and inclusive environment where all students feel confident and empowered to take part in physical education activities. We value teamwork, cooperation, and leadership skills that can be developed through participation in team sports and group activities. 9th and 10th grade students are required to take one mod of PE each year. Students who wish to incorporate physical education courses into their daily schedule are encouraged to take courses throughout their high school years. 9th and 10th grade students may meet their PE credit requirement in the following ways: Take a PE class! Peruse the courses we are offering and choose one (or more if you like) that interests you! Participate on a Sonoma Academy sports team or on our Dance Corps. Participation will earn your PE credit. Off-campus PE. Participate in an off-campus program that meets the criteria. These may include (but are not limited to) club sports, equestrian, dance, swimming, and more. In order to qualify for PE credit, students must be active in a program that meets at least three days per week for a total of six hours per week under supervision. Prior approval from Athletic Department staff is necessary in order to ensure that the off-campus activity meets the requirements for earning PE credit.

Students will continue to be supported in the course advising process as they chart their educational pathways. Our College Counselors will meet individually with all rising 11th and 12th grade students and we will hold a series of small group meetings for rising 10th graders. Our incoming 9th grade class will be supported through their onboarding process. All students will be helped to understand what their core course requirements are, as well as how to stay on track to meet their core college preparatory and graduation requirements. In our new system, students will be required to take more electives than they have ever been able to take before and will be supported in exploring interests, taking on challenges, and differentiating themselves. Additionally, students should utilize the course planning tools we will share with them and thoroughly review our extensive course catalog to start thinking about what types of courses they are interested in taking next year. Students will have more choices and opportunities than ever, so it will be time well spent for each student to think about what matters to them for their next school year, what they want to try, and how they want to challenge themselves, as well as where they might want to utilize their possible free periods to support balance and wellbeing.

Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 3 courses per mod, and are allowed up to 4 free periods per year. These can be scheduled during times when a student is particularly busy with extracurricular activities (during sports seasons or theater rehearsal periods), or if they are taking an otherwise heavy academic schedule (e.g, three AS courses in one mod). We encourage students to use this time as a homework and study period; it is also a great time to meet with tutors or get additional academic support if needed. Additionally, students may take 1-mod electives that support their overall wellbeing and desire for balance in their academic schedule, with courses that they might find relaxing or a stimulating in a different way than their core academic courses are.