Titan Up Replaces Advisory As Kennedy Enters Second Quarter

When John F. Kennedy entered the second quarter of the school year, on Oct. 6, RTI replaced advisory as the new system for flex time. RTI is a system where students choose where they want to go for thirty minutes a day. Before, advisory forced students to go to their first block on Monday, second block on Tuesday, third block on Thursday, and fourth block on Friday during flex time.

To prepare students for the transition from advisory to normal RTI, JFK administration mandated students sign up for and sign into their advisory sessions using the 5-Star app. The gradual phasing of RTI was intended to familiarize students with the 5-Star system and combat last year’s RTI signups issue early.

JFK assistant principal Kimberly Martin commented, “We decided that we wanted to roll it out this way to try and get out any of the glitches to see if that was part of the issue of previous years.”

Although only 50% of students had signed up for an RTI session by the start of first block on Thursday, October 9, Martin mentioned that the percentage rose to above 80% in the following weeks, showing the rollout’s benefit.

Martin continued, “This year, there's a new place in 5-Star that we did Titan Up and I believe once we roll [teachers] into the new system that they're going to see that it's a lot easier for them to set up.”

Students feel mixed about the new process. Om Kasar (12) commented, “I feel like it will make a little impact on getting some people to sign up, but I don't feel like it will last very long.”

Keerthana Krithivasan (10) expressed a similar opinion: “I feel like more than not signing in, most people just don't sign up in the first place, so having them practice really doesn't help.”

Once RTI was set up, teachers created a variety of sessions depending on their students’ needs. Many teachers utilize RTI to assist their students excel with study sessions and test retakes while others host more leisurely sessions. Popular RTI sessions include Kevin Lydon’s room, the library, Uno Time with Victoria Mulcahy, and many others.

“Currently I have [my RTI sessions] as a chemistry tutorial that kids can come in and ask for help, but the majority of the kids use it as free time which is okay with me,” chemistry teacher Kimberly Nguyen stated. “Additionally, I had scheduled origami as a fun class.”

Many teachers enjoy RTI and its benefits for both students and teachers.

“I like RTI because it gives the kids the opportunity to go to any classes that they may need extra help in, and it allows those that are academically strong to have a little relax[ing] time,” continued Nguyen.

JFK principal Dr. Fisher commented, “During the school day, there's a lot of obligations for staff as well as students, so having intervention time is so beneficial.”

Students have mixed opinions whether advisory or RTI is better.

Krithivasan said, “I personally prefer scheduled advisory just because I still don't know a lot of the teachers that well, so I feel like if I get to go to advisory, and it's chosen for me, I can get to go to all my classes.”

Other students believe the opposite. “I would prefer scheduling one because let’s say you have a lot of work one day and you need to go to a study hall,” Adhidha Srinivasan (10) mentioned. “Sometimes your scheduled RTIs aren't study halls, and there's lots of people talking and stuff like that. I feel like having the choice of a quiet study hall is good.”

Despite some skepticism, many students enjoy these brief sessions of freedom, and the school is very optimistic about the beginning of Titan Up Time this year.

“It really allows [students] to do the E in PRIDE of exploring, and hopefully we’re going to get enough sessions that allow those kids to explore,” concluded Martin.

Photo by Khanh Do | Silence fills the room as admin enforces future RTI sign-ups.