LEBANON - After-hours tutors and classes centered on the basics are now available to Lebanon High School students having trouble with math.

On the horizon: new textbooks, course exit exams and parent "portals" to check student progress online.

Those are some of the strategies in the works to help lift math scores at Lebanon High School as soon as possible, Steve Kelley, Lebanon's acting superintendent, told the Lebanon School Board on Monday.

A new master schedule has been proposed as an additional strategy. Board members set a work session for 6 p.m. Nov. 17 to talk more about the proposal, math progress to date and the high school's "continuous improvement plan."

Kelley's report Monday outlined steps the district has taken so far to reduce the math failure rate at the high school.

Students already have begun taking advantage of new before- and after-school tutoring sessions, Kelley said, although more adult volunteers are needed.

A "math intervention team" made up of instructional coaches and consultants is focusing on students at risk for failure, calling parents to let them know about the sessions and giving math teachers extra help in class.

Starting in December, parents can use secure codes to go online to track student attendance, grades and assignment information, Kelley said. Also, he said, the district has begun two new classes, "Elements of Algebra" and "Elements of Geometry," to focus on the basics of both subjects.

But several students are having trouble getting the math classes they need, said Kim Fandino, a Spanish teacher who put together the schedule proposal and said Monday she'd like it to start in December.

Fandino said she has built master schedules many times and felt compelled to act for the students in her advisory class who kept bringing scheduling conflicts to her. She received permission from her academy principal, Tami Volz, to draft a plan that would spread core classes more evenly through the schedule.

Fandino said she spoke with several students and about a fourth of the high school's faculty in creating her draft. She gave copies to parent Laura Baker, board member Rick Alexander and former teacher Lynden Brown when the three asked to meet with her about schedule complaints.

Fandino said she deliberately didn't contact counselors or administrators because she was looking for a fresh approach. But that lack of input could cause problems, Kelley said.

He said he was neither for nor against Fandino's draft. But issuing a new master schedule in the middle of the year could cause a host of issues, he said, particularly for parents who have already made schedule arrangements and teachers who have planned their year.

By contract, Kelley said, teachers are to receive notice before their assignments are changed. The district is obligated to make sure all teachers in core classes meet the federal "highly qualified" rating for those classes. Also, he said, he's concerned about the lack of all-school collaboration.

"I'm really not trying to be a blocker here. I'm trying to be a realist," Kelley said. "I do think it can be a major strategy to use in the long term."

Fandino said she believes immediate change is critical, or students will be stuck gambling they can take necessary courses next year.

Talking to students and teachers, she added, "is part of a conversation, and it should not be seen as threatening."