Staff have worked for more than a year to find an alternative schedule that fits well with the school’s goals. The new schedule implements a modified block schedule — different 85-minute classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (highest student attendance days of the week) with an advisory time for each of those days. The advisory time allows students to incorporate individual study time into their day, focus on social emotional learning goals, and meet individually with a teacher for additional help. There is a slightly later school start time, but no significant impact to bussing.
A block schedule is not only about getting more content into longer class periods, but is also about helping students through other learning opportunities and building relationships with teachers. In reviewing the research used to make the decisions to go to block scheduling, we reviewed many articles. Our goal was to create a schedule that will maintain the integrity of our solid academic foundation and allow opportunities to strengthen the relationships within our school community.
Can students really sit for 85 minutes? Absolutely not! In more antiquated systems of education, teaching was equated with talking, and learning was equated with listening. Our goal is to provide opportunities for deeper learning and opportunities to become experts at learning. We promote and support our teachers in pedagogical practices that are grounded in cognitive neuroscience, and research tells us that learning should be an active experience. We do not want students “sitting and getting” for the 50-minute classes they currently attend. We recognize the biological needs and educational benefits of movement and encourage teachers to incorporate purposeful movement throughout each class period.
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