BLOCK SCHEDULING

1. BLOCK SCHEDULING Scope and Sequence

2. 4 x 4 Semester plan

3. 4 x 4 Semester Plan • School day is divided into 4 instructional blocks of approximately 90 minutes each • School year is divided into two semesters • Block courses meet daily • Instructions is compressed into one semester of block periods fulfilling a year of content

4. Alternate Day Plan

5. Alternate Day Plan • School day is divided into 4 instructional blocks of approximately 90 minutes each • School year is divided into two semesters • Block classes meet every other day • Core courses run for an entire school year.

6. Modified Block Schedule

7. Modified Block Schedule • School day is divided into 4 instructional blocks of approximately 90 minutes each for 4 days a week • One day each week, all classes meet in 45 minutes sessions

8. Rotating Start

9. Rotating Start • Each class is taught each day for one year • The class that starts the day changes along the 8 period schedule • Allows teachers to see all students at different times of day

10. Why Block Scheduling? • PROs • Students can study and learn subject matter in greater depth • Instruction is less fragmented, with greater time for serious discussions, cooperative activities, labs, group work and projects

11. It allows for extended and variable instruction for students who may need additional support or have difficulty learning in short “sound bites” • If structured correctly, teachers work with fewer students at a time, allowing for more personalized instruction and an improved school atmosphere

12. The usual 50 minute teacher preparation period is almost doubled to 90 minutes, allowing for honing of lessons, more collaboration with colleagues and more time to work in one-on-one sessions with students • The number of times that thousands of teenagers are released into narrow hallways is reduced with fewer class changes, thus cutting down on discipline problems, noise and stress.

13. CONs of Block Scheduling • Cognitive science shows that regular review, spaced out over a long period of time, is beneficial to long-term memory of subject matter. Block scheduling diminishes opportunities for review, especially where “year long” courses are compressed into a single semester. Thus, the practice may actually serve to diminish student performance.

14. Ninety minutes is a long time to hold students’ attention, and few teachers or other instructional staff have been trained in how to use this period of time effectively • Student transfers to and from schools with block schedules can be highly problematic; in some subjects, an entire year’s curriculum is lost through a mid-year transfer

15. Missing one day of school under block scheduling can be like missing almost a week under traditional scheduling. For students who miss a week due to illness or other problems, catching up may be almost impossible • Some block schedules actually result in less instructional time. A 55- minute class that meets five times a week gives the instructor 550 minutes every two weeks, for example, whereas a 90 minute meeting on alternating days for two weeks (five days) gives the instructor 450 minutes.

16. Strategies for Teaching under a Block Schedule • Multiple Activities • Multiple Intelligences • Vary learning modalities • Don’t despair • Institute projects • Daily review • Teach what is essential