BLOCK SCHEDULING June 8, 2012

TRADITIONAL 6-HOUR SCHOOL DAY A typical student will engage in 6-8 different activities in 3 different locations A teacher will prepare for and teach 6 classes, engaging with students in four grade levels in the classroom.

TRADITIONAL SCHEDULE Classes per day 22 Credits in four years 45-minute class periods 20-minute lunch Limited selection of electives Teacher load = No more than 15 students per class Repeats are done in the summer or during the following year

WHAT IS BLOCK SCHEDULING?  Organizes at least part of the school day into larger blocks of time; fewer classes per day  Extended class periods allow teachers more opportunities to implement differentiated instruction strategies  Flexibility of schedule –Provide additional opportunities for remediation, guided practice, and/or enrichment and extension all in the same class period

A/B ALTERNATING BLOCK SCHEDULE 8 – 10 classes per year Students earn up to 28 credits minute class periods 4 classes per day 30-minute lunch Expanded elective course selections Teacher load =Up to 15 students each day Length of school day/school year unchanged

SAMPLE A/B BLOCK A B Four classes daily alternate on A/B schedule Variations depend on needs of student population

EXAMPLE MONTUEWEDTHUFRI Home room Home room Home room Home room Home room English HistoryEnglishHistoryEnglish Math HealthMathHealthMath Lunch Lunch Chapel ScienceBibleScienc e Bible Elective Study Hall

POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES FOR STUDENTS Fewer classes on which to focus Opportunity to take additional advanced and elective courses in a year (8 classes/year) Higher scores on ACT, SAT, and AP More time for inquiry- based activities Lower stress levels Better prepared for post-secondary schedule

POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES FOR TEACHERS More opportunities to address various learning styles of students, integrate instructional technologies, and conduct labs and project More time to get to know their students’ strengths, needs, and preferred ways of learning Time for collaborative planning

RESEARCH Carroll, J. (1994)“Organizing Time to Support Learning”  Equal or better mastery and retention of material  Reduction in suspensions and dropout rates  Improved relationships between students and teachers Casey, Patricia. (2003),“Teaching Mathematics on the Block”, U.S. Department of Education  Increased attendance  Fewer class changes resulted in fewer disciplinary problems Glickman, Carl. University of Georgia professor  Active learning methods result in significant achievement as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress

RESEARCH Schroth& Dixon & "The Effects of Block Scheduling on Student Performance“ International Journal of Education Reform, vol. 5, 1996, pp  Slightly higher national math achievement scores than schools on traditional schedule Lapkin et. al. (1997) “Block Scheduling ”  Higher levels of reading and writing proficiency

QUESTIONS?