<p>I just attended a meeting at my son's high school where the Headmaster announced that the school was going to block scheduling next year. We will be on a 4x4, so 4 classes each semester. Many of the parents were upset and some were actively unhappy. It's a small private catholic school. This is a new administration that came in in July. </p>
<p>What can the CC commmunity tell me about block scheduling? Pros vs Cons? AP problems? What do the colleges think? If you have block scheduling what do you like or not like?</p>
<p>We have block scheduling, but it’s different. We do four classes a day on an A-B schedule, so that each set of four classes is held every other day. I have a friend whose school is on a block schedule as you describe. What she didn’t like is having her ds take a class in the fall but not having the AP test until May.</p>
<p>Our HS is on the 4 classes a semester block system. The advantage is less work outside of class since they are able to complete a great deal in class. The fine arts classes like it because they can actually get stuff done and not spend most of their time setting up and breaking down.</p>
<p>Some disadvantages are the gaps between series/courses, the AP exams, and one that some don’t realize is the effect on the ACT and SAT. As an example my current soph daughter does not have a math class this semester and is out of “practice”. We fully expect to see this reflected on her PSAT score. We experienced this with our oldest D. </p>
<p>Regarding the other two issues, our teachers seem to solve them very well. Before the AP tests, the teachers have after/before school review sessions for those that had AP classes in the fall. We have a high average on AP scores, so it seems this is sufficient. And while most kids need a little time to refresh older material after a gap, the teachers also seem prepared for this and give a refresher as needed similar to what teachers do at the beginning of a school year.</p>
<p>I think you’ll find many here who like it and can list any number of advantages. I think it’s all about what you’re used to. Once you get used to it, you’ll probably love it. However, there’s a lot of research on the shortening of the attention span, and it seems counterintuitive to put kids in longer classes.</p>
<p>I don’t have experience with block, so this is opinion only . . .
The particular issue that I would have as a parent is my kid being the test case class as a junior or senior. I’m sure that at schools where this has always been done it works out, but teachers won’t have the system and timing down the first year. The kids also won’t have peers with experiential advice on how to pace and adapt, as they will be the first. I know that our school had some growing pains when they started IB. It’s smooth now, but I gather there were some early hiccups.</p>
<p>Our school went to block scheduling several years ago but math remained as a single, yearlong class. D liked the block but youngest S, who is attention challenged, hated it and said he basically “zoned out” after awhile. IIRC, it did not allow D to take some of the electives she had planned.</p>
<p>Our HS has a 4 x 4 block schedule as well. </p>
<p>Some of the advantages are the ability to take more classes in the subject areas of interest. 8 classes a year represent a higher number of classes in some cases. You can also focus on subject areas that are of interest more easily. My D has been able to take a number of additional science and math classes. It also allows the school to offer more subjects than they might normally (or in today’s economy use it as a way to save money - offering the same number of subjects, but allow them to eliminate teachers).</p>
<p>Other benefits include additional class time for science labs, and additional time in fine arts classes to refine work. Most kids do like it better I think - they like the in depth classes, and they like changing things up in the middle of the year (reinvorgorates them I think).</p>
<p>Some of the disadvantages are a lack of continuity or “gaps”. You may take math or a foreign language in the fall of your freshman year and then not have them again until spring of your sophomore year. Musically inclined (band and chorus) kids suffer - they are forced to use the extra classes provided by the blocking for music classes if they want to to take music for the entire year, or endure gaps. </p>
<p>There are some classes it does not work well (health) and where it defeats the purpose of the class (gym). If you are not into sports, taking a semester long gym class that is 90 minutes long can be tough to get through. </p>
<p>There can also be issues with AP classes only offered in the fall and the test not occurring until the spring. At our school there is only one AP class where this is done. Lastly, I think it is harder for kids to change “tracks” - to achieve the highest level of match at our school you must follow a very speicifc sequencing and schedule or it cannot be done. If you did not get on that track from the very beginning it can be virtually impossible to take the highest level math classes.</p>
<p>Our school is reviewing the blocking. I think that since the students and teachers seem to like it, the only change they may implement is to take one of the periods and make it a year long to address some of the concerns with music and foreign language.</p>
<p>This is a highly specialized issue, but in some states, block scheduling can interfere with students’ eligibility to audition for all-state band, orchestra, or chorus. If the school tends to have students who are interested in these opportunities, it may be worthwhile to check the state’s rules.</p>
<p>Also on the subject of band, my kids’ middle school had block scheduling, and it proved to be a very difficult experience for wind instrument players (especially brass players) who wore dental braces. Some found that they could not play for a double period without a lot of pain. </p>
<p>Another issue: sunburn. Double-period gym classes are great in terms of having enough time for both instruction and a chance to actually play the sport, but if it’s an outdoor activity, some light-skinned students will be out long enough to get sunburned. School policies on the use of sunscreen vary; some consider it medicine that has to be kept in the nurse’s office, so it may not be easy to get access to it.</p>
<p>Our school does a block schedule like Youdontsay described - 4 classes a day, alternating A-B days. Courses still take the whole year (most of them anyway), but meet every other day. I love it because having class every other day means you always have at least two days until homework is due, which gives nice flexibility around EC’s. The 8 periods available include 7 class periods and one all-school required “Student Resource Time” - basically a study hall, but since the whole school has it at the same time, teachers and student tutors are available for extra help, and some clubs and groups can meet. </p>
<p>I would have reservations about a system like you’re describing, where classes meet for a semester and then you may not have math again (or any particular subject) for a year.</p>
<p>We have the modified block A/B schedule (like YDS). Seven classes, one first block every day, then 2,4,6 on even days, 3,5,7 on odd days, all year long. You get the extended class periods of the block scheduling for labs, etc., however you don’t have the break in instruction or significant lag before AP exams. What we don’t get is the break in homework. As they take the classes co-currently, they have homework stacked and have to really learn to do hw the night it is assigned. Most students and parents do like it.</p>
<p>note: I’m a slow typer and crossed posts with PinotNoir…sounds like we have a very similar system.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at a smaller Catholic school that has 4 x 4. </p>
<p>Advantages I see are that her teachers have more of a chance to get indepth into discussions, teachings, etc - on a test or quiz day they can take the test/quiz and still have time for some instruction (in other words, a test day doesn’t always knock out an instruction day). Classes with labs are not rushed. </p>
<p>Disadvantages I think will be the time lapse between some subject. My D did not have any math this semester so when January comes along, she won’t have done Math since May 11. We’ll see how that goes.</p>
<p>I would also add that her school also have a lot of days when the classes are not the 90ish minutes and they have “special schedules” due to school masses, the mentoring group they have once a week, etc. - so in other words they seem to get plenty of breaks from the grind of continuous long class days. </p>
<p>In her case, longer class time does not = time to do homework. Her teachers seem to take full advantage of the class time to instruct and most times, she still has a few hours of homework/studying each night.</p>
<p>Soxfan - our school solved the health class issue by having it run half semester. Many students then pair it up with Drivers ed which is also a .5 credit class. My daughter had health the first 9 weeks this semester and is now in drivers ed for the rest of the semester.</p>
<p>Our school is on 4x4 Block scheduling and the kids love it… While the classes are fast paced they feel well prepared for College… (based on feedback from those that are in College)
There is gaps in math, english that I feel do have an affect on ACT/SAT prep but kids are encouraged to utilize outside resources to prep.
There is no gap for band/choir/dance teams etc as they meet all year. So basically these kids take 3 classes a semester and their activity is an elective.
Teachers hold reviews for AP exams in the spring before and after school and this seems to work, most kids tend to get 4s and 5s on their exams.</p>
<p>YDS, our HS had that until this year’s budget cuts made us have to go back to a seven period day. That so sad - everyone LOVED the A day/B day block. It was so wonderful for those with ECs during the week - JV football game on Thursday night and you get home from school for the first time at 9:30 PM…No worries under A/B block because the homework assigned on Thursday isn’t due until Monday. Now, the poor things are dragging out the homework at 9:30. So much less ability to plan ahead and manage the workload.</p>
<p>So could students who, for whatever reason, were placed in slower math tracks in middle school than they would have liked.</p>
<p>Block scheduling in which different courses are taken each semester could enable a student to take two full years of math in one, thereby helping them to catch up with their classmates. It might take some fancy schedule tweaking to accomplish this, but I think it could be done.</p>
<p>^Potentially, yes a student track at lower levels in middle school can make up ground and move to higher levels. This probably depends on the school though. The opportunity to take a full year of math is there, but does the school offer the courses you need and sequence them to allow this. In some cases they may only schedule a course for one semester. </p>
<p>In my case, my D has taken 7 math classes, but 6 of those were required for her to stay in the top track. She has told me that she does not think it would be possible for someone tracked in a lower track in middle school to move up to the highest track (without taking outside classes), but that someone could move from the bottom track to the middle track very easily by taking double math one year.</p>
<p>Some activities (e.g., science labs, theater) benefit from longer periods allowed by block scheduling. Some want more concentrated time in-season (e.g., sports).</p>
<p>There is no single answer that is “best” all around. </p>
<p>With regards to APs (and other comprehensive tests), the kids need to review stuff from the early in the year regardless of whether the class was on block or regular schedule.</p>
<p>Most colleges, which can afford the flexibility, usually offer different classes on different schedules. (e.g. math classes that meet MWF plus sections on Tu/Th, and science labs that meet for a weekly multi-hour block). In terms of college admissions, colleges all say that they consider an applicant in context of their own HS. An applicant is evaluated on how they utilized whatever opportunities were available to them.</p>
<p>My DS small magnet has block scheduling 4 x 4 and we love it. Can only get homework in a max of four classes and papers and projects in a max of four classes. When you have alternating block days, you can still have homework, projects and papers going in all of them. They can do quite a bit more during the class period. I think the longer class periods allow for more in depth analysis in all classes from science to literature. I’m in favor of block scheduling 4 x 4 not alternating.</p>