<p>" One school or regular sized district can’t just unilaterally have a very unique schedule without sports schedules being affected. " No? Our fall athletes are expected to report for sports several weeks before school actually starts. They leave school early on game days, missing an entire double-blocked class. Makes it difficult or impossible for some to participate.</p>
<p>"The high school by me has this Block Schedule (not with the breaks). But each semester is a totally new set of classes. It works well, except when AP classes are taught in the Fall…the kids forget the info by exam time. "</p>
<p>No, actually it does not work well at all. Been there, done that, and everyone hated it. Kids in math and languages have 9 months to forget. Every class meets every day so kids have no flexibility to plan homework–terrible for those busy with EC’s, or who have any health issues. Miss a day on a semester-block schedule, and homework for the day you missed is all due the next day, you are behind in every class, you miss turning in the next homework. Miss a day on a yearlong block schedule and the next day you see your teachers, get the notes and hw, and you are back on schedule, no problem. And the kids have no opportunity to practice/learn time management because they don’t have any discretion about what they do when. You get a lot more kids not doing homework because they just didn’t have time.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that studies show that kids do better on AP exams when they have yearlong, not semester-blocked, classes, and there is absolutely no reason why other classes should not be the same. Some things just take a bit of time to sink in.</p>