The current school schedule has 8 class periods, each 46 minutes, in addition to a 9th academic period.
The high school should switch to a block schedule with 4, 92 minute semester long classes a day in addition to a 5th academic period.
A block schedule school day, as implemented by many districts, benefits students by allowing for reduced stress, improved focus and better engagement within their class. A block schedule helps students looking ahead to college to stand on their own two feet in a highly competitive college application process. It would also allow teachers to dedicate more time during their classes to individual students thanks to the extra time provided by a block schedule. All of these benefits would result in higher academic performance for students.
Another benefit provided by block scheduling is student behavior. According to the TEA, the need for student discipline decreases, overall school climate improves and student attitudes become more positive. On average, student attendance rates increase and student tardiness decreases. In addition, some schools also experience a decrease in the rate of drop outs. Taking all of these effects into account, it becomes clear that there are benefits for admin, students and teachers within this schedule.
Some may argue, with good reason, that this new schedule would result in lower AP Exam Scores for students who take an AP Class in the fall semester as the test would be in the spring semester. This, while true, falls apart because almost everyone within the school has to pay to take the AP Exam, so students are not going to just wing it. Students will more than likely study weeks before taking the exam. This negates the loss caused by taking the course a semester before the exam as these students want to score high on the exam and so will review the course content. If students don’t want to study, they can simply not take the exam or schedule the course for the spring semester. If a student chooses to implement none of these solutions then a bad score on an AP Exam is simply their own fault.
The benefits of block scheduling to students are clear. A block schedule will help students remain engaged within their classes alongside developing bonds with their teachers. It will improve academic performance, reduce discipline, increase attendance rates and potentially lead to more students graduating rather than dropping out. It has benefits for admin, students and teachers and is an all around improvement over the current schedule. It helps students remain competitive after high school and opens up more opportunities thanks to a better disciplinary and academic record.
