Frequently Asked Questions About the Block Schedule

 

1. What is a Block Schedule?

On a Block Schedule, high school students attend four 90-minute classes each day rather than six 50-minute classes each day. Because of the increased time in each course, a student can complete a traditional year's worth of study in one semester. This allows students to take more courses throughout a school year - eight rather than six - and opens up the possibility to study either a wider range of elective subjects or more depth in a particular subject such as science, math or history.

 

There are many benefits to a Block Schedule. Approximately 3/4 of all high schools in North Carolina are already on this schedule. Student performance benefits. However, a driving factor to change at this time is the new state requirement for earning a high school diploma. Rather than one standard diploma, the state is requiring that students complete one of four courses of study to graduate: College Prep for students going to a 4-year university; College Tech Prep for students going on to community college or technical school; Career Course for students planning to go directly to work after high school; and Occupational Course for certain students with disabilities. (The changes in diploma requirements are expected to go into effect for the class of 2002 (next year's freshmen.) These course tracks each have certain required classes students must take. Under the traditional 6-period class schedule, students would be locked into these tracks. If they changed their minds about their career goals or failed classes, they would not be able to graduate in four years. A Block Schedule, with the extra classes built in, will give our students a wider range of options.

 

2. So what's good about a Block Schedule?

Benefits for students include:

 

• Reduction in the number of courses taken each semester means students have fewer classes to prepare for each night, fewer books and materials to manage, more individualized attention from the teacher.
• Increase in the number of classes taken each year means students can take more electives and earn more credits each year.
• If a student is absent, there are fewer classes to make up.
• Fewer class changes in a day mean less change for disruption and discipline problems at school.
• Fewer students to teach in a day means teachers can get to know their students better and provide more individualized instruction.
• If a student fails a required class, Block Scheduling allows the student to repeat the class the next semester and not delay progress toward graduation.

Ultimately, we believe the Block Schedule will improve students academic success and reduce the drop-out rate.

 

 

3. What are the benefits to the academically advanced student?

The block schedule allows students to study a broader range of courses.

This will benefit the advanced students in several ways:

• More Science: In the past, the number of courses required for college-bound students limited the number of sciences to two or three. On the block schedule, a student could, for example, take physical science and environmental science freshman year; biology and anatomy sophomore year; AP biology and chemistry junior year; and AP chemistry and physics senior year.
• More Languages: Students can now become proficient in more than one language. For instance, they may take the equivalent of four years of Spanish and four years of German over the course of a high school career.
• More Arts & Music: Because the college-bound student is tied by admission requirements, only one or two electives could be fit into the old schedule. The block schedule will allow for more courses in art, chorus and band.
• More Technology: With more electives available on the block schedule, the advanced students are not locked into classes dominated by college-admission requirements. They may take more courses just because they're interested in learning. For example, college-bound students may like to take auto technology, computer design and graphics, computer networking, or agriculture. Now they can and still complete college requirements.

 

4. Would every class be only a semester long?

Not necessarily. The Block Schedule is flexible. For instance, we may want some Advanced Placement courses to be a year-long. We may also want to offer the option of year-long courses in Algebra or other subjects that require time to master.

 

5. A 90-minute lecture class could be pretty dry, what will be done to keep courses interesting?

Workshops will help teachers learn to explore a variety of instructional methods. Research shows us that this is actually more effective that the traditional lecture. We will schedule staff development workshops during this school year and into the summer to help teachers modify the way they teach.

 

6. Is every class be only a semester long?

Not necessarily. The Block Schedule is flexible. For instance, we may want some Advanced Placement courses to be a year-long. We may also want to offer the option of year-long courses in Algebra or other subjects that require time to master.

 

7. How does Block impact eligibility for athletes?

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has ruled that a student must pass three classes a semester in a four-block system to be eligible to play sports.

 

8. Will students have a problem when they are absent?

When students miss a class under the Block Schedule, they are, in effect, missing nearly two periods, not just one. However, when students return to school they will have fewer classes in which to do make-up work. For those students who are chronically absent, teachers and administrators will be able to step in much sooner.