How was your kid's experience going from a block schedule to regular schedule?

[Anonymous]

New to MCPS MS. My DC is going to a MS this fall which has a block schedule, but HS tend to have regular 45min classes.
1. Did your DC feel prepared for the change, as it seems the block schedule allows HW to be done while at school while a typical HS schedule would not?
2. 85 min classes seem like a long time for keeping attentive. Do they provide any breaks?
Thank you!

[Anonymous]

My kids went from Block to regular and vastly prefer it. There isn't that much homework when you are doing just one 45 minute lesson per day. You are only typically learning one small thing - rather than a whole 85 minute block - so there is less confusion about the math topic. For example, they would be learning multiplication and division in one lesson (just an example, folks) but now they are learning just multiplication. It gives their brain time to digest the information and keep the topics separate.

Many studies show 85 minutes is much too long for a person (or child) to concentrate on a lesson without a break.

[Anonymous]

My kid went from a rotating block schedule at 75mins in MS to a traditional 45 schedule for HS and much preferred the HS schedule. That said we know kids who much preferred the block schedule. The block schedule did allow for some Hw to be done at school, but it also meant that more material was meant to be covered.

I think kids will adjust to either flavor schedule but different individuals will have a different preference for each.

[Anonymous]

It was fine, not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

My student has had both at their hs. They prefer non block since they no longer have a super long class which isn’t their favorite.

[Anonymous]

My kid is dreading the change from block schedule which has worked very well for them to a 7 period day next year which the middle school just forced on them. The current block schedule is very popular because of fewer transitions and more time for project work.

It’ll be a single year to get used to that before going to a high school with a block schedule, thankfully.