APS ending block scheduling?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will result in more time wasted. We all know it takes a good chunk of the beginning of each period to get everyone settled and on task. At least with block scheduling, there’s still a large amount of time left to accomplish something.

No it won't. 90 minutes of math is just waaay too long to keep kids engaged. So much time wasted. I hate block scheduling, didn't like it back when they picked it up and went with it as the latest fad. I'm not surprised it didn't deliver. Go back to the regular class schedule now that the data isn't there to keep it.

TJ had block scheduling in the late 90s and I’m guessing it still does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will result in more time wasted. We all know it takes a good chunk of the beginning of each period to get everyone settled and on task. At least with block scheduling, there’s still a large amount of time left to accomplish something.

No it won't. 90 minutes of math is just waaay too long to keep kids engaged. So much time wasted. I hate block scheduling, didn't like it back when they picked it up and went with it as the latest fad. I'm not surprised it didn't deliver. Go back to the regular class schedule now that the data isn't there to keep it.

TJ had block scheduling in the late 90s and I’m guessing it still does.

I just went to an information session and the way they explained it is that it’s a long block that integrates multiple subjects. Block scheduling makes sense for kids at TJ who probably have more stamina and focus than the average high schooler

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this review is driven by the - everything is better at HB - crowd. They have 45 minute blocks daily. Nevermind plenty of us don't think everything is better at HB.

The reason HB has this schedule (8 45 minute blocks) is they have to in order for high school kids to be able to participate in sports at their home high school. It's not some educational choice. They have to build a block into the end of the school day for transportation, basically.

Not true.

Okay then tell us the truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My junior regularly takes tests that are longer than 45 minutes. The one year he had math in the daily 45 minute block, the tests were spread over 2 days. Which fine, but really opens up even further opportunities for cheating which is already a problem.

For the AP classes that involve writing, it's impossible to do writing tasks as given on the AP test in 45 min. Meaning if your exam is a DBQ or LEQ, when are you ever practicing these or being tested on this? I wonder how HB handles this.

Well how did the high schools handle this before block scheduling? It hasn't always been this way.

1. AP tests have changed.
2. The number of APs offered and typical amount taken by students has dramatically increased.
3. Back in “our day” the classes were often not just 45 minutes which isn’t very long. I know in my high school it was 55 minute periods.

I think 45 is too short and 90 is too long.

[Anonymous]

This should be up to the teachers with a lot of input from students and then the schedule that benefits the most students. To be blunt, who gives a shit what parents think.

I fear as with most things with APS, a small group of super aggressive parents with their own agenda will scream shrilly until the School Board can’t bear it and does whatever they want. That seems about how most decisions get made and it sucks.

[Anonymous]

Wouldn’t going back to all classes every day mean a longer school day? You have to make up the instruction minutes for all the time you spend changing classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn’t going back to all classes every day mean a longer school day? You have to make up the instruction minutes for all the time you spend changing classes.

Not necessarily. In APS the high school day ended at 2:10 through the early 2000s and the lunch periods were longer then too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn’t going back to all classes every day mean a longer school day? You have to make up the instruction minutes for all the time you spend changing classes.

Not necessarily. In APS the high school day ended at 2:10 through the early 2000s and the lunch periods were longer then too.

Did they have so many days off school? Doubt it. APS also didn’t use to do 2 full weeks of winter break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn’t going back to all classes every day mean a longer school day? You have to make up the instruction minutes for all the time you spend changing classes.

Not necessarily. In APS the high school day ended at 2:10 through the early 2000s and the lunch periods were longer then too.

Did they have so many days off school? Doubt it. APS also didn’t use to do 2 full weeks of winter break.

Winter break started on christmas eve and ended new year's day. There were far fewer days off and practically no teacher work days. Summer was also longer by about one or two weeks.

The state-mandated hours for time in school has not changed.

[Anonymous]

The problem isn't with block scheduling. The problem is APS sprung it upon teachers without giving them professional development on how to instruct in the block. They had no buy in and no training on how to plan effectively. -APS admin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem isn't with block scheduling. The problem is APS sprung it upon teachers without giving them professional development on how to instruct in the block. They had no buy in and no training on how to plan effectively. -APS admin

You’re telling me that college-educated teachers can’t figure out how to plan their lessons for block scheduling?

Come on now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn’t going back to all classes every day mean a longer school day? You have to make up the instruction minutes for all the time you spend changing classes.

Not necessarily. In APS the high school day ended at 2:10 through the early 2000s and the lunch periods were longer then too.

Did they have so many days off school? Doubt it. APS also didn’t use to do 2 full weeks of winter break.

Winter break started on christmas eve and ended new year's day. There were far fewer days off and practically no teacher work days. Summer was also longer by about one or two weeks.

The state-mandated hours for time in school has not changed.

Yes I understand that is the point I was making. They used to go to school more days so the days could be shorter. If they are taking away instructional minutes by having kids change classes more times a day, every day and not altering days off just wondering if they would add minutes back to school day at start or end. Seems like they would. They seem to track instructional time closely.

[Anonymous]

They did not go to school for more days back then. The number of school days has not changed. And in fact, we have lengthened the school day.

[Anonymous]

The longer school day started with the 2022-2023 school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The longer school day started with the 2022-2023 school year.

I’m not sure about high school but they added minutes due to snow about a decade ago and never took them back so it’s even longer