ACPS block schedule

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any info about Hammond and George Washington going to block scheduling next year?

Not sure how I feel about 90 minute classes when vaccines haven't been approved for 11 year olds and masks will probably be around.

[Anonymous]

We are very concerned. Not only about the vac/unvac situation but 90 minutes is way too long for any class for a middle school student. It is crazy.

[Anonymous]

I don't get why the classes that are 90 minutes long are elective courses when the content courses are only an hour. How is that going to address the loss of learning this year?

Why aren't they getting more instruction in reading in math?

[Anonymous]

They do a lot of experimenting, which is frustrating. Like this year, in HS, when they divided up the year into semesters with no notice, cut down instruction time by more than half, and expected kids to master a year of world language and math in half a school year. An utter disaster that they considered replicating this fall but have mercifully decided not to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why the classes that are 90 minutes long are elective courses when the content courses are only an hour. How is that going to address the loss of learning this year?

Why aren't they getting more instruction in reading in math?

Wait. What? I heard it was the other way around. Classes like science, math, ELA and history are 90 minutes and electives are 45. I don't know about PE. My question is does this mean kids now take 4 electives instead of 2? Or what happens to the "extra" block that used to be the second elective?

TBH I think 90 minutes of any class is way too long. I can't imagine being in ELA or math or history for 90 minutes when I was 11 or 12. That would have been deadly boring to me even though I had great teachers in junior high and I did well in school. Even science because I can't imagine they're doing labs ever day. 90 minutes sounds like punishment.

[Anonymous]

Not sure how I feel about 90 minute classes when vaccines haven't been approved for 11 year olds and masks will probably be around.

I think 90 minute classes are too long and not developmentally appropriate, but don't see what they have to do with vaccines and masking. The kids didn't get mask breaks after every single class this year, so it'll likely be the same amount of time without one, roughtly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not sure how I feel about 90 minute classes when vaccines haven't been approved for 11 year olds and masks will probably be around.

I think 90 minute classes are too long and not developmentally appropriate, but don't see what they have to do with vaccines and masking. The kids didn't get mask breaks after every single class this year, so it'll likely be the same amount of time without one, roughtly.

Ive found that the teachers I had were very generous with mask breaks. I think the largest in person group my kid had was 5 or so. I think the mask situation will be different when it's 30 students in one room with no air circulating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not sure how I feel about 90 minute classes when vaccines haven't been approved for 11 year olds and masks will probably be around.

I think 90 minute classes are too long and not developmentally appropriate, but don't see what they have to do with vaccines and masking. The kids didn't get mask breaks after every single class this year, so it'll likely be the same amount of time without one, roughtly.

Ive found that the teachers I had were very generous with mask breaks. I think the largest in person group my kid had was 5 or so. I think the mask situation will be different when it's 30 students in one room with no air circulating.

+1 Unfortunately they'll need the masks even more with this situation...

[Anonymous]

From the virus transmission angle, block scheduling could be better in that students won’t need to switch classes as much and will have less exposure as a result.

I hope this change helps with excessive homework. Last year (pre-COVID) my sixth grader had endless hours of homework every night because each teacher assigned work daily.

[Anonymous]

Not sure how I feel about 90 minute classes when vaccines haven't been approved for 11 year olds and masks will probably be around.


I think 90 minute classes are too long and not developmentally appropriate, but don't see what they have to do with vaccines and masking. The kids didn't get mask breaks after every single class this year, so it'll likely be the same amount of time without one, roughtly.


Ive found that the teachers I had were very generous with mask breaks. I think the largest in person group my kid had was 5 or so. I think the mask situation will be different when it's 30 students in one room with no air circulating.

Glad you got more breaks, but that definitely wasn't my son's experience at GW (6th). He will be fully vaccinated in late August, though, fortunately.