Reply to 8-periods (block schedule, three electives) in middle school

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The middle school block schedules were instituted to preserve elective slots where a magnet-program-mandated course took one.[/quote]

There are no mandated electives in the DCC middle schools. Maybe you mean the application based magnet programs.[/quote]

I'm not sure you read my PP correctly.  It referenced the magnets (not all, perhaps) as the ones having 8 periods, not other DCCs, and these do have additional class mandates.

For example, TPMS (used to be application/ranked-profile based before it went to universal review/lottery) had an 8-period block schedule to accommodate the magnet CS class.  They are moving back to 7 periods this year, largely, to my understanding, because they wouldn't protect teachers' time, demanding 6 classes/2 planning periods where some other block-scheduled schools afforded a 5/3 split, each as compared to the more standard 5/2 split with a 7-period day.  The 8 periods meant that magnet students had been able to take two personal-choice electives (e.g., foreign language & instrumental music); now, they will have one.

SSIMS has an 8-period block schedule to accommodate the double-period language class for the language immersion programs (another type of magnet, even if not termed such).  FWIW, I think that it also facilitates scheduling of support classes for the relatively high population (not the most in the system, but still higher than many) of those needing such.  The extra period means that language immersion students retain a single personal-choice elective; others are required to take a foreign language class all three years, leaving 2 personal-choice electives, as at other schools.

If the Middle School Magnet Consortium schools do not have a themed-program requirement similarly taking a class slot, that would be interesting.  My understanding, there, that there is such, with 8 classes leaving the standard 2 personal-choice electives, could be incorrect.  Is there an informative link that might be shared?

I think an 8-period block schedule works pretty well, and, perhaps in sugesting that for all middle schools, each could make a theme class more or less mandatory, preserving 2 personal-choice electives.  Of course, either personnel costs (with 5/3) or teacher burden (with 6/2) would increase, and the County Council would have to fund the former.

The thoughts of DCC-favoring inequity might be relevant if other magnets in the county did not make similar program accommodation.  Otherwise, the complaint should be directed towards such decisions favoring magnets, in general, and not the DCC, where middle schools without magnet programs (and some with them) don't afford the 8-period block schedule.  It's not like DCC has school choice for middle school (outside ot the MSMC, which is only 3 of 9 and partially open countywide)  -- or any really [i]effective[/i] school choice in high school, as the overcrowding & relatively lopsided demand don't accommodate most non-assigned-school preferences.[/quote]
DP. [b]Not meaning any offense[/b], but your writing is not very clear, so I don’t think it’s the fault of the PP to not understand your “correct” meaning.

Parkland magnet definitely mandates two science classes each year.

Westland magnet and the upcounty criteria-based magnets have 7 periods, not 8.[/quote]

I'll take none, but I will note that the misunderstood response was to a one-sentence post:

"The middle school block schedules were instituted to preserve elective slots where a magnet-program-mandated course took one."

The longer post took the time to explain that, in light of the misunderstanding, with detailed examples.[/quote]

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