Anonymous
10/22/2023 17:21
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Anonymous wrote:Op here:
I went to private school, and the block schedule approach coupled with the academic rigor are familiar as well as effective imho…particularly in comparison to what I’ve observed in the mcps high school my older kids attend/attended.
The block schedule is 4 ninety-minute classes per day.
The curriculum is rigorous whether you opt for AP or not. Why? High expectations, midterms and finals, real deadlines, and accountability.
Re: mcps seniors with half day schedules - ICYMI: mcps has a teacher shortage, so they encourage students to just take their required classes and then peace out around 11:30 each day. They also promote the MC classes precisely because they don’t have enough teachers.
This doesn’t happen at private school. Your senior will carry a full load of classes.
I’m irritated that I’ll need to pay a small fortune for HS tuition, but the alternative is even more depressing.
PS - We saw a lot of parents at the open house whose older kids went to mcps for HS who are now considering private for the younger siblings. A lot.
Clearly you are making generalizations where facts don’t exist. I went to a private Hs without block scheduling but a rotating schedule and had rigor the whole way through. My kids went to a MS with block scheduling and HS with regular scheduling. Prefers the regular scheduling. But after getting a schedule where their hardest classes were all in the morning back to back would like if they had my rotating HS schedule or a modified block schedule similar to college of MWF /T TH classes.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 17:20
Subject: Re:What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
I’m fine with more rigor but I’m not sold on block scheduling being a solve for anything.
Many kids and teachers at our school., Kennedy, hate it. Maybe because like Wheaton it’s hybrid and not the norm across the board.
But I think it’s a toss-up as to whether kids or teachers like it or hate it.
Many kids and teachers at our school., Kennedy, hate it. Maybe because like Wheaton it’s hybrid and not the norm across the board.
But I think it’s a toss-up as to whether kids or teachers like it or hate it.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 17:07
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Op here:
I went to private school, and the block schedule approach coupled with the academic rigor are familiar as well as effective imho…particularly in comparison to what I’ve observed in the mcps high school my older kids attend/attended.
The block schedule is 4 ninety-minute classes per day.
The curriculum is rigorous whether you opt for AP or not. Why? High expectations, midterms and finals, real deadlines, and accountability.
Re: mcps seniors with half day schedules - ICYMI: mcps has a teacher shortage, so they encourage students to just take their required classes and then peace out around 11:30 each day. They also promote the MC classes precisely because they don’t have enough teachers.
This doesn’t happen at private school. Your senior will carry a full load of classes.
I’m irritated that I’ll need to pay a small fortune for HS tuition, but the alternative is even more depressing.
PS - We saw a lot of parents at the open house whose older kids went to mcps for HS who are now considering private for the younger siblings. A lot.
I went to private school, and the block schedule approach coupled with the academic rigor are familiar as well as effective imho…particularly in comparison to what I’ve observed in the mcps high school my older kids attend/attended.
The block schedule is 4 ninety-minute classes per day.
The curriculum is rigorous whether you opt for AP or not. Why? High expectations, midterms and finals, real deadlines, and accountability.
Re: mcps seniors with half day schedules - ICYMI: mcps has a teacher shortage, so they encourage students to just take their required classes and then peace out around 11:30 each day. They also promote the MC classes precisely because they don’t have enough teachers.
This doesn’t happen at private school. Your senior will carry a full load of classes.
I’m irritated that I’ll need to pay a small fortune for HS tuition, but the alternative is even more depressing.
PS - We saw a lot of parents at the open house whose older kids went to mcps for HS who are now considering private for the younger siblings. A lot.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 16:37
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Anonymous wrote:Why does block schedule exist? Is that due to limited funding , limited school space, teacher needs more time to do grading or shortage of teachers? My kid will be confused with block schedule. It is easier to remember what date/time for going to/leaving school.
Kids with block schedules go to school at the same time, and come home at the same time.
It just means that instead of having 40 minutes of every class every day, you have 80 minutes of half your classes today and the other half tomorrow.
There are variations, like Wheaton where you have some days with all the classes, and like the 4 by 4 where you take half of them this semester and half next, but basically, the only difference is that your classes are longer and less often.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 16:25
Subject: Re:What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Anonymous wrote:What type of block schedule would you prefer:
Option 1 - Like Blair with A day / B day (half of classes one day, and half of classes the next day, all classes are held over the course of the entire year)
Option 2 - Like Wheaton with modified block with 3 regular days and 2 block days
Option 3 - Like many schools in country (but maybe none in MCPS?) with 4 x 4 block - 4 classes one semester and 4 classes the next semester giving opportunity to take 8 classes over the entire year. For students needing an IEP resource class, they can have that class both semesters with 3 other classes for total of 6 classes for the entire year. Each class would be about 90 minutes.
NP. I did Option 3 in high school and I liked it. Only having four classes at once made stuff like homework more manageable. It did leave less time for reading in English class, because we only had a semester to finish all our books for the year.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 16:20
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Anonymous wrote:Are block scedules introduced in middle school? Block schedules = no need to come to school, right? What do school expect kids do if they have many free time? Working a part time job, volunteering, do homework or have free time for their hobbies/interests?
What does a block schedule have to do with not needing to come to school?
But to answer the question some middle schools do have a block schedule. Takoma Park MS had it and might still have it.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 16:18
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Many schools that do this are overcrowded. It takes time to move kids through the hallways and it can be gridlock at those schools. They would have to make the time in between the periods to be 15 minutes to get kids to their classes on time and it would not leave instructional time.
It's already terrible at DD's school and many kids are late if they have classes on opposite sides of the building. Without a block schedule the schedule would fall apart.
I know of one school that had a block schedule because it helps with home work. You only have homework for up to half the classes due at one time. Some people also like the longer class time because you can really dig in to a topic and practice it in one session.
It's already terrible at DD's school and many kids are late if they have classes on opposite sides of the building. Without a block schedule the schedule would fall apart.
I know of one school that had a block schedule because it helps with home work. You only have homework for up to half the classes due at one time. Some people also like the longer class time because you can really dig in to a topic and practice it in one session.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 16:07
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Why does block schedule exist? Is that due to limited funding , limited school space, teacher needs more time to do grading or shortage of teachers? My kid will be confused with block schedule. It is easier to remember what date/time for going to/leaving school.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 16:05
Subject: Re:What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
What type of block schedule would you prefer:
Option 1 - Like Blair with A day / B day (half of classes one day, and half of classes the next day, all classes are held over the course of the entire year)
Option 2 - Like Wheaton with modified block with 3 regular days and 2 block days
Option 3 - Like many schools in country (but maybe none in MCPS?) with 4 x 4 block - 4 classes one semester and 4 classes the next semester giving opportunity to take 8 classes over the entire year. For students needing an IEP resource class, they can have that class both semesters with 3 other classes for total of 6 classes for the entire year. Each class would be about 90 minutes.
Option 1 - Like Blair with A day / B day (half of classes one day, and half of classes the next day, all classes are held over the course of the entire year)
Option 2 - Like Wheaton with modified block with 3 regular days and 2 block days
Option 3 - Like many schools in country (but maybe none in MCPS?) with 4 x 4 block - 4 classes one semester and 4 classes the next semester giving opportunity to take 8 classes over the entire year. For students needing an IEP resource class, they can have that class both semesters with 3 other classes for total of 6 classes for the entire year. Each class would be about 90 minutes.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 15:51
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Block scheduling exists at some MCPS (and other schools) without more rigor. And some schools (in MCPS and elsewhere) have rigor without block scheduling. More doesn’t mean tougher. The extra time is often wasted without a commitment to spending time on high value learning activities. When I taught high school, the principal specified that the extra time was dedicated to completing homework. Meanwhile, across the county, my child was engaged in timed writing practices for AP.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 15:45
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Are block scedules introduced in middle school? Block schedules = no need to come to school, right? What do school expect kids do if they have many free time? Working a part time job, volunteering, do homework or have free time for their hobbies/interests?
Anonymous
10/22/2023 15:29
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I’m fed up with how far mcps high schools have devolved that I’m contemplating private HS school for my younger kids (older kids went through/are in mcps HS).
I just came from an open house at an area private with block schedules to accommodate the rigorous academics. It aligns with the private school education I received which more than prepared me for college and grad school.
ICYMI: mcps high schools have devolved to a point where many/most seniors have half day schedules, and test taking is a struggle for many/most once they get to college.
I think a block schedule might be a solution for mcps.
Does anyone know if mcps has ever contemplated this?
Most high school seniors EVERYWHERE have half day schedules if they have completed their graduation requirements. This isn't a "devolved" MCPS thing. It's a non-issue.
Because our minimum graduation requirements are what everyone should be striving for?
What are you actually worried about here? There are more AP classes available than most kids can fit into four years of study, and college-bound kids are not clocking in half days unless they have a specialized and robust internship.
Yes, some kids have completed their requirements and don't go further, but are you worried that your child will be one of them unless you force them not to be? Or are you just worried that somewhere some kid is leaving school at 1 pm?
Anonymous
10/22/2023 15:25
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I’m fed up with how far mcps high schools have devolved that I’m contemplating private HS school for my younger kids (older kids went through/are in mcps HS).
I just came from an open house at an area private with block schedules to accommodate the rigorous academics. It aligns with the private school education I received which more than prepared me for college and grad school.
ICYMI: mcps high schools have devolved to a point where many/most seniors have half day schedules, and test taking is a struggle for many/most once they get to college.
I think a block schedule might be a solution for mcps.
Does anyone know if mcps has ever contemplated this?
Most high school seniors EVERYWHERE have half day schedules if they have completed their graduation requirements. This isn't a "devolved" MCPS thing. It's a non-issue.
Because our minimum graduation requirements are what everyone should be striving for?
*Massive eye roll* DP, but you're just trying to stir up controversy where there is none. I took a half day schedule my senior year in order to take college classes at the Montgomery College the other half. I graduated from Harvard. Don't pretend you know what every kid is doing with that additional time they have. Many are striving to make themselves better students whether it be through taking college courses, internships, working, tutoring, etc. A half day schedule is completely normal as the PP all over the country. Try and keep up with the times without your smugness as if you have a clue what is actually going on.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 15:17
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
Wheaton has a hybrid block-- regular 3 days, block 2 days. Blair is block.
I lthink block is good overall, but as another poster pointed out, it's hard on adhd kids.
I don't think it directly correlates to rigor.
I lthink block is good overall, but as another poster pointed out, it's hard on adhd kids.
I don't think it directly correlates to rigor.
Anonymous
10/22/2023 15:01
Subject: What would it take for mcps high schools to adopt block schedule and rigor?
A ton of MCPS schools in MS and HS offer block schedules.