Why would anyone think this is a good idea?

[Donna]

I homeschooled my oldest until last year when he went to 8th grade. He just received his schedule for this coming year (9th grade) and I learned that they do "block scheduling"...they have 4 courses for the 1st half of the year then 4 different courses the last half of the school year. I just cannot see how this would be a good idea especially...well mostly, with courses like math and Spanish that build on themselves.

 

I know they spent the first few months of a school year reviewing material lost over a summer break. I cannot imagine how not doing math for 8 months leads to a better understanding of math or how someone is supposed to learn a foreign language in only 4 months every year.

 

No wonder the US is so far behind other countries in academics!

 

I guess we will be afterschooling him this coming year in at least math and Spanish which is not a big deal because I plan to homeschool my youngest all the way through but it is annoying. (The only reason he is in school is because it is the only way they will allow participation in sports and wrestling is his passion.) I am beginning to rethink my middle ds's education...he's going to school this coming year but I may just have to bring him back home for high school. We'll see how it goes.

[Crissy]

Donna,

Are there no other opportunities in your community to participate in competitive sports outside the public schools?

We have select teams for baseball and soccer, private studios who focus on the Martial Arts, wresting, etc., and private football leagues.

 

I ask this because I wonder if sacrificing a child's education for the sake of his 'passion' is something I would consider. I guess it is a choice I have never really thought about.

[PinkInTheBlue]

I have no personal experience with it but I also have never understood it. Supposedly the ability to spend longer in class is the key. I don't see it. I feel the same way you do.

 

P.S. I feel so strongly about it, it would be a deal breaker foe me.

[Chris in VA]

I don't like that kind of schedule, either, but it IS more of a college-type approach--it can work, but I still don't like it.

 

Ds18's former hs did a different sort of block schedule--courses all year, for 90 minutes every other day (Blue days and Green days, for his particular school). They had 6 courses that rotated like this, and one course EVERY day for 45 minutes. In his new school this year, they did the every other day thing, too, but with 7 classes, and the last period of the day was a repeat, or longer session, of one class. This last class period was called "flex," and it cycled thru all the courses, so you'd have an extra-long or second period of a class every week and a half or so.

 

Weird, how they come up with the necessary hours.

[Carrie12345]

I had ds do a modified block schedule this past year. Math was year-long for him, though. Latin was about 3/4 of the year, with occasional review in the last quarter (and he took his final at the end of the year). For him, it worked out really well, but I don't imagine it's the best for all students, or a good idea for ALL subjects.

[MyThreeSons]

I have one very motivated young lady who asked her parents to get her a tutor this summer because she will be taking pre-Calc this Fall, and hasn't had any math since last Fall's Algebra 2. And she knows she didn't learn it that well then, because they simply can't get enough in during one semester, even if the classes are longer.

 

I personally like the type of block scheduling one poster mentioned where they alternate days -- they get the benefits of the longer class periods, but have more time to digest the material over the course of the year. We did "A" and "B" days the two years I was in junior high, back in the early 70s. I thought it worked well, but it was discontinued a couple of years later.

[fivetails]

The high school in our former town works like that... 3 or 4 classes the first half of the year, 3 or 4 the second half (depends where your 'free' is).....and they also do a 2 day schedule - meaning, they don't go by days of the week... just 'day 1' and 'day 2' ....

 

So it goes..

 

Day 1: Class A, 10 min break, Class B, lunch, Class C, Class D

Day 2: Class B, 10 min break, Class A, lunch, Class D, Class C

repeat 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2

[nrg]

Block schedules are used to cram more courses into a year. Your son will have 8 credits instead of the usual 6 or 7. This is because each course is about 75% as long as in a regular schedule. They are shortchanging students. This is controversial everywhere, especially among mathematics and AP science teachers. I would not participate.

[Perry]

I went to a high school like that. I actually really liked it. It was a bit more like a college schedule and I was able to really concentrate on just those 4 or 5 classes instead of juggling 8 different classes.

 

I can see how they are not the best idea for languages and maths, but everything else was much better with longer class time and more focused attention.

 

This is exactly what our ps does. Math, foreign language, and music programs meet all year, and all other classes are blocks. I was skeptical but it actually worked very well. I would NOT want math and foreign languages to be done as blocks though.

[Caitilin]

The last HS I went to had block schedules. M and W were odd classes; T and TH were evens, and began at 10, except for earlybird classes. Friday was a normal 7 period day. I thought it worked well. ~shrug~

[Barb_]

I went to a high school like that. I actually really liked it. It was a bit more like a college schedule and I was able to really concentrate on just those 4 or 5 classes instead of juggling 8 different classes.

 

:iagree: Especially the part about juggling classes. I usually do this with my high schoolers and a modified block schedule with the slightly younger kids (11-13, maybe?). I find they focus better and like to start fresh after 4-5 months. I don't usually take an extended Math or Latin break, but there have been exceptions when a kid hits a wall, usually when Algebra I, Geometry and part of Algebra II is done early, but the maturity to handle the last part of Alg II and Trig just isn't there yet.

 

Barb

[Teachin'Mine]

I agree that math and languages shouldn't be blocked, but I think it can work well for other subjects. We just recently found that dd does better doing more in a shorter amount of time for science. When you do a chapter in a week, instead of two or so, there is less time to forget what you read, so retention is much better. I'm not sure if longer term memory will be affected, we'll have an idea with the quarter test, but I'm guessing it won't be a negative. The only reason we've tried this is that we (she) got a bit behind in science and we're finishing up for the year. I don't know for sure, but I would think blocking would work with history; she did it last year with grammar and vocabulary and that seemed to have worked well.

 

If they do block math, I would definitely work at home on it a bit during the rest of the year to at least maintain what was learned.

[Hannah C.]

Actually..in a way..block scheduling where you take 4 classes one semester and 4 classes the next is more like college than high school. Every college class I've ever taken was a unit in itself, though some classes (e.g. math) did build on each other.

 

I can absolutely see how this could present a problem in math/language courses especially, however. College gets around the problem because people usually take courses that build on each other consecutively, and then they're done with the subject. With high school you need to remember the info for standardized tests, etc. let alone other courses.

 

My high school had A/B days when I was there, and it worked really well.

[Donna]

Donna,

Are there no other opportunities in your community to participate in competitive sports outside the public schools?

We have select teams for baseball and soccer, private studios who focus on the Martial Arts, wresting, etc., and private football leagues.

 

I ask this because I wonder if sacrificing a child's education for the sake of his 'passion' is something I would consider. I guess it is a choice I have never really thought about.

 

There are no opportunities in wrestling once you hit the high school level besides tournaments but colleges will not look at you unless you have experience in States. There are large national tournaments but the amount of travel necessary just would not be doable for us. This is really the only choice we have at the moment. I will not sacrifice his education because I will continue with him at home so he, at least, maintains his skills. It will just be more work for him.

 

I would not mind the A/B days block scheduling. I can see where that would get the benefits of the longer periods in the class but still keep the subjects throughout the year. My biggest worries, as I said, are math and Spanish. Especially math for tests such as SAT. My son did tell me that he thinks they do math all year after this year but definitely in 11th and 12th grades. I did let my feelings be known to the poor woman in the guidance office. I can't imagine what educated person would think this is a good idea. I am not even educated as a teacher and I can see the cons of it...they must see the loss of skills over the summer every year. It is just frustrating. My husband may be running for the school board very soon.

[lmrich]

My friend who taught in the local hs told me that the block schedule cuts hallway time. Meaning that the kids have less time in transitions and that helps with discipline problems.

[TN Mama]

This is the way the hs we are zoned for is set up. I don't mind block scheduling, but I disagree that Maths, specifically, should be on block scheduling.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

My best friend's oldest just finished taking Algebra I (1-semester, 90 minute class). With losing two-weeks to snow days, I'm not sure how the teacher taught all the objectives for Algebra I in such a short period of time.

[Disney Dreaming]

The high schools in our county use block scheduling-4 classes each semester. I don't like it but it hasn't hurt the students to my knowledge- they still rank as one of the highest in the state. It does prepare them for the scheduling in college though since alot of them use the semester system instead of quarters. One thing it has allowed my son to do is take a math every semester. He has had 5 maths and will be taking another one the first semester of his senior yr before he graduates early in December.

[KinderSafari]

Does your child have to go the full day to be allowed to play sports?

 

In our district, the homeschool students have to go half a day in order to be eligible for sports. Another area school makes them take two classes a day. They will not always give the students a diploma if they don't take all their district requirements, but we are not looking for a district diploma - if the district decides not to give them one (and this is a long, complicated, story), we have accepted the fact that we will just meet the requirements for the state diploma (in WI - anyone can apply for a state high school diploma by meeting minimum requirements - MUCH less than our district which requires the most credits in the state.) And colleges accept both diplomas AND most accept homeschool transcripts.

 

Another option we have is to join a pre-approved virtual/online school and the kids will qualify to play sports. There are only 2 virtual schools pre-approved (for us) that are allowed in our district, and I will be checking these out over the next year.

 

The schools have NEVER volunteered this information to us. The only reason we know is from other homeschool or homebound families and we have asked them about it. Every district is different. Actually every person you talk to in the district could be different. I just had a friend (non-homeschool) ask someone last week about something similar for her daughter with special needs and my friend was criticized about thinking about a non-traditional option and told her they highly discourage that.

 

Do NOT be afraid to go right to the superintendant (in a nice way) - they have been pretty helpful. Again, depends on the person.

 

Anyway, just saying I'm surprised there's only the one option - and maybe there are others and they just haven't told you.

 

And yes, block schedules are most terrible for languages and math (my husband taught German on this schedule and said it was terrible for his students).

 

Good luck.

[Dmmetler]

Block scheduling is also the death to a good school music program. A year's worth of band crammed into one semester, or worse, one quarter is NOT the same as an hour of rehearsal in a year. Even college programs tend to do band or orchestra as 5x/week, not as 2 or 3x a week, and those are with music students who ARE practicing regularly on their own, taking private lessons, and taking multiple ensemble classes.

[fivetails]

nevermind - I have a headache and ain't making sense. :laugh:

[Perry]

The problem is mostly with classes that are cumulative. If you have French fall semester of freshman year, then not again until spring semester of sophomore year, an entire year has passed without French. Ditto math.

 

I think it's fine for everything else.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I guess I don't see it as horrible. It's like college. I don't think teenagers need (or at least *should* need) nearly as much handholding and coddling as we, as a culture, seem to think they do.

 

However, a few things...

 

First, I think there should be OPTIONS for certain classes. For example, it'd be nice if they'd offer Algebra IA, Algebra IB and AlgebraIC. A would be first semester, B would be second, and C would be Complete. Some kids need longer so give them longer. If they struggle in the first semester, have them redo that before going on to struggle or fail in second semester and then having to do the whole class over. But plenty of kids could do Algebra the first semester and Geometry the second. Cool.

 

Also, if classes are going to be 88 or 100 minutes long, then they need to do two class periods worth of work during that time. As a sub, I saw lesson plans of what kids were going to do that week (along with more details as to what they should do for me). Most of the time, these kids were expected to work half the time and play half the time at the school that had block scheduling. SAD! The same classes at the high school with every class every day learned 2-3 times more in the course of a year.

 

I also like how block scheduling seems to allow for at least one or two more classes per year. As a teen myself, I had to make some hard choices. Obviously, thi sis the case anyway, but there was NO way I could do 4 years of math, orchestra, and dance. Forget exploring woodshop or home ec or sociology! Also, now schools are doing 5-6 maths and sciences so block scheduling would make those easier.

 

Anyway, I like the idea of block scheduling, esp univ. style. However, I do think there are some considerations that should be taken into acct.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Our high school went to the block program 10 years ago as an experiment. Since that time graduation rates, ACT/SAT scores and overall pleasure in academics has decreased. So much so that the district is going back to a regular 7 class period schedule. They are changing the calendar, though. School will begin in early August and the first semester will end before Christmas break. The second semester will begin the end of Jan and continue until late May. The idea is this will be more like a college schedule and the students won't have to worry about studying over the holidays.

[LibraryLover]

I

,

Edited July 7, 2010 by LibraryLover

[mcconnellboys]

That sounds odd. Here, block scheduling means that they cover 8 classes per year, but they do all 8 all year long. They have class times of about 90 minutes, I think, and they alternate 4 classes one day and the other 4 the next.

[LibraryLover]

That sounds odd. Here, block scheduling means that they cover 8 classes per year, but they do all 8 all year long. They have class times of about 90 minutes, I think, and they alternate 4 classes one day and the other 4 the next.

 

 

,

Edited July 7, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Farrar]

I've taught in block scheduling briefly and I think it takes a huge shift in teacher thinking to make it work, one that's hard to establish. It's hard enough to plan for classes, but having to plan for a 2 hour class can be killer, especially if you want to cover a concept and then have kids practice it. It's hard to get past the idea that this should happen by covering the concept in a 45 min class and having them practice it (math problems, reading a text, whatever...) at home with homework. I think it can work, and I think modified block scheduling can be good, especially for science classes with experiments and for seminar style history and humanities classes - but honestly I think much of the time is wasted because kids end up doing homework work in the classroom.

 

Where I went to high school, we had slightly shortened classes so that more classes could be fit into the day. However, many AP classes, especially science, were 2-period classes. I thought that was a nice compromise.

[LibraryLover]

I've taught in block scheduling briefly and I think it takes a huge shift in teacher thinking to make it work, one that's hard to establish. It's hard enough to plan for classes, but having to plan for a 2 hour class can be killer, especially if you want to cover a concept and then have kids practice it. It's hard to get past the idea that this should happen by covering the concept in a 45 min class and having them practice it (math problems, reading a text, whatever...) at home with homework. I think it can work, and I think modified block scheduling can be good, especially for science classes with experiments and for seminar style history and humanities classes - but honestly I think much of the time is wasted because kids end up doing homework work in the classroom.

 

Where I went to high school, we had slightly shortened classes so that more classes could be fit into the day. However, many AP classes, especially science, were 2-period classes. I thought that was a nice compromise.

 

I agree. And I agree, esp with the bolded.

[leaird]

My daughter went to a public high school that adopted the block schedule. I think it is crazy to expect kids to do well when they have 7-8 months between courses. They forget so much in that time period. Plus, she never even got to the half-way point in any of her textbooks using this approach. How can you go from one subject to the next when you only learned a portion of the prerequisite course? It's crazy in my opinion.

[Krista in LA]

My oldest started high school last year and they do it the same way here. While I had a lot of apprehension about it to start with, I have found some advantages. My dd is good at math. With the block schedule, she can take 2 math classes each year - she tested out of Alg 1, took geometry in 9th, and will be taking Alg II and advanced math her sophomore year. That leaves 2 more years to take precalc, AP calc, and possibly some community college math. She wouldn't be able to do that with a traditional schedule. It also allows them to focus on fewer courses at a time. Harder classes are often paired up with easier classes and she can really spend the time she needs to studying with only having 4 classes at a time. Most of the kids will take Spanish I and II one year and III and IV the next year so they don't forget so much in between. I don't think that's as good as spreading it out over 4 years, but it's acceptable. As for a lot of the other classes, they don't necessarily build on each other that much - different science each year, etc so there isn't so much to forget. So, while I didn't like the idea initially, I've come to realize it's not that bad. My dd, as well as all of her friends, love it that way.

[leaird]

Krista,

It sounds like your child's high school has a much better way of doing the block system. I would not be opposed to the block system at all if my daughter's school had operated it like that. My daughter's school won't allow you to double up on subjects in the same year. So no matter what, you are going to have a huge gap between classes. In addition, they regularly mess up kid's schedules and refuse to fix them in the manner that they should. For instance, my daughter was scheduled for a math class that she had not taken the prerequisite for. Instead of placing her in the correct math class, they gave her the option of Apparel & Design or Brick Masonry. :confused: So, my all-honors daughter on the university track was forced to take a vocational class due to her school's error. The schools in our county are very sad and my other two children will never step foot through their doors.