How Can Online Classes
Help Students Get
More Sleep?
Learn how students in one district in Alabama are
given the freedom to shape their own schedules
using digital courseware from Middlebury
Interactive Languages.
High school students in the Piedmont City
School District in Piedmont, Alabama, a rural
district of about 1,200 students, can sleep late
without missing any class time, thanks in part to
Middlebury Interactive Languages, a provider of
digital K-12 language courses.
For all 10th-12th grade students in the district,
first period is offered online. Students who
maintain a grade average of B or higher can
do their first period work when they choose,
giving them the freedom to complete classwork
and balance other activities, including getting
more sleep. Studies have shown that students
who get the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of
sleep per night are healthier and perform better
academically than their sleep-deprived peers.
Students in the district who drop below a B
average must come into school to do their work
under the supervision of a teacher. Every Friday,
all students must report to first period for a
check-in to evaluate their progress.
Superintendent Matt Akin says that most
students do their first period online work in the
afternoon or early evening, according to the
district’s peak periods for its network usage.
This is the second year Piedmont has offered
this flexible first period class, and Superintendent
Akin says that the feedback has been
overwhelmingly positive.
Students are happy to have more say in how
their schedules are shaped, and parents are
glad to see their children developing time
management skills that they’ll need in college
and careers.
Making Virtual First Period a Reality
The development of this flexible first period took
a great deal of time and planning for the district.
For Piedmont to consider such a program, they
first had to ensure that all students had home
Internet access, as well a device to access the
course material online.
For six years, Piedmont City has provided oneto-one Macbooks for all students in grades 4-12.
The majority of students access the Internet
using a MiFi connection built into their laptops, so
that they have access even after leaving school.
The district’s first foray into online learning,
for any subject, was Middlebury Interactive’s
language courses. Piedmont’s Spanish teacher
had resigned, and the district was struggling to
find a full-time replacement. The district decided
to pilot an online language platform to see
whether they could find a suitable alternative for
their students.
Middlebury Interactive was at the top of the list
and was soon adopted not just for Spanish, but
for Latin, German, French and Chinese as well.
This meant that the district could expand their
language offerings and also allow students to
continue their language studies for a third year,
which had not previously been possible.
“Middlebury Interactive is broadening the
horizons of our students,” said Superintendent
Akins. “They have a stronger background now,
not only in learning new languages, but in
learning new cultures too.”
“Middlebury Interactive is
broadening the horizons of
our students. They have a
stronger background now,
not only in learning new
languages, but in learning
new cultures too.”
—Matt Akin, Superintendent
Piedmont City School District
Akin says that parents are pleased with the
expansion of the curriculum provided through
learning online, and students are thriving under
the flexibility offered by self-paced learning.
Piedmont teacher Jennie Baer said, “Our
students have changed as a result of being
exposed to new languages and cultures. The
exposure has sparked an interest in some
students to visit a particular country when they
get older.”
my future career. I would like to be a vet, so I am
taking Latin to prepare for the medical terms.”
”Self-Paced and Mastery-Based”
After the successful implementation of
Middlebury Interactive during the first period,
Piedmont City began to expand their online
course offerings to other subjects as well. They
added new digital curriculums to their repertoire
to provide even more support for their students.
“Middlebury Interactive was our first real dip
into self-paced and mastery-based learning,"
said Superintendent Akin. “Our whole middle
school is now based on that concept. Every
class in middle school is self-paced and
mastery-based.”
Offering the first period online was a natural
outgrowth of the expansion of digital classes
being offered in the district. As students thrived
in the self-paced environment, district leaders
realized that they had an opportunity to address
recent research about the sleep habits of
teenagers while also providing high school
students with an opportunity to be self-directed
and independent.
“The dynamics of my classroom have changed
drastically,” said Ms. Baer. “Students have a
higher level of accountability when it comes
to their progress. They also have the flexibility to
work at their own pace and can focus on what is
important on a particular day. This is an
advantage that students in traditional high
schools do not have.”
“Through learning online I am able to go at
my own pace,” said Piedmont student Chloe
Mobley, “which allows me to get a better
understanding of more difficult lessons.
By learning a language this way, I feel I am
becoming more self-disciplined.”
Piedmont student Emily Kisor added,
“Middlebury Interative has opened up the world
for me, because I am using it to help me with
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