Block Scheduling
Background
The report from the National Education Commission on Time
and Learning (1994) makes several recommendations
pertaining to the scheduling of time. The following is one of
these recommendations:
Schools should provide additional academic time
by reclaiming the school day for academic
preparation.
In addition, research by Karweit (1985) states that only 38%
of the school day is spent in academic endeavors. And that:
Teachers should be provided with the
professional time and opportunities they need to
do their job well (Sommerfield, 1994).
Difficulty in
Preparing for
Effective
Instruction
For years, teachers have stated that it was increasingly
difficult to prepare effective instruction for several
different classes composed of up to 150 students per
day. Canady and Rettig, in their book Block Scheduling: A
Catalyst for Change in High School, suggest that it is an
equally demanding task from the students’ perspective.
We ask students to prepare for six, seven, or
eight classes daily. We ask them to adapt to the
teaching styles, academic expectations, and
classroom management techniques of six, seven,
or eight teachers every day. We ask students to
change desks and chairs six, seven, or eight
times a day. We ask students to adapt to different
lighting and different heating and cooling systems
six, seven, or eight times per day.... What teacher
(or adult for that matter) would stand for such
a system?
Premises
Block scheduling rests on the premise that it would give
teachers more instructional flexibility (Sizer 1990,
Carroll1990), reduce the fragmentation of the day, and allow
teachers to adapt their instructional strategies to address the
different ways in which students learn.
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Block
Scheduling
in
North Carolina
In North Carolina, the interest in Block Scheduling became
apparent after the State Board of Education decided to
increase the graduation requirements from 11 to 14
courses in 1991. The increased number of graduation
requirements made it that much more difficult for students
to select electives and/or to concentrate on extended study
of one discipline.
Percentage
Schools
According to the December 1994 report, Block Scheduling of
in North Carolina High Schools, over 60% of North
Carolina’s high schools will be implementing some form of
block scheduling by 1995-96.
What is
Block
Scheduling?
This report states that "Block Scheduling, sometimes
referred to as 4x4, concentrated curriculum plan, or
semester plan, is a reorganization of school time that is
increasingly being adopted by North Carolina public high
schools." The typical 4x4 schedule consists of "four blocks
of 90 minutes each (see figure 1). By doubling the length
of class periods, students complete the equivalent of four
180-day courses every 90 days. After the first session ends,
students take four new courses in the second 90-day
session" (Edwards, 1995).
Blocks
First Semester
Block I
Course 1
Block II
Course 2
Lunch
Block III
Course 3
Block IV
Course 4
Figure 1: 4x4 Block Schedule
Second Semester
Course 5
Course 6
Course 7
Course 8
Another version of block scheduling involves eight blocks
taught on alternate days (A/B days) throughout the year
(see figure 2).
Days
Block I
Block II
Block III
Block IV
A Day
B Day
A Day
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Course 1
Course 2 Course 1
Course 3
Course 4 Course 3
Course 5
Course 6 Course 5
Course 7
Course 8 Course 7
Figure 2: A/B Block Schedule
2
B Day
Thurs.
Course 2
Course 4
Course 6
Course 8
A Day
Fri.
Course 1
Course 3
Course 5
Course 7
B Day
Mon.
Course 2
Course 4
Course 6
Course 8
North
Carolina
Instructional
Time
Requirement
In North Carolina, the traditional school day calls for five
and one-half hours of instructional time daily. School
systems implementing Block Scheduling have to request a
waiver from the State Board of Education from the 150
hours of instruction required for a unit of credit
(Carnegie Unit).
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