Block Scheduling is Postponed, not Canceled:
Last winter, the RIH Strategic Planning Committee established a subgroup to collect information and conduct interviews about block scheduling. Vice Principal Guido explained, “Block scheduling was one of the goals of the District’s 5-Year Strategic Plan. Block scheduling was planned for 23/24, but at the moment the planning has stalled.” During the October 16th Board meeting, the recently resigned superintendent Dr. Rui Dionisio recommended postponing block scheduling, as further research and review felt required (rih.org).
A-B-C-D Day Schedule:
As opposed to Ramapo’s current nine-period schedule, block scheduling would make each class slightly longer in order to allow students to take them fewer times per week. Ms. McDermond, who recently resigned as the Director of Curriculum, reported, “The most common is a 55-60 minute rotation, drop schedule. Classes would be organized on a A-D day schedule and 6 classes would meet per day. Each day would also have a common lunch for 60 minutes.”
Still, it is debated whether or not block scheduling would be effective. As expressed by Ruben Salas, the director of sales operations at Education Advanced, benefits include more instructional time and the ability for teachers to check in with individual students. Moreover, teachers would have longer preparation periods and students would have fewer classes to prepare for the following day, thereby lightening the general workload (educationadvanced.com).
Conversely, Melissa Kelly, with a master’s degree in education and a published book, pointed out that students can more easily fall further behind, as an absence would miss significantly more material. Additionally, the less frequent classes decrease the overall time within a year (thoughtco.com). Adeline Rohner, a freshman, remarked, “I like the idea of having less homework, but I don’t love that the classes will be longer.” Sarah Acosta, a sophomore, added, “I wouldn’t want to sit in the same class for an extended period of time; it would make me feel sleepy. I prefer being able to move around.”
Regardless, the RIH District has much research and investigation ahead, as the verdict is yet to be determined. As put by Ms. McDermond, “Block scheduling has the opportunity to unlock a lot of potential with the school day that would benefit staff and students, but further information is needed to work out all the details before it can be implemented.”
Sources:
https://educationadvanced.com/resources/blog/the-block-schedule-system-7-pros-and-3-cons/
https://www.rih.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=238065&pageId=10063914
https://www.thoughtco.com/class-block-scheduling-pros-and-cons-6460
