West Hartford Public Schools
William H. Hall High School
Investigating Block Scheduling
-Janurary 2006-
The investigation of alternative block scheduling ended.

Hall High School is currently investigating an A/B 4x4 block schedule as a scheduling option at the High School level for implementation in the 2006 - 2007 school year.
To view the block scheduling power point presentation given to students and parents click here to download.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1) Has a decision to implement Block Scheduling already been made?
Currently a final decision to adopt the proposed A/B Block Schedule has not been made. We are still in the investigation process. A recommendation in conjunction with Conard High School to support or not to support Block Scheduling will be made to the West Hartford Public Schools Executive Team by January 15, 2006.

2) What is the Block Scheduling Investigation Plan for 2005-2006?

Block Scheduling Plan 2005-2006
Action Steps:

1. Communication to Hall Community:
a. Block Scheduling Committee continues to meet monthly
b. evening Parent Forum – Wednesday, September 28, 2005
c. second evening Parent Forum – Wednesday, November 9, 2005
d. creation of a website with links to provide information to frequently asked questions
e. each faculty meeting devote 20 – 30 minutes to discuss block scheduling process/progress
f. each month dedicated to featuring an article in Hall Headlines with issues relating to block scheduling
g. grade level assemblies/presentations explaining block scheduling – Wednesday, September 28, 2005
h. Wednesday, November 30, 2005 joint meeting of Hall/Conard High School’s block scheduling committees

2. Professional Development:
a. Tuesday, August 30, 2005, teacher professional development (Panel of teachers who currently teach in the block share their experiences with teachers and parents)
b. building CSI’s:Wednesday, September 28, 2005; Wednesday, October 19, and Wednesday, October 26, 2005 building level CSI’s dedicated exploring activities and strategies for teaching in the block that will support specific content areas
c. November 2, 2005 – “Walking Around the Block” – faculty and students who have visited high school following a block schedule will report their experiences
d. December 14, 2005 – Block Scheduling Forum – members of the Block Scheduling Committee will provide Hall faculty with an update on the exploration process and the recommended next steps
e. December 21, 2005 – Strategies for Teaching in the Block – by department, faculty members will combine their knowledge from previous department CSI’s and those faculty members that visited block scheduling high schools will relate their experiences to strategize when teaching in a block schedule

3. In-Depth Exploration of Block Scheduling:
CSI – at least one member from each department visit a high school currently using block scheduling to report back to the department and the school community–
a. Friday, September 23, 2005 – East Lyme High School (teachers/parents)
b. Tuesday, September 27, 2005 – North Haven High School (teachers)
c. Wednesday, September 28, 2005 – Rockville High School (teachers)
d. Tuesday, October 11, 2005 – Manchester High School (teachers)
e. Tuesday, October 18, 2005 – Rockville High School (students, teachers, parents)
f. Wednesday, October 19, 2005 – East Lyme High School – (parents, students)
g. TBD – Lyman Hall High School
h. TBD – Sheehan High School
i. TBD – Bloomfield High School
j. other high school visits next semester if necessary

4. Additional Steps:
a. survey faculty for input/feedback – Thursday, September 8, 2005/December 2005
b. survey students for input/feedback-December 2005
c. by January 15, 2006, in conjunction with Conard High School, make a recommendation to the Executive Team regarding A/B block schedule

3) Will the Block Schedule result in a loss of instructional time?

Our current schedule has 47 minutes per period, with eight periods; one of these periods is designated for lunch. Students have seven periods for classes, which results in 376 minutes (this includes 10 extra minutes in third period for announcements). Four 90-minute periods in the block schedule will give 360 instructional minutes (add ten minutes for announcements and you get 370 instructional minutes). This is a loss of 1.6% of instructional minutes. Each period, over a 10-day interval will receive 470 minutes on the traditional schedule and 450 minutes on the block schedule. This results in a 4.2% decrease of instructional time in a period. Given that students mentally pack-up five minutes before the bell rings (on average), the traditional schedule looses 35 minutes (for seven instructional periods) and the block looses 20 minutes. Under this consideration there are 341 instructional minutes in the traditional schedule and 350 instructional minutes in the block schedule—a gain of 9 minutes. If this is applied to individual periods, the traditional schedule will allow for 420 minutes per period over ten days and the block would provide 425 minutes per period.
The important factor in instruction is what is done in that time. The benefits of the block is that there is more time within the period to accomplish the kinds of student learning promoted by research in Brain Theory, Multiple Intelligences, and different learning styles of the student.

Information Links

Block Scheduling Revisited By J. Allen Queen
All those with a stake in education must work to improve a scheduling format that offers great potential for student success. Mr. Queen provides some guidelines.
Most high schools that adopted the block schedule have enhanced the academic environment by increasing the number of courses that a student can complete in a four-year period. In the process, educators have increased graduation rates, lowered discipline referrals, and improved dropout rates. (Scott Willis, "Are Longer Classes Better?," ASCD Update, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Va., March 1993, pp. 2-3).
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kque0011.htm

Prisoners Of Time - Report of the National Education Commission on Time and Learning April 1994
By far the most important part of this Commission's charge relates not to time but to student learning. The first issue is not "How much time is enough?" but "What are we trying to accomplish?" As witnesses repeatedly told the Commission, there is no point to adding more time to today's schools if it is used in the same way. We must use time in new, different, and better ways.
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/PrisonersOfTime/Rec-I.html

4) Will Block Scheduling have a positive effect on the school climate and promote a reduction in discipline problems?

Research regarding alternative scheduling indicates that when schools have converted to a block schedule, discipline problems have been reduced and overall school climate has been enhanced (Jorgensen, Fisher, Sax, & Skoglund, 1997; Malloy, 1997). During visitations to schools in Connecticut, by Hall High School representatives, that currently uses Block Scheduling, teachers, students, and administrators report that there has been a significant positive change in climate and a reduction in discipline referrals.

5) Does Block Scheduling improve student performance?

While the research in general supports the assertion that Block Scheduling has a positive effect on student academic performance, the schedule alone is only one part of the process to improve student achievement. The other important factor is the mode of instruction that takes place during the extended time periods.

Information Links

The Change Process and Alternative Scheduling Teaching and Learning
http://www.weac.org/resource/june96/schedule.htm

Rita Smilkstein agrees with other researchers that shifting the time paradigm is essential to enhance student learning. She offers several rhetorical questions to consider in implementing what she terms "learning for empowerment": Would we go more slowly and lecture less in order to provide more time and opportunity for students to thoroughly grow their brain structures through sufficient authentic active in-class participation and practice? Would we need to cover less in a quarter? Would we need to revise our curriculum? (p. 43)

According to Smilkstein, the new brain research shows that, "The traditional lecture- and teacher-centered approach continues to ask and expect students to behave in ways that run counter to what we now see more clearly as the cognitive system's natural learning process" (p. 3). Her research concludes that it is not enough to increase the amount of time students spend in class; the time must be used in different ways as well to have a significant impact on learning.

More about block scheduling as we get reports and documentation.