Is period scheduling more efficient than block scheduling in a school setting?
Transition to Block Scheduling
Most American high schools follow a period-oriented schedule. Students typically spend 40 to 45 minutes across a seven, eight, or nine period day. Although this structure has been followed for decades, many schools, including schools in the Woodbridge Township School District, have switched to a block schedule. In a block schedule students will spend 90 minutes across a four-period day.
If block scheduling is becoming so popular, then clearly it must be beneficial to some degree. And though many schools are beginning to favor this modern schedule over period scheduling, it has many flaws that seem to be overlooked. Overall, block scheduling does have its benefits, but it can take a much greater toll on students than a traditional period schedule.
Absences
One of the biggest complaints heard around schools that follow a block schedule has to do with absences. When a student misses classes because they are feeling unwell, it is significantly harder to recover from their absence. This is due to the larger amount of instruction given in a single period with a block schedule than there is in a period schedule. University of the People states that missing one block class is the equivalent of missing two period classes. This means that a student who may need to miss two or three days of classes would accumulate four to six days’ worth of instruction.
AP Courses
Schools that use a block schedule typically follow semester–oriented classes that switch after the first two marking periods. This poses many issues with students signed up for an AP exam. According to MaiaLearning, students may be finished with their AP course after the first semester in January while their test is scheduled for May. This creates a four-month period without instruction before the exam. This makes it extremely difficult for students to retain such a large amount of material in a wide time span.
Attention Spans
Many students following a block schedule often become bored in their classes due to their time length. In a ninety-minute period, students are likely to become distracted. Losing focus on instruction would inherently make classes more difficult. According to Chron, shorter periods make it easier for students to concentrate on all the material being presented. In effect, short periods over a full year span make it significantly easier for students to retain information.