THE FREEDOM OF TIME

There's no more rush to push through information, or awkwardly carry a lesson or project into a second day. WIth this time, we can finally begin to try some of the strategies and projects that we've been wanting to try, but simply don't have the time.

DEEP WORK

We want students to develop the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks; when students begin to engage in "deep work," they can master complicated information more quickly. Also, beginning and end of class procedures happen half as often, making for a more efficient use of time.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

We all know that by building strong relationships with students, we'll have better behavioral, academic, and socio-emotional results. By slowing down the pace of a class period, we can engage in small group and one-on-one interactions and thoughtful discussions that an 8 period day often doesn't allow.

FOCUSED CURRICULUM

By prioritizing the most important concepts and skills, we provide a deeper, more focused curriculum.

LESS STRESSFUL

Qualitative data suggests students in a block schedule report less stress and more satisfaction than students in a traditional 8-period day. Both students and teachers have fewer classes to plan for each day.

LATER START TIME

Central starts 45 minutes later, and North starts 20 minutes later, while still having a reasonable end time.

RAM/KNIGHT BLOCK

This block allows for student job shadow and internship opportunities, or time to meet with teachers and support staff for academic or socio-emotional support.

SCHEDULING CLASSES

Students have the opportunity to take 7 classes without sacrificing a study hall and a lunch. This enables students to pursue electives they otherwise couldn't.

TIMING

• No activity lasts more than 15-25 minutes -- lecture/modeling/teacher-centered instruction especially

• 45 minute lesson, 45 minute practice -- you'll end up only covering half the amount of material

• No double lesson -- students won't be able to handle that much information without time to process and apply

MOVEMENT

• Students need 3-5 cognitive/physical moves per class period

• Without this, focus and engagement drops, and behavior issues increase.

WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD BE DOING

• Application of ideas

• Collaboration

• Problem-solving

• Challenging, purposeful experiences

ASSESSMENTS

• Some assessments are one-time sittings; others are multiple time-sittings.

• Every assessment is aligned to instruction, learning targets

• Formative assessments and feedback