OPINION

A look at different schedules

By Afif Uddin

PSA Student Media

Katelyn Gungrich, Duaa Jamaluddin, Taylor Stone contributed to this article.

With the new schedules brewing around PSA, there are more facts to be uncovered about the different schedules that are being introduced and wanted to be implemented in the 2022-2023 school year. Currently, at PSA we have an 8-period class schedule on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesdays and Thursdays are AB days with four classes each day, with classes lasting about 1 hour and 25 minutes long.

The different schedules being researched by the PSA Journalism Team are the 8-period class schedule, the 4-period block schedule (whether it is an AB day or by semester), and lastly the 6 or 7-period schedule.

• What is the 8 Period schedule?

The 8-period schedule is a schedule in which a student has all 8 of their classes on one day, each class lasting 45-50 minutes. With about 180 days in the school year, the schedule will equate to about 9,000 minutes per class in a student's yearly school career.

• What is the Semesterly and the AB Block Schedule?

The AB Block and Semesterly Schedule are two different types of schedules. The AB schedule alternates between four classes on one day, and four classes on another day. So you would have four classes on your A day, and another four classes on a B-day. Alternating throughout the week until it becomes Monday and it starts again.

The semesterly class schedule has four classes only in one semester, and the next semester has the other four classes. You have two academic sessions: fall and spring.

Each class has 90 minutes a class for 90 days, and it will equate to about 8,100 of class time in a student's yearly school year.

• What is the 6 Period Schedule?

The 6-period schedule is the schedule that has all 6 classes in one day. Each class will be an hour to an hour and 15 minutes long that will all take place on one day. Equating to about 13,500 minutes of time per class throughout the year.

• What is the 7-Period Schedule?

The 7-period schedule is the schedule that has all 7 classes in one day. Each class will be 50 minutes - 1 hour long that will all take place on one day; that will equate to about 10,800 minutes of time per class for 180 days of school.

The Pros and Cons of each different type of schedule

There are many advantages and disadvantages to each of the different schedules. Teachers, students, and administrators may find these schedules helpful to implement in their school, and some may not. Although, each of these schedules has advantages and disadvantages.

The Advantages and Disadvantages

8-period schedule

Advantages

There are many advantages to the 8-period schedule. Students will be engaged in what they are learning because of how many times classes change. The extra, and more frequent class changes allow for students to be more awake and focused throughout the day. This also improves physical and mental health because students can stretch more often and take more breaks. If a student is sitting for an unhealthy amount of time then it can be unbeneficial and disruptive for students. More class changes may also help kids who have problems with focus to stay on task. Another advantage of an 8-class schedule is if a student misses a day, then it is easier for students to catch up on what they have missed. Productivity is increased with the 8-period schedule.

Disadvantages

The disadvantage of an 8-block schedule is that there can be too much homework for a student to do. Balancing 8-classes can become very difficult and overwhelming for the student. Getting back home from extracurricular activities and doing homework for all 8 of the classes can be a lot. Some students may also have jobs and work long hours, so they may not have the time to do that homework. Students may take multiple tests on the same day, which can become overwhelming or detrimental for students.

AB Class Schedule (Semesterly and A/B)

Advantages

The AB schedule is a favored schedule by schools all around the nation. About one and three schools in the United States use the AB schedule. Teachers find that block schedules allow for more in-class activities, rather than lectures. Exploring concepts more in depth than with which a 45 minute class allows for. They can also work with individual students to build stronger relationships and have a lighter student workload. It adds more exploratory projects for students. And teachers get longer planning periods to plan better lessons.

Students can also have more opportunities to take different courses, time to work on activities, and fewer classes to focus on throughout the day. There are more interactions with the teachers, enhancing teacher- student relationships.

Disadvantages

Though there are many advantages to an AB schedule, there are also disadvantages for the students and teachers. Teachers have difficulty sometimes planning a full hour and a half class with activities and lessons for students, despite having a planning period. It also makes creating new activities difficult, and it may get repetitive in some classes.

Students also may not like the AB schedule because they are sitting for prolonged periods of time. This affects the health of the students, especially younger students. Students may also be bored during those block schedules, and that can have a negative effect on their learning, making the students sleepy and tired. There is also a hardship for students when missing a day of school, some students may have to catch up.

6 and 7 class Periods

Advantages

There are many advantages to the 6 and 7 class periods, such as not having a lot of classes where students are stressed about subjects. Teachers can also have a planning period that only is needed for the 5 or 6 classes they teach, meaning that they can dedicate more time to their classes and have that time to research what they need. With the same amount of class time, it makes schools employing teachers and putting students in classrooms and courses more efficient. Each class also meets daily so students can catch up on the missing work. Only having 6 or 7 classes also increases minutes of instruction and lets students develop a deepening understanding of the subjects.

Disadvantages

The Disadvantage of these 6 or 7 class periods is that 6 or 7 period days reduce the number of courses taken by each student, and provide less opportunity for electives, in favor of fewer classes a year. This means that the fine arts programs may be at a disadvantage risk of being downsized, or taken away entirely. Also, some students may have a job or internship and want to leave school early. By making the class periods longer, students may not be able to work those jobs or internships. Students may also want to graduate early or start early college/duel enrollment, and with the 6 or 7 class periods, this may not be possible for those students due to the limited schedule.

Conclusion and Summing up

While certainly, these schedules work for some schools, they may not work for PSA. This article is meant to inform people of the different types of schedules there are, and what we could be expecting to be scheduled in the future. Students must pick their schedules strategically and efficiently to know the right amount of credits to graduate, and while technically any of the schedules put students on a path to graduate, we need to make a smart and informed choice. It is up to students, parents, teachers, and administration to believe what is best for PSA. As the Palmetto Scholars Academy Journalism team, our goal is to inform the community of possible schedules, so that together, we can make the best possible decision for PSA.

Sources:

Mizhquiri, L. (2019). Dartmouth College Dartmouth Digital Commons - digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu. Dartmouth College . Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=hindsight2019

Rettig, M. D. (n.d.). The effects of Block Scheduling. AASA. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=14852

Gruber, C. D. (2001). Effects of Block Scheduling on Academic Achievement among High School Students, 84(4), 32–42.

What is block scheduling and is it effective? pros and cons. University of the People. (2021, November 16). Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/what-is-block-scheduling/

Marie. (2021, April 7). Are shorter class periods better for students? Complete Literature. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://completeliterature.com/are-shorter-class-periods-better-for-students/

Williamson, R. (2010). Scheduling: Seven Period Day .

Anderson, J. (2019, September 17). The gift of teacher time. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/19/09/gift-teacher-time

Some examples of different schedules:

A/B Schedule

Photo via: Sacred Heart Academy

https://sha.shslou.org/apps/pages/academics/block-scheduling <- website

6 Schedule

Photo Via Edficiency

https://www.edficiency.com/post/6-middle-school-schedules-with-flex-periods

7 Schedule

Photo via Mountain View High School

https://www.bend.k12.or.us/mountainview/news-events/calendar/special-schedule-7-period-day

8 Schedule

Photo Via Edficiency

https://www.edficiency.com/post/10-high-school-schedules-with-flex-periods