Why do a trimester schedule? With the advent of block scheduling, many high schools conducted research on utilizing that plan in a trimester format. There appeared to be three issues that most schools faced: (1) How to provide substantive instructional time that was not fragmented?; (2) How does the school climate contribute positively to…

Community colleges offer a pathway to the middle class for low-income individuals. Although access to college has expanded, graduation rates at community colleges remain low, especially for students who need developmental (remedial) courses to build their math, reading, or writing skills. The City University of New York's (CUNY's) Accelerated…

Despite considerable documentation and implementation of block scheduling, there is little evidence that it achieves an increase in student understanding of subject material. Field research that examined seventh-grade math achievement scores in block scheduled and regular schools showed that none of the anticipated results were realized regarding…

This study, administered by students in the department of Instructional Technology at Utah State University (USU), examined the block scheduling program at Millard High School (Delta, Utah). The block scheduling program, begun in the 1998-99 school year, was introduced to allow greater flexibility in scheduling, particularly for released time…

Provides evaluation snapshots of nine programs operated by the Chesapeake (Virginia) Public Schools to illustrate the importance of ongoing program assessment. Advises evaluators to use teamwork, employ a full-time evaluator, utilize consultants as needed, write annual management plans, involve school division administrators, and meet regularly.…

Block scheduling has grown rapidly in recent years. In North Carolina, 77 schools started block scheduling in 1995-96, bringing the total number of blocked schools in the state to 207. A previous evaluation compared 1995 End-of-Course (EOC) Test scores for block-scheduled (blocked) and nonblocked schools. This report presents results of the…

The use of four periods in the school day, as opposed to six, with each period 90 minutes in length is referred to as 4 X 4 block scheduling. In Virginia, as in many states, there is increasing interest in this kind of scheduling to deliver education that meets the instructional needs of students. In 1995-96, Western Branch High School (WBHS) of…