In recent years, the blocked class schedule has replaced the shorter traditional schedule in high schools throughout the United States. In order to study this change, these researchers examined physical education teacher perceptions of their experience teaching on a block schedule compared to the traditional schedule. The views of fifteen physical…

High school students who change their class schedules after the start of the school year may miss class time before their schedules are finalized. This loss of class time is expected to lead to a loss of learning opportunities, and thus to lower student achievement. We examine a school with an unexpectedly large number of such schedule changes.…

This study investigated trends in the mean ACT Assessment scores of 450 public high schools in Illinois and Iowa, according to how they scheduled classes. The schools continuously employed either a traditional eight-period daily schedule, 4 x 4 semester schedule, or an eight-block alternating day block schedule. Seven years of data were available…

This study examined the relationship between school scheduling format and average composite scores on the ACT Assessment after controlling for lifestyle factors, gender, school enrollment levels, number of examinees, and years under the scheduling model. The participants were 38,089 high schools seniors in 568 public high schools in Iowa and…

The hypothesis of this study was that student course-taking on the block schedules contributes to the comprehensive nature of the high school and the differentiated curriculum. Because of the shift of time associated with the block schedule, it was hypothesized that students would spend significantly less time studying the core academic…

In this paper, educators in a suburban middle school promote the positive educational outcomes from an alternating-day block schedule at their middle school. Comparisons are cited in student achievement and school climate indicators between the block schedule and the eight-period day with shorter classes. The paper cites several advantages of the…

As forms of school restructuring sweep the nation, teachers are interested in how block scheduling will influence their models of professional development. This report examines the effects of a high school's transition from a traditional to a hybrid schedule--three traditional and two block classes each day--on science teaching and learning.…

Researchers designed and piloted a questionnaire that measures the level of implementation of exemplary middle school practices (based on the work of P. George and W. Alexander, 1993) using Rasch measurement theory. Assistant principals (n=26) participated in telephone interviews by responding to a 27-item questionnaire that contains items…

Describes 4 X 4 block scheduling and its advantages and disadvantages. Examines block scheduling's effects on a Virginia high school's students, teachers, and administration, based on school data and survey results. Most participants preferred block scheduling over the six-period schedule. Grades, attendance, and discipline improved; students…

An evaluation of the 4 X 4 block schedule used in three North Carolina high schools elicited strong support from teachers, students, and parents. Schools planning to implement this model should review D. G. Hackman's guidelines covering faculty input, feedback procedures, training opportunities, teacher fatigue, holidays, classroom monitoring,…

Agricutlure teachers using modified A/B (n=12) or 9-week 4x4 (n=10) block schedules were surveyed. The value of relevant inservice education was positively related to satisfaction with effective teaching practices and student achievement. Teacher satisfaction with opportunities to use effective practices was associated with achievement, especially…

Administrators must research diverse scheduling alternatives and their effects and requirements. Successfully modifying school time boils down to a six-step recipe: believing in improvement-directed change, involving all key stakeholders, selecting the appropriate schedule, developing clear expectations, bridging the theory-practice gap, and…

Brain research explains why testing for surface knowledge (memorization) reveals relatively little about real, usable knowledge. Assessment must contribute to real-world experience, relate to real-world performance, can never be fully translated into representative symbols or numbers, and can induce both helplessness (interference with meaningful…

Describes varieties of scheduling, inadequacy of the short-period schedule, and the historical background of block scheduling. Discusses effective block scheduling at the middle-grades level and advantages of fan-block schedules. Outlines classroom strategies for use in blocks and a sample learning-cycle lesson for social studies. (SR)

Presents eight real-life examples of schools that use time wisely and efficiently to support faculty development, including early release of students, time banking, extra "specials" periods, paraprofessional support, weekly meetings, early teacher arrival, meeting while students are out doing community service, and blocking before- and…