As Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools enters the second quarter, the district recently gave an update on what teachers and students think of the new block schedule implemented at each high school.
At the start of the academic year, Chapel Hill High School, East Chapel Hill High School, and Carrboro High School moved away from their current seven-period class structure in favor of having four classes each semester. With the non-traditional Phoenix Academy already operating on a 4×4 block, the change worked to align the schedules at all four high schools to promote inter-campus learning between them and Durham Technical Community College.
Leading the presentation at the Nov. 6 meeting, Director of Curriculum & Instruction for Secondary Education and Academic Programming Bob Bales said collaboration between the schools over the past year helped for a seamless switch to the new schedule, which includes a 80-minute class periods, 40 minutes of daily “flex” time, and a standard lunch break.
“We have not missed a beat,” Bales said. “It’s been a true passion of our [staff] to make sure that this works. I think some of the hiccups that we thought might happen, we were really able to navigate to start off and we’ve had some really great success.”
According to an initial survey, Bales said teachers and students like having fewer classes per day, with more time to dedicate towards labs, projects, and focused work. But he explained how feedback for the schedule has also been mixed. Teachers reported how they are concerned about being able to cover the full class curriculum in one semester — particularly the AP courses — and students said it can be more difficult to stay engaged in the longer class periods.
“Sustaining high-quality pedagogy for 80 minutes is challenging,” Bales said. “That’s where our professional development really comes into play. What are the different things that we can try and do? While it’s nice to have 80 minutes of what we’re doing every single day, you’re going to have to vary it up.”
An initial survey of students and teachers gave mixed results for the new block schedule. A second survey will begin in November to continue gathering feedback. (Photo via Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.)
For example, Bales said students were more successful in classes containing four 20-minute activities or incorporating mini lessons and movement. He said ongoing training opportunities have been implemented at the school level to help teachers navigate how to best utilize the additional classroom time, but board member Riza Jenkins commented on how not all teachers have engaged in them. She also said schools with lower teacher participation in the trainings saw more negative student reactions to the block schedule.
“That for me is a case of everyone has to change what we’re doing,” Jenkins said. “Everyone can’t say, ‘I think I got it.’ It’s like, no. Now you have to do this. Because we’re seeing the success here, we’re seeing it in pockets in your school community. We gotta fix this. Because it’s not about making block successful, it’s about making sure kids are successful.”
Most comments from the board centered on encouraging students to take advantage of the daily “flex” period, in which they can engage in independent work time, group activities, and other academic-related opportunities. This year, Bales said the district left it up to the individual school to determine how to best spend the time, in an effort to identify what works or needs adjustment. However, Jenkins noted how that means students are not always required to go back to a class during it, even if they have missing assignments, lower grades, or need additional help.
Along with board member Barbara Fedders, she asked for a more direct call from teachers about who needs to stay for flex.
“Here’s my concern,” Jenkins said. “I think if I thought all my kids would be proactive and have the executive functioning skills to sign themselves up for flex, then I mean, I’d be able to put my feet up every night. As a parent, that is not how it works in my house.”
Board member Rani Dasi added how requiring attendance during flex would also benefit AP students taking the course in the fall, noting how those exams are not until the spring.
“I worry about the disconnect,” Dasi said. “I know a child who may or may not live in my house who would probably not take the initiative to study during that period, but if that person had to go to that flex, they probably would be more successful.”
Bales said these worries will also likely be addressed at the end of the semester, when each school’s flex team will present takeaways about what has worked and not. There, he said the schools will be able to hear from one another about what flex models work best.
“I will say there are some schools that if you have under a 75%, you’re automatically coming back to math on Tuesdays,” Bales said. “There are some schools that if you’re missing a work on another day, you’re finishing that makeup work on another day. So I think we’re going to get there, [but right now] we did leave that open [for schools to decide].”
Guiding questions for each school’s flex team to answer at the end of the semester. The presentations aim to identify what flex models are working and what needs improvement. (Photo via Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.)
CHCCS is also working with the Town of Chapel Hill to expand transportation options for cross-enrolled students. While the district currently offers midday transportation, Bales said offering additional options during flex time would allow students to go to a different school for one period, further opening up the cross enrollment opportunities — one driving reason for the block schedule.
Immediate next steps for the district include conducting a second staff and student survey and checking in with teachers to evaluate course pacing. For next year, CHCCS is working to reserve spots for cross-enrolled students and homeschooled students in CTE courses, as Bales said keeping seats open for them proved to be an issue this year.
To view the full Board of Education meeting, click here.
Featured photo via Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
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