Bell schedule committee sending teachers to research schools
Wenatchee High School’s bell schedule committee will be sending a team of teachers to at least two schools with four-period block schedules within the next 30 days. The decision was made on March 24, with the purpose of gaining a deeper understanding of the schedule’s organization.
The committee will ask the schools about how they have solved problems such as time differences, AP class exam preparation, and challenges presented by certain classes such as foreign language and music.
WHS Principal Eric Anderson revealed that two successful schools had been found in Minnesota and Connecticut, while a third in Federal Way was using a rotating version of the four-period block, referred to as the four-by-four block. However, Anderson said that differences in the locations of the schools would not affect what the committee would be looking for.
“We contacted these schools because they have been on their schedules for a long time,” Anderson said. “We haven’t done it yet, and we have a lot of questions to ask. There may even be problems we hadn’t thought of, and we need to know how to solve them.”
Once the committee has found the information it needs, the members plan to share the information with the surrounding community in the form of a parent information night. Committee members will also speak with the student body and answer any of their questions about the new schedule.
Gayle • Mar 31, 2016 at 8:16 pm
Los Alamos NM has a 4 period block schedule and my HS student loves it! 3 periods each day are long classes that meet every other day, 4th per is a 50 minute class that meets daily. I find that language, art, PE, music actually have time to dig into topics and engage deeper. Not to mention fewer passing periods mean more time in class! Strongly encourage this to be adopted at both the HS and middle school level.