Less homework. A lighter class load. More time to get help from teachers. These are all things that nearly every high school student would give anything for, and block scheduling may be the way to get them.

Block scheduling is an unconventional way to set up a school day. There are several ways to set up a block schedule but the most common forms of block scheduling are when students only attend each of their classes every other day, or when students only take 2-4 classes per quarter or trimester.

This system could benefit many students in several ways. Having a lighter class load and/or more time in each class would allow for both students and teachers to get more done in one class period and students would have more time to get help from their teachers during class as opposed to outside of class. Longer class periods and classes every other day could also mean less homework or more time to complete homework.

With nearly all forms of block scheduling, class periods are about ninety minutes long. Because these class periods are so much longer than usual, schools with block schedules structure their classes differently in order to make sure that students are engaged for the entire ninety minutes. To do this, teachers do not spend the entire class period doing just one thing. Instead, they plan several activities to do in each period. For example, a teacher would lecture for the first part of the period, then have the students do an interactive activity, and after that have them complete a worksheet. This not only allows students to get more done during the class period, but also to get more out of the class by learning the information in several different ways which also potentially helps stop them from getting bored.

Ninety minute class periods also allow for students to get more one-on-one time with their teachers during class, which allows students who are struggling to have the opportunity to get help. If students are able to get the help they need during class they are much more likely to improve than if they would have to come outside of class, because unfortunately with sports and electives many students don’t have the time to come in for extra help before or after school. More individualized attention for students due to longer class periods could boost grades and test scores as well.

Block scheduling also lessens the amount of homework that students receive. Since with many block scheduling scenarios students do not take as many classes at once as high students who have conventional schedules. Therefore, they do not receive as much homework because they are only getting homework for a few classes. In addition to this, many blocked schedules do not have classes that meet daily, so students have two nights to complete their homework instead of one. More time and flexibility to complete homework could allow students to do a better job of completing their work which leads to a better understanding of the topics they are learning. Having less homework and more time to complete homework allows students to be involved in more sports and extracurriculars.

Geneva High School does not partake in block scheduling and is not planning to convert in the near feature. According to Principal Rogers, Geneva has investigated the idea of block scheduling in depth, but has decided that it is not the best system for the school. Though this may be currently true, since overall Geneva’s conventional way of scheduling seems to have more advantages than disadvantages, perhaps as block scheduling continues to be refined and perfected it will one day be a good fit for GHS.