Block scheduling, or blocking, is a way of organizing the school day used in some American K-12 schools, in which students attend fewer but longer classes each day than under a traditional period-based schedule. It is more common in middle and high schools than in elementary schools. In one common form a single class meets every day for a stretch of days before another class takes its place; in another form, the classes a student attends rotate through a repeating daily cycle.
Facts
Core ClaimUnder block scheduling a school day is organized into fewer, longer class periods rather than many short ones, changing how much time each subject receives on a given day. 1 Evidence Standing Classification
Education LevelUpper Secondary Education (ISCED 3) 1 FAQs
Does research show that block scheduling improves academic achievement?
The evidence is not conclusive.
Not conclusively. A systematic review by the EPPI-Centre at the University of London asked what effect block scheduling has on academic achievement. It concluded that there is not conclusive evidence in the review to support introducing policy guidance on the use of block scheduling in secondary schools. In plain terms, the evidence did not settle the question either way.
Connections
Sources
1. Block scheduling (Wikipedia)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_scheduling, lead paragraph (Wikipedia REST summary extract)
Block scheduling or blocking is a type of academic scheduling used in some schools in the American K-12 system, in which students have fewer but longer classes per day than in a traditional academic schedule.
Article text
Although the findings do not indicate that participating in block schedules would produce negative outcomes for pupils across subjects, neither are the positive effects of block scheduling strong enough to recommend their implementation. == Criticism == Some critics believe that certain subjects suffer from a lack of daily exposure to subject matter and practice that occurs with an A/B block schedule.
Description, education-level classification
It is more common in middle and high schools than in elementary schools.
View the SourceWhat is the effect of block scheduling on academic achievement? A systematic review (EPPI-Centre)
Review findingsQuote, Review findings
There is not conclusive evidence in this review to support the introduction of policy guidance on the use of block scheduling in secondary schools.
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