To experience the continued success of our current block schedule, please sign our petition to keep it… The current block schedule provides four (4) 90-minute periods a day with a 45-minute lunch.
This schedule is heavily benefitting the entire student body, especially our AP, dual-credit and CTE students. Allowing copious time to fully explain/perform content in conjunction with a space for completing assignments with access to instructors for help, the current schedule is a God-send for high-performing and/or extracurricularly-active students. The ability to focus and complete an entire lab in one class period alone has transformed our science classes for the better. Additionally, a number of students entering our school are deficient in many basic skills needed to internalize required content, and the extra time allows for targeting/overcoming those deficiencies.
Many of the CTE-related programs that are offered at Polytechnic High School require a process for student certification… Our current block schedule allows those students the required time working with the required tools/technology to acquire the required skills to competently obtain those specific certifications.
A marked reduction in student fights has occurred as well, since the implementation of the current block schedule.
Lastly, funding is a main issue for keeping the current block schedule… Under our current block schedule, educators are effectively teaching 7 periods. Under the new schedule, the 6-period limit will require schools to higher new teachers to cover the lost periods.
