EVALUATION OF THE HIGH SCHOOL BELL SCHEDULE

Considerations

• High Stakes Assessments Throughout the School Year: As a state and district, beginning with the class of 2016, our new Common Core aligned curriculum will be assessed using the PARCC assessment system. This system will require students in Grades 9, 10 & 11 to be assessed twice in mathematics & English during the school year.

 

• Lack of Continuity Between Sequential Courses: There is a potential with a 4 X 4 block schedule to have a three to seven month gap between sequential courses.

• Average or Below Average Growth Indexes: Our MCAS Growth Indexes for both English and Math indicate that most of our students are achieving at high levels, but they are not growing at the same pace as their demographic peers.

What do we value in a bell schedule?

The 2012 Bell Scheduling Committee, using North Middlesex’s newly adopted values and beliefs about learning, identified the following characteristics to be of the utmost importance when making a decision about which bell schedule model to adopt. Ultimately, the decision should be based on what is best for the students.

What characteristics of a bell schedule will enable our

students’ learning to GROW to their maximum potential?

Grow

• Extended Class Time: All groups surveyed consistently reported that their ideal length of classes was 61-70 minutes.

• Duration of Courses: Students ideally should be able to receive instruction throughout the entire school year, thus increasing retention of learning and reducing gaps between sequential courses.

• Rotation: Students and teachers both agreed having classes meet at different times of the day or the year could improve student engagement.

What characteristics of a bell schedule will enable students to PURSUE as many opportunities as

possible?

Pursue

• Variety in Available Experiences: One of the benefits of the 4x4 block schedule is that students could take 8 or more different courses per year. This is something we’d like to maintain in a new schedule model. Traditional bell schedules can limit the number of courses students can take annually to six or seven courses.

 

• Challenging Curriculum with Enough Time to Learn: An ideal bell schedule should enable us to build structures to responsively adjust a student’s schedule based on their academic progress. An ideal bell schedule should create windows where we can identify students and provide them with either additional challenges or remediate gaps in their learning.

What characteristics of a bell schedule will enable students to ACHIEVE future success?

Achieve

• Adoption of the MassCore Requirements: Given that North Middlesex is a Race to the Top district, we are required to use the MassCore Program of Studies to inform our graduation requirements. A bell schedule must be able to accommodate enough sections to enable students to fulfill these requirements.

• Maximum Time on Learning: It is our goal that graduates of North Middlesex will be able to obtain success in college without taking remedial courses. Therefore, a bell schedule must provide the maximum time on learning to ensure that students master the necessary skills to be ready for college.

• College Readiness & Competitive High School Transcripts: Given that the admissions requirements for Massachusetts state colleges and universities have recently increased, a potential bell schedule should allow for four years of all core subjects as well as 3 years of a second language should they choose.

SAMPLE A: 3x5 TRIMESTER MODEL

As with our current 4x4 block, the 3x5 trimester schedule would enable our students to take 8 or more classes annually, each about 70-minutes in length. Full-credit courses would run for 2 trimesters (120 class sessions) and half-credit courses would run for 1 trimester (60 class sessions). Full-credit courses would be divided into “Part A” and “Part B” (even a “Part C” if necessary). The two halves of the course could run either sequentially or be split between trimesters depending on the subject as some classes teach discreet knowledge that does not heavily rely on previously learned skills. There are five instructional blocks per day with teachers teaching 4 out of the 5 periods.

SAMPLE B: 8 PERIOD DROP SCHEDULEThe 8-Period Drop schedule is a variation of a traditional bell schedule. In this model, students would register for 8 classes per term. However, only 5 of the 8 classes would meet a day on a rotating basis. As with the trimester model, each class will be about 70-minutes in length. Teachers would teach 6 out of the 8 classes, enabling common planning time 2 days per cycle.

SAMPLE C: 6-PERIOD WITH ROTATING LONG BLOCK

The 6-Period Bell Schedule with Rotating Long Block (6-w/Long) is a variation of a traditional bell schedule. In this model, students would register for 7 classes per term. Depending on the day of the cycle, students would have 4, 54-minute classes, 1, 75-minute class, and 1, 48-minute class. Teachers would teach 6 out of the 7 classes.

Characteristic Current 4x4 Block

Sample A:3x5 Trimester

Sample B:8-Drop Model

Sample C:6-w/Long

Extended Class Length 90 Minutes 70 Minutes 70 Minutes

4, 54 Minute Classes1, 75 Minute Class1, 48 Minute Class

Total Hours of Instructional Time

Full Credit: 135 hoursHalf Credit: 67 hoursSpecialty: 270 hours

Full Credit: 140 hoursHalf Credit: 70 hoursSpecialty: 210 hours

Full Credit: 117+ hoursHalf Credit: 59+ hours Full Credit: 153 hours

Half Credit:77 hours

Potential Gap Between Sequential Courses

90-150 days(Including summer

vacation)

60-120 days(Including summer

vacation)

3 days between each

5 day sequence plus summer

vacation

1 day off from a class 1 day per cycle plus summer vacation

Advisory Period Yes Yes Yes Yes

How do each of these models compare?