T he block schedule provides an alternative to short class periods. Many forms of block schedule exist, but the most common among NCL NEST teachers are the 4x4 and alternative day plans. The 4x4 plan includes four 90-minute class periods each day. Classes meet every day and last for one semester, so students can take 8 classes each year instead of the traditional 6 or 7. The alternative day plan is similar, but each class only meets on alternate days.
Classes last an entire year.
A ll block schedules allow teachers longer time periods to facilitate innovative teaching. NCL NEST teachers have taken full advantage of the possibilities. Their students have been digging soil pits, testing dissolved oxygen, turbidity and temperatures of local streams, drilling wells, mapping campuses and much more. P roblems and benefits accompany changes to block schedule. NCL NEST teachers describe the following benefits.