The teaching staff, the school improvement team and the administration will make the final decision in the next few weeks, Durand said. If two of the three groups agree, the next step involves the school district. Because implementation of alternate scheduling will require an additional one and two-thirds teaching positions, the school wants to obtain permanent funding to insure that class size at Wellington Junior High does not increase. WJH has been told that if Poudre School District requests a mill levy increase on the November ballot, this funding will be a part of the levy. The levy must pass for the junior high to switch to block scheduling.
Block scheduling has both advantages and disadvantages, according to studies.
On the plus side, students feel less stress, have less tardiness, experience increased opportunities to participate in class, have homework in fewer classes each day, have two nights to complete homework, and have more time between classes. On the negative side, the possibility of decreased attention span during longer periods can cause problems. Teachers report fewer discipline problems, more personalized environment for students and teachers, less stress, more efficient use of time and more usable instructional time. According to figures presented at the parent meeting, while the weekly contact time per class is slightly less, less time is also spent getting started and putting away materials. Because the school would also be switching from seven to eight periods, extra classes ranging from remedial to enrichment will be offered.