Therefore, we selected high schools that had implemented some type of block scheduling. Students also responded to questions about the quality of their education. The students spoke favorably and at length about their experiences with block scheduling. Block scheduling differed dramatically from school to school. Some followed a 4 x 4 block students take four courses per semester, each course meeting for about 90 minutes.
Students can complete a one-year course in one semester.
Others have alternating-day block schedules where core courses take the full year to complete, but most classes meet for 90 minutes. Students said they thought science, higher-level math courses, and art benefitted from the longer class period. Foreign languages, music classes such as band and chorus, and lower-level math worked best with shorter, daily class periods. Students said missing a day of school for illness was like missing two days of a class in a traditional program. Students also criticized teachers who didn t adapt their teaching strategies to longer periods.