Physical education, music and elective courses are taken during the fourth period. Students meet with teachers every other day for periods of 80 to 120 minutes. Despite its popularity, very little is known about the effect of block scheduling on student achievement, notes a recent AFT report on improving low-performing high schools. Advocates cite the successes of individual schools, some of which report sharply higher grades and test scores, reduced disciplinary problems and increased graduation rates. Opponents note that many schools also report negative results and point to a few Canadian studies that show declines in student achievement.
Students can study and learn subject matter in greater depth.
Instruction is less fragmented, with greater time for serious discussions, cooperative activities, labs, group work and projects. If structured correctly, teachers work with fewer students at a time, allowing for more personalized instruction and an improved school atmosphere. The number of times that thousands of teenagers are released into narrow hallways is reduced with fewer class changes, thus cutting down on discipline problems, noise and stress. Thus, the practice may actually serve to diminish student performance. Ninety minutes is a long time to hold students' attention, and few teachers or other instructional staff have been trained in how to use this period of time effectively.