So, while schedule could be a contributing factor to learning, there are evidently other issues to consider. The only other high school on a traditional schedule, Elk Grove, scored in the bottom half of the district’s in-person, non-alternative high schools on the reading and math proficiency tests. But the second highest performing school in the district scored a 74% in English proficiency and 57% in math proficiency while using a block schedule. Pleasant Grove has the highest proficiency scores in the district based on the last round of state testing – 79% of students were proficient in English and 66% were proficient in math. If you have alternating quarters where there is one quarter where students don’t have an AP class, I feel like they would have a hard time catching up and it might affect our scores and achievement.”ĭespite Reebel’s concerns, when comparing test scores and student achievement between schools on the two schedules, the school on the block schedule isn’t always at a noticeable deficit. “I teach mostly AP World History classes,” Reebel said, “so one of my major concerns is to have an AP class that meets consistently every quarter. With the influence of more research, the class concluded that “an alternating block schedule that allows for as late a start as possible would be the most beneficial.”īut from a teaching standpoint, Reebel disagrees. As for the benefits, students believed they would have less homework, be able to focus on fewer subjects at a time, and teachers wouldn’t be rushing to finish activities in a 55-minute period. The main concerns were about having to focus in longer class periods and the possibility of having an extended school year. In the survey, students were also asked about the challenges and benefits they associated with a block schedule. The results from 17 students were almost evenly split: 35.3% supported a block, 29.4% were content with the current traditional schedule, and 35.3% were either not sure or indifferent. A vote on the matter is planned for the fall of 2023, but Dunkly said it “would change the school in the fall of 2024 at the earliest.”Ī survey conducted by students in Jacob Reebel’s Ethnic Studies class for their Youth Participation Action Research Project additionally confirmed the indecisiveness surrounding the possible schedule. Pleasant Grove and Elk Grove are the only two high schools in the Elk Grove Unified School District to only offer a traditional schedule, making the switch to a block alternative seem as if it’s only a matter of time.Ī teacher committee headed by counselor Sandi Allen and English teacher David Segal meets on a monthly basis to consider different schedule options, but according to committee member and social studies teacher Nolan Dunkly, nothing has been decided. The alternative – a block schedule that gives students a year of credit for taking four courses that meet every day for approximately 90 minutes in the fall semester, and then four new courses in the spring – would allow students to take eight courses per year instead of six. Some critics of Pleasant Grove’s traditional schedule – where students take the same six classes each semester – say it is inefficient and limits student choices. Lilah Gonsalves, Pleasant Grove High Schoolįollowing district trends, Pleasant Grove High School is considering the switch to a block schedule, but because of mixed opinions from students and faculty, the specifics are still unresolved.
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