Does your school employ a flexible (or skinny) schedule? Our school just implemented such a program this year. The following are the key components of what we call Bear Block.
PLC - Each PLC team is made up of subject area teams who meet twice a week to discuss student achievement, pacing and content.
I/E – Twice a week, teachers pull a minimum of 15 students for enrichment or intervention.
Study Halls – Once a week, a teacher covers a silent study hall filled with random students.
Schedule
| A1/B5 | 7:30 – 8:50 |
| A2/B6 | 8:55 – 10:15 |
| FLEX | 10:20 – 11:00 |
| A3/B7/Lunch | 11:05 – 12:55 |
| A4/B8 | 1:00 – 2:20 |
Trump - Teachers can ‘trump’ other teachers according to a subject-area trump schedule. If it’s your subjects day, you have preference over others to pull students. Here is the daily schedule for staff.
Student Assignments - When not assigned I/E, students may chose the following during bear block: athletic activity (dodge ball, basketball, football, walking club, table tennis, etc), club event, library study, computer lab or a silent study hall.
Student Tracking System – Our I.T. department developed a complex software program to track and randomly place students into silent study halls.
While researching flex schedules there is little research regarding a schedule such as ours. I’ve heard about others who employ a flex schedule for everyone during lunch or first thing in the morning. I’ve also heard of schools who place students in a flex block due to low grades.
I’d be interested in hearing about alternate schedules. If you know of one, please share.
