La Salle is preparing to move to a rotating block schedule next school year instead of the current schedule. This schedule will have one day of all seven classes, and four days of blocks rotating between periods 1-4, and 5-7.

There will be six fewer school days in the year as students will have several extra three-day weekends and will get a full week off for Thanksgiving.

All seven classes will meet each Monday, starting at 8:00 AM, and ending at 3:00 PM, with each class lasting for 50 minutes. Tuesday and Thursday will have periods 1-4 starting at 8:00 AM, with each class lasting for 90 minutes, and the school day ending at 2:55 PM.

Wednesday will be similar to the Wednesdays of the current schedule, with some days having late start and some days having a normal start. Late start days will begin at 9:45 AM and end at 2:55 PM, with periods 5-7 lasting for 90 minutes each.

New for next year will be an 8:50 AM late start each Friday and a 40 minute Falcon Formation. Like Wednesday, Friday will contain periods 5-7 at 90 minutes each, and the school day will end at 2:55 PM.

Below is a look at a draft of the block schedule for next year (click to enlarge).

“Our hope is that the schedule will allow for increased opportunities for students to deeply engage in the curriculum through collaborative inquiry and project-based applications,” Mr. Kuffner said. “We also hope the schedule provides a better balance for students and teachers alike, allowing them to more intently focus on fewer classes with four block days instead of two.”

One advantage of this new schedule is that students will only have to do homework for three or four classes each night. With the current schedule, Sunday, Monday, and Thursday nights consist of homework for up to seven classes, which can be very stressful for students and often deprives them of sleep.

The new schedule will also mean that each class will meet only three days each week, instead of four.

In the results from the student survey that all students took in their Falcon Formation classes earlier this year, it was very clear that many students are stressed. As many La Salle students can attest, a rigorous schedule full of schoolwork and extracurricular activities can make it very difficult to be able to have any free time or to be able to get an adequate amount of sleep. This new schedule should decrease the amount of homework per night so that students can have a reduced amount of stress.

Mr. Kuffner also believes that this new schedule should improve life for teachers. Teachers will have to make fewer lesson plans per week, and should also be able to show full films or do longer activities or simulations that will make learning more interactive for students.

However, Mr. Kuffner emphasized that this new schedule doesn’t mean that teachers are going to lecture for an hour and a half. Teachers will instead have more flexibility that should improve the quality of learning every day.

Overall, this new schedule will be a big move next year and will be a significant adjustment for both students and staff. Mr. Kuffner hopes that the new schedule will bring benefits that make life better for all students and teachers at La Salle.