high school -- 8 periods a day or 9?

[Briar Rose 7457]

when i was in junior high and high school, we had an 8 period day. but currently my daughters' middle schools operate on a 9-period day. but the high schools in our district run on an 8-period day. the parents complain that the kids are so tightly scheduled, with required courses, labs, and electives, that they don't have a real lunch period. our school is currently considering converting the hgih school to a 9-period day. the actual time in school would remain the same, but they'd shorten the time between peirods and possibly shorten each peiriod by a few minutes in order to create an extra class.

what is everyone's experience with this?

 

[Tink42]

Well my DS's high school has 5 periods a day. It is a semestered school so the student would take 4 courses the first semester and then 4 courses the second semester. At the end they have finished 8 courses. Each course has a longer class each day making it easier to do presentations, labs tests, etc.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Ours is like Tinks. We have 4 courses first semester, 4 the second and one shorter class that runs all year. The kids come out with 9 credits a year.

 

[caitycaity]

in high school we had 9 periods, including lunch. you could opt out of lunch after your freshman year and take another class instead if you could get one of your teachers to give you permission to eat during their class.

 

[NHAnn]

I have no experience with that at all. My DD's high school has had "block scheduling" the whole time she has been there (she's a senior). Each day starts with an "extra help" session for about 1/2 hour. It is mandatory to be in school for this time period for underclassmen. You can go to individual teachers/classrooms or the library or a resource room. Period 1 follows and is 45 minutes long and meets every day. Then, on alterating days you have periods 2, 4 and 6, or 3, 5 and 7. These are 90 minutes of class time, but 4 and 5 fill almost 2 hours because a lunch break is part of that block. Our experience has been positive for the most part. DD likes that homework is never due on the very next day (except your period 1 class). This lends itself to flexibility and better time management if kids have sports or other activities various afternoons and/or evenings. And it's nice to not have the same thing the same time each day....prevents some of the problems that arise when your least favorite class falls during your personally worst time of day...unless you're NOT a morning person and you hate your period 1 class of course
Most of the teachers liked the block scheduling, they can really accomplish more, with less time over the course of the semester is lost in "getting settled" and "housekeeping type" chores. In science classes it's been particularly helpful for labs and projects involving set-up and clean-up. Of course there are drawbacks too, and they are actually revisiting whther they are going to continue with this next year.
Yikes, I think 9 periods is a lot in a day.....but it is important hta they GET a lunch break!

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

My high school has 4 class periods, all 80 minutes long. We have a 25 minute lunch...started this year. Last year it was shorter, but they took two minutes from each class switching time, to add 8 minutes.

 

[BrerLizzie]

middle school is 8, high school is 7 with an optional 8th in the morning.. kinda bites

 

[antbritt]

Well My DS's school has12 periods aday!! 9 are regular and 3 are 10 minutes!! It is still so confusing to me after 4 years how it works but the gist of it that the core classes end up being 10 minutes longer (2 periods in one) then the non- core classes and lunch!! Way to confusing for me but the kids get it!! I guess I am too old for HS!! What a shame!!!!

PS My DD's Middle school has 10 periods with homeroom lasting 7 minutes!!!

 

[missypie]

Our high school has block scheduling too - you have each class every other day, so over the course of 2 weeks you have it 5 times/10 hours....you just have to remember whether it is A day or B day.

 

[HeyMickey]

We had 8 periods in high school. 5th period was an hour and a half long, so you were in your 5th period class for an hour of it and lunch for 30 minutes at the beginning, middle, or end.

 

[Princess_Aurora]

In Jr. High, we worked on a weird block schedule. We had 4 90-minute long classes a day. We had maroon days and white days (our school colors.) We would have our first four classes on maroon day and the next four on white day and the days alternated throughout the week. Talk about confusing. They had a big poster on the front doors that would tell you what color day it was when you walked in to keep the confusion to a minimum.

When I got to HS, I think they figured out this wasn't the best way to go, so we switched to having the first 4 classes for the first half of the year and the last 4 classes for the last half of the year. I liked this method much better. You ended up only have 2 academic classes a day and that equals much less homework. I can't even imagine how people would have handled all that homework before.

 

[believe]

I had 6 periods a year in high school. In junior high it was 6, but the last class of the day changed each quarter.

 

[doxdogy]

I think I had 6 periods a day in high school. Usually during a semester, one class would be longer then the rest of the other classes. The longer class was also broken up by a lunch break. But that was over 25 years ago, so the memory is a little foggy at best.

 

[Tess]

When my son started Middle School, block scheduling was the rage. Longer class periods were supposed to be terrific for those kids that needed extra attention and those that were gifted. For reasons that were never explained, that ended. Our school went back to a 7 hour (class period) day.

Last year the powers that be eliminated one class period and we now have a 6 hour (class period) day in middle and high school. The classes are all one hour long with a half an hour for lunch.

It's been very, very difficult for our two kids. Both are 4.0 students and always have been. They are both in the band. Our son is a math and science guy and has been on an accelerated class track (double science in 9th grade, algebra since 7th) since 7th grade. Ditto our daughter. When the hours were decreased, it was exceptionally difficult for our son to fit all of the high level math and science courses along with band into his shortened schedule (10th grade) AND still take those "required" courses, e.g., phys ed, health, and careers .

Our school has been very good to work with and, in fact, put him and the other top 4 students in his class into a "virtual" college course for foreign language to round out the schedules. We had to defer phys ed and careers (a really silly required course IMHO) until senior year and waive health completely, but this bunch of kids did fit in their important required courses, higher maths/sciences, and band. I am pleased about that, but not sure the drop to 6 hours per day is accomplishing anything but creating headaches to accommodate those academically gifted kids. At least these kids, who were placed in this position through no fault of their own, are not being adversely affected. They will still be able to take their Advance Placement math, science, English, and history courses before completing high school.

Our daughter begins high school next year and we will be in the same boat with her as well. I'm hopeful the school will continue to accommodate those kids who are capable and desirous of taking those advanced math and science courses.

BTW, when I was in high school we had an eight period day. Then again, that was nearly 30 years ago!

 

[Pin Wizard]

My ds isn't in high school yet. When I was in, we had 9 periods.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

When I was in HS we had 6 55 minutes periods! Now where I teach we have 8 that are 44 minutes.
DD#1 is in jr. high and they have 9 periods. They want to add time to each class to put more effort into core academics for the stupid state tests, but I don't know what they would cut--each child has a "team study" period that is very useful because the kids can get help, plus they have one music period where DD does band and choir (switching every other day)--I don't want her to lose either of those. Then in 8th grade she can take spanish I and get a HS credit, which I would really like. Boy, I thought as a teacher I couldn't dislike the state tests any more than I do, but as a parent its worse!
Robin M.

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

In my high school which is 7th-12th game we had 7 periods with 4th period being a double.

 

[Kirby]

My son, who is a sophomore, has block scheduling at the moment. But when the new high school opens in Fall, 2005, they will be converting to 7 or 8 period classes a day. Apparently the school district can save over $1,000,000 by doing away with the block scheduling.

We prefer the block scheduling because it gives them more time in class to go over stuff and longer to get homework done.

We had to defer phys ed and careers (a really silly required course IMHO) until senior year and waive health completely, but this bunch of kids did fit in their important required courses, higher maths/sciences, and band

In our school district, marching band takes the place of a PE credit, and symphonic band takes the place of a Fine Arts credit. So if you stay in band for three years you don't have to take PE or a Fine Arts course.

 

[BabyLove99]

In high school we had 10 periods. Periods 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 were all 30 minutes long. One of those periods would be your lunch. Let's say lunch was 4th period, then periods 5/6 would be combined and you would have one hour long class. Periods 7/8 would be combined and that would be another hour long class. Sometimes it gets crazy and there's a class 4th period for 30 minutes, then you go to lunch 5th period, and then come back to that same class 6th period to finish it. In reality we actually had 8 periods during the day. Some people find that confusing lol, but I liked it.

 

[Nutsy]

My son has 7 periods in a day. School is in at 8.30 & out at 3.10.