SHORE REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, West Long Branch- At the start of the 2015 school year, modified block scheduling was implemented at Shore Regional High School.  Shore Regional previously operated on a ten class per day schedule in which students had the same classes everyday and were only in class for forty-four minutes at a time. Under the new block schedule, Shore operates under a “modified block” A/B schedule, with “blue” and “white” days, in which students have four classes per day but for a stretch of 83 minutes each.  Students no longer have the choice of a study hall as an elective, and all underclassmen are enrolled in a twenty-three minute Academic Support Period at the end of the day.  Senior privilege still stands, as seniors in good standing are dismissed at the end of block four.

School principal, Mr. DalliCardillo, sat down with staff members from The Beacon to discuss the transition to, challenges with, and successes of block scheduling, and to address some of the more pressing student concerns.  Mr. DalliCardillo explained that the decision to move to block scheduling was motivated by the desire to prepare students for more of a collegiate experience; he noted that the district has been preparing for the transition to block for a long time.  “There was a great deal of preparation with parents, students, and teachers,” he explained, adding that the Board of Education had discussed block scheduling for years prior to officially transitioning to it, and began to speak to teachers about different block schedule setups in recent years. According to Mr. DalliCardillo, the Board felt more comfortable unrolling the process slowly in order to avoid overwhelming students and faculty, and to make sure that everyone was comfortable with and prepared to undergo the changes. “We looked at schools with similar demographics, student achievement numbers, and college participation rates. There was a great deal of preparation through committees of teachers, parent forum meetings, and the student advisory committee,” he said. Administration began speaking with teachers on an academic level several years ago, taking a “realistic approach that allowed teachers to visit local schools already operating under a block schedule in an attempt to help them become more familiar with the format, and gain ideas about how to run their own classrooms.”

He went on to explain that local high schools that are similar to Shore Regional who follow a block schedule generally perform better under block when it comes to academic standings.  “You can show me statistics that are in favor of block, and those that are in the favor of a traditional day.  There are studies that show block does or doesn’t help student achievement.  The benefit for Shore Regional, which I care about the most, is that 98% of us go to college, and it more closely resembles a collegiate structure.  And numbers indicate that it would be beneficial,” said Mr. DalliCardillo.  

Additionally, Mr. DalliCardillo addressed some of the disadvantages to block scheduling stating, “The concerns in an A/B model are retention- perhaps more so in one subject or class than another- that what you learn on a “white” day, you will not revisit until the next block in which that course meets.  Is it an alarming concern?  No.  This is what the college model is like.  The thing that was very concerning for me was with the split lunch-early vs. late lunch-that was a concern.  We knew, and explained to parents and the community, that this was a concern of ours, but this is the collegiate model.  You are going to experience those things.  This is the reason for the extended break in the morning, so that if you have a late lunch, you can run down and grab something.  If you have an early lunch, the ASP period is the time to get something to eat to prepare for practice or activities after school.  That was a weakness that we think we did our best to address.”  

Teachers and Students Share Their Views

Teachers also shared their views about block scheduling.  English teacher, Mrs. Ensor, said, “I like it.  I feel as if I get more done in a period and I’m not scrambling each period to remember what I did before. I enjoy the fact that students can complete their essays and projects, particularly, in one block instead of having to spread it out between two weeks. The days go by faster.”  Technology teacher Mrs. DeFino shared her thoughts as well.  “I do like it. I think it gives us a lot more time to focus on our subject matter.”  Spanish teacher, Mrs. Gilbert,  shared that “in general block scheduling has been positive” and “the amount of time allows educators to go more into depth on what they are teaching.” Mrs. Ross, English teacher, feels “block has its good and it’s bad.”  She expressed that she likes “to keep a discussion going for a longer period time,” but she “is still adjusting to the three and four day gaps between classes.”  

Students have had mixed feelings when it comes to the adjustment to block.  Sophomore, Samantha Hurd, feels that, “…the periods are too long for main subjects…,” however, Samantha also mentioned she “likes block scheduling in 3D Design because we can finish more…” in reference to art projects. Sophomore Alyssa Hollis offered her feedback saying,  “I’m not a huge fan of it because the longer classes make me more tired. I do like not having every class all in one day though, because I don’t have as much homework to do.”  Senior Riley Brouwer says, “I was really nervous about block scheduling with the homework maybe being a lot, but I was wrong. The block actually allows us to do more in class.”

In our interview, Mr. DalliCardillo addressed the issue of homework, stating, “Homework should be an extension of the lesson. I don’t know if students should necessarily have more homework, but the homework that they are given should be carefully considered and meaningful.”

Looking Ahead

While the school year is now well underway, students and staff with concerns about how midterm and final exams will be handled should know that the procedure for midterms will be different this year, but the procedure for finals will remain unchanged. According to Mr. DalliCardillo, “Midterms will take place during the actual block period, but you will only be taking two midterms a day.” Therefore, on a particular day, a student may have a midterm during blocks one and four, but not during blocks two and three. There will be no half days for midterms, and final exams will not be affected.

 Moving forward, the tweaks and changes that may be made to block are going to be based on evaluation and feedback from both students, teachers, and administrators. Mr. DalliCardillo explained, “The feedback that we get back from students and teachers this first year of block is going to go a long way.”