Appoquinimink School District may switch all high school grades to block scheduling next school year.
Kittie Rehrig, district student services supervisor, Mary Ann Mieczkowski, special education/ILC supervisor, and Dr. Eileen McAllister, curriculum director for secondary education, proposed expanding block scheduling at the Feb. 10 Board of Education meeting.
Currently, all freshmen and sophomore courses at Appoquinimink High School and freshmen courses at Middletown High School are blocked. The district began blocking a few other courses for higher grade levels at MHS this school year.
The block schedules were implemented for the Class of 2011 last school year due to an increase in math requirements.
The new proposed plan applies to all core courses and electives with the exception of certain Advanced Placement courses at MHS. With block scheduling, some courses would be offered for the first half the school year and the others would be offered during the second half. Having fewer classes in a school day would allow for each class to be stretched to 90 minutes, instead of the normal 45.
“Because of the larger period of time, teachers can develop more pedagogy skills,” McAllister said. “Teachers have more time to interact with the students. It has the potential to increase opportunity for individual student attention, which may increase student motivation.”
She said learning and long-term memory may also be enhanced.
McAllister said block schedules can benefit students by allowing them to focus on fewer subjects at one time. The schedules also allow time for acceleration and remediation within the class, and facilitate differentiated instruction.
Rehrig said she’s heard at least one positive response about block scheduling from a parent in the district.
“On of our parents said, ‘My son is doing so well. Block scheduling has really helped him. He can focus on two subjects instead of four,’ ” Rehrig said.
McAllister said it’s not just the schedule, but what happens within the classroom that matters.
She said teachers will go through professional development to learn how to teach during longer class periods and there are many resources available that will help them obtain lesson plans for blocked classes.
Several board members expressed concern about how teachers will adjust to the added curriculum time.
“I would be cautious for any student to have 90 minutes of chair time,” said Board Vice President Joanne Christian.
She asked how special education students would handle the extended time.
“It would be an opportunity to engage these kids in hands-on learning,” Mieczkowski said. “It would afford the opportunity to go deeper into a subject.”
Edna Cale said she has heard several negative responses from parents about block scheduling interfering with courses like band and chorus.
“There is a problem with block scheduling and their electives,” she said.
Board member Julie Johnson said she was concerned with how the schedules would be implemented within the classroom.
“I’m concerned more about how it’s impacting students,” she said. “I’d like to see exactly what we’re gaining from this.”
McAllister said the district won’t be able to gauge how block scheduling has helped last year’s freshman class until they take Algebra II next year.
“We only have one year of data,” she said. “We need to look at kids in their junior year and see if they do better in Algebra II than those who didn’t have the Algebra I block.”
Johnson said she has been told that some teachers don’t know how make the switch to block schedules.
Superintendent Dr. Tony Marchio said the district never jumps into a change without a lot of thought.
“A lot of times, the teaching is saying, ‘I’m going to have to change what I’ve been doing for the last 25 years,’ ” he said. “You can’t teach the same way for 90 minutes. You have to differentiate.”
Marchio said every year the schedules are tweaked.
“I trust the staff. I believe they’re going to make good decisions,” he said. “We’re going to experiment. Whatever works, we build on that. Whatever doesn’t, we back up.”
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Marion Proffitt said the district needs to form a small focus group that includes parents who can give their input on how to implement the block schedule.
Election
One Board of Education seat will be up for election on Tuesday, May 12. The at large seat will be for a five-year term.
Marchio said candidates must file by 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 6.
The seat is currently held by Board President Ed Czerwinski, who has filed for re-election.
Construction
The board approved the construction documents for renovations at Middletown High, Redding Middle, and Cedar Lane and Silver Lake elementary schools.
Bob Hershey, facilities & buildings supervisor, said his office held pre-bid meetings for the plans and the bids were due this week.
“By the end of the month, all four projects will be bid,” he said.
Hershey said the brickwork at Bunker Hill Elementary School is complete and aesthetic details are coming together.
Steel columns have been installed and will be wrapped in a Roman-type column. Trim, cornices and crown moldings are also being installed.
“The detail will begin to make the building pop,” Hershey said.
He said framing in the interior is underway. About 95 percent of the sheet rock on the second floor is in.
The classrooms have folding partitions that can be utilized to open the rooms for team teaching.
“We sat down with the designer, Dr. Proffitt and [Dr. Debbie Panchisin, elementary education curriculum director],” Hershey said. “Very soon we’ll have furniture bids to go out for this location.”
Odessa, Del. —
