There are multiple reasons why there has been a recent change to a block schedule in many school districts, but it has not necessarily been a positive adjustment for students. Skyline previously had the traditional single 6-period classes as a standard schedule. The change to 7 periods block schedule was so that students had wiggle room in their schedule to fail a class and still graduate on time. The shift in time and classes is creating an overwhelming burden to many high schoolers.

Adding an extra class to students who already have a busy schedule outside of school increases stress levels and failing grades. An extra class also means more homework that students must do outside of school. Extracurricular are an important part of a student’s life that should not be affected by school and the amount of work they should do when they get home. Teenagers should be able to enjoy their hobbies outside of school without having to worry about hours of homework.

Although most students pick an extra elective, it still doesn’t mean that the class will be easier than their core classes. Electives are still an extra class that the students must do, and it’s still a class that they must pass for them to graduate high school.

The block schedule is tough on students when it comes to staying focused. Many students do not have the attention span to have 80-90 minute classes, resulting in them getting bored easily and having a lack of attention.

Absences are also being affected by the lack of time in the classroom compared to the traditional schedule. If a student misses a block day they are missing 2 days of a traditional 6-period schedule since the teachers only see the students for four days instead of five. The change in time makes it hard for students to catch up on missing work if they are absent for a long day.

Block schedule makes it harder for students to complete International Baccalaureate classes. Teachers are struggling to teach the necessary materials for advanced classes due to lack of time, which negatively affects the students when they must take the IB exam

Teachers may also have a hard time planning a lesson that goes on for 80-90 minutes. Unless teachers have training in new methods that lets them take advantage of the extended class time they may become frustrated and annoyed about the length.

The block schedule system does have advantages, but it is still more work for students since they have an extra class and essentially not enough time to go over all the material. Especially with the coronavirus, many schools are doing online and students are struggling to do the work that 7 classes bring.

Schools should go back to the 6-single traditional period schedule during online school because then it helps the students with the workload during these tough times. 7-classes are hard to keep up, especially since most students do not do well with online learning in general. Some teachers are already behind in the material that they must teach since they’re not in person, and the block schedule makes it difficult when it comes to online.