Grosse Pointe High Schools' Block Scheduling Gets Mixed Reviews

As Grosse Pointe Public School Board members study the idea of changing high school scheduling from the current seven-period day to block scheduling, people familiar with the notion have mixed views on it.

Grosse Pointe Patch readers took to Facebook to discuss the proposal after it was discussed at Monday night's board meeting.

"I had block scheduling in HS and I found that I had a much easier transition to university scheduling than my peers," Brandie Lee-Mae wrote. "It also allowed me to earn college credits while in HS. Nothing will be perfect for everyone. It is a new world and we have to stay open to innovation in order to continue to compete."

In a block schedule, the students receive 90-minutes of instruction per class and attend a maximum of four classes per day. The classes are alternated by day and under the design presented Monday, students would have one period that would allow for advisory time with teachers.

"They tried implementing this into my junior high school days," Karry Brook wrote. "All it did was confuse everyone. The time between the class meeting again was too long, especially if there's a major project or test. They also want to add a class into the schedule?! Even with AP classes and everything already?!"

Lisamarie Lastinger-Young said block scheduling is done in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, where she attended.

"It's a really good n effective system," she said.

Not everyone is convinced, however.

"I'm not a fan of the idea," Susan Ochenski-Uhl wrote. "If every class is held, essentially, every other day, then the class will cover 2 days lessons each time it meets. So if a student misses one day, it will be as if they missed two. It seems that trying to make up any missed time will be very, very difficult."

What do you think about block scheduling for high school students? Tell us in the comments below.