DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 414 626 EA 028 799

AUTHOR Snyder, DaveTITLE 4-Block Scheduling: A Case Study of Data Analysis of One

High School After Two Years.PUB DATE 1992-10-00NOTE 14p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest

Educational Research Association (Chicago, IL, October15-18, 1997).

PUB TYPE Reports Research (143) Speeches/Meeting Papers (150)EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Academic Achievement; Attendance; *Block Scheduling;

Discipline; Educational Quality; High Schools; Outcomes ofEducation; *Performance; *School Schedules; Scores; StudentAttitudes; Teacher Attitudes; *Time Blocks

ABSTRACTThis paper describes the 2-year outcomes of one high

school's implementation of an intensive 4-block schedule. The study at AngolaHigh School (Indiana) compared schoolwide grade-point averages (GPAs),standardized test scores, attendance data, and disciplinary records toschool-baseline data from the 2 years prior to implementation of the blockschedule. A questionnaire was administered to teachers and students beforeimplementation of the new schedule, 3 months into the schedule, at the end ofthe first year, and at the end of the second year. Findings indicatesignificant improvement in schoolwide GPAs for all except two departments andimprovement in semester exam grades. There was an almost 8 percent increasein the percentage of students on the honor roll; an increase in AmericanCollege Testing Assessment scores, the Indiana State Proficiency Exams, andScholastic Aptitude Tests; and improved attendance. Advanced Placement scoresdropped slightly. Students, faculty, and parents expressed a high level ofsatisfaction with the new schedule. The data also suggest that extensiveplanning for the schedule and aggressive staff training were instrumental inachieving the improvements. (Contains 10 references and 20 figures.) (LMI)

********************************************************************************

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

********************************************************************************

4 - Block Scheduling: A Case Study of Data Analysisof One High School After Two Years

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL

HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

Dave SnyderScience Teacher

Angola High SchoolAngola, Indiana

Angola High School Block Schedule Data Analysis Web Site:http://neptune.esc.k12.in.us/steuben/scmsd/ahs/block/ahsdks.html

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

Erf Ins document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationofictinalmo it

O Minor changes have been made to improvereproduction Quality

Points ol view or opinions stated in this docu-ment do not necessarily represent officialOERI position or policy

Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Educational Research AssociationChicago, Illinois

atEiSI? con AVAIIIIABILIE

October 15-18, 1997

2

Abstract

Data analysis of 4-Block scheduling in a high school was done by comparing baseline datafrom the previous two years. Highly significant improvements t(35,665) = 12.61 were foundin school-wide grade point averages, including all departments except physicaleducation/health and special education. Semester exams showed a similar improvement.There was a significant t(64) = 7.69 increase in percentage of students on the honor roll.American College Testing Assessments scores improved significantly t(732) = 2.99, and theIndiana State Proficiency Exams improved to some of the highest scores in the area.Scholastic Aptitude Tests have remained about the same. Advanced Placement Scoresslightly dropped. Increased usage of the media center was recorded, and fewer disciplineproblems occurred. Attendance improved significantly t(27) = 2.20. Students, faculty, andparents were highly satisfied with the block. Analysis of the data suggests that extensiveplanning for the block and aggressive staff training were instrumental in making thesesignificant improvements.

4 - Block Scheduling: A Case Study ofData Analysis of One High School After

Two Years

Introduction

One of the most exciting changes inpublic education in recent times, has been theinterest in block scheduling. Some educatorsbelieve that over 50% of the high schools inthe country are presently on or studyingsome form of block scheduling (Canady,1996). The trend has been an unprecedentededucational movement. The goal of thispaper was to serve as a case study of onehigh school that has been on an intensive 4-block schedule for two years and hasattempted to document its effects. Thispaper was written from the perspective of anactively teaching staff member, who wasinvolved with the change from its initialinquiry through the two-year period.

Evaluations of block scheduling werefound in numerous unpublished documentsavailable on Internet sites. These documentscite ratios, percentile changes, andquestionnaires, with little statistical analysis.

2

The lack of analysis hindered the validity ofthese studies. Reports using statisticsreleased from the Ministry of Education inthe Province of British Columbia havereceived attention. The most current draftreport found significant differences in favorof year-long classes over semester andquarter classes (Marshall, Taylor, Bateson,& Brigden, 1995). Most of the Canadianstudies have used data collected up to tenyears ago at a time of teacher cut backs andbudget restrictions. Decisions were from thetop down with little or no teacher training toimplement new teaching strategies (Rettig,1997). This study appeared to support thetheory that block scheduling by itself doesnot improve academic achievement.

In another large study of 371 schoolsin North Carolina during 1992-1995,blocked schools had scores at least equal tonon-blocked schools on End-of-Course statewide tests, with blocked schools havingslightly higher scores in most subjects(Robinson, 1996). This study addressedsome of the problems found in the BritishColumbia report, namely the Carolina testswere all given immediately at the end of the

3

class in January or late May instead of at theend of the school year as done in theCanadian studies. However, the study didnot look at how the schools implemented thenew schedule or the degree of teacher in-service training.

Today's proponents of blockscheduling agreed that intensive teachertraining was an important factor for success(Canady, 1995, Carroll, 1994, Sturgis,1995). Canady (1995) urged teachers toactively involve their students in the learningprocess. Teamwork and a common goalwere critical elements if improvement was tobe expected (Hackman, 1995). One of themost important factors in studentachievement, according to Stock andHottenstein (1994), was the teacher. Casestudies of schools that have conductedextensive teacher preparation beforeimplementing the block, appeared to havethe best results (Winans, 1997).

Method

Angola High School, in a moderatesized public school corporation in Angola,Indiana, changed its schedule in the fall of1995. It went from seven 55 minute periodsper day to four 90 minute periods. Datawere collected from the previous two yearsfor comparison. Both quantitative andqualitative data were desired.

Quantitative baseline data weregathered from the previous two years. Atotal of over 16,000 semester grades weretabulated, separated into departments, andcalculated as school-wide averages.Semester exam grades, as well as honor rolllists, were gathered. Media centercirculation records from the previous twoyears were used to establish a baseline. Inaddition, data were pooled about the numberof students assigned to in-school suspension

3

as a comparison for disciplinary issues. Staterecords on attendance and Indiana StateProficiency Exams (ISTEP+) were collected,as well as Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT),American College Testing Assessment(ACT), and Advanced Placement (AP)scores. Such data were used to comparestudent scores on nationally standardizedtesting.

A qualitative questionnaire waspatterned after one used by Hatboro-Horsham High School in Hatboro,Pennsylvania. It was given to all teachersand students in the spring before beginningthe 4 - Block schedule, again after threemonths, and at end of the first block year.An abridged version was given at the end ofthe second block year. A systematic randomsample of parents was selected by mailingthe questionnaire to every tenth parent on analphabetical list. This served as thequalitative baseline.

Results

At the start of the 1993-94 school year,a small group of teachers, a guidancecounselor and the building principal beganmeeting to discuss alternative ways to divideup the school day. Recent research hadsuggested that more productive learningcould take place within larger blocks of time.The committee began a search for other highschools that had tried alternative schedules,and ones that had kept a record of changesthat took place within their schools. Fourschools fitting these criteria were identified,and teams were sent to study each school aswell as to attend a national principals'conference on block scheduling.

After one and one-half years of study,the scheduling committee, as it was nowcalled, presented to the staff what theythought would be a practical and beneficial

4

change. The proposal was accepted by anoverwhelming majority (85%) of theteachers. Input was received from thecommunity and students through a series ofopen meetings during the next severalmonths. The school board officiallyapproved the proposal with the stipulationthat the schedule would not require anincrease in staffing.

Starting with the initial set of gradesachieved with the block schedule, data wasgathered and made into easy to understandcharts and shared with the students, faculty,school board, and the community. Positiveresults were seen immediately and theseresults continued to show improvementthrough the two years.

The two-year, baseline school-wideGPA averaged 6.88 (based on a 12 pointscale) with a range of only ± 0.08 of a point.The very first set of block grades had nearlya 0.50 point increase. This improving trendwas observed to continue throughout thefirst three-quarters of the year with only aslight drop the last quarter. By the end ofthe.second block year, Angola High Schoolwas consistently witnessing a highlysignificant increase of 0.70 GPA t(35,665) =12.61 above the baseline (Figure 1).

ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL AVERAGE ..GPA"

0,0IMPROVEMENT WAS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT Ip<0.001)

Ea 1993.05 BASEUNE

019$0403 BLOCK YEAR

1998-97 BLOCK YEAR

'87.4

; 7.2

7.0

0.0

I I I 1 I I I I I

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

QUARTERS

Figure 1. The school wide grade point averagewent up significantly with the 4 - Block schedule.These data represent more than 35,000 grades.

After the first year, all departmentsexcept special education (which had a smallsample size) witnessed highly significantt(6520 to 791) = 7.84 to 2.66 increases intheir students' semester grade pointaverages. At the end of the second year, thesame trends continued with the exception ofthe physical education/health department.This department saw more than a 50%change in staffing during the second year ofblock scheduling (Figure 2).

Student grades indicated improvedlearning took place with 30% more A's,about the same number of B's, and 11%fewer C's, D's, and F's than the baseline.

ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL"GPA"ALL DEPARTMENTS EXCEPT HEALTH/P.E. AND SPECIAL ED.

HAD HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT (0.01) IMPROVEMENT10.0

,,A; 9.0

O 1993-95 BASEUNE

O 199597 BLOCK

00. 8.0

5.0 vas 111 813 rORD . 8 BLOWN me Pare Pax. NEAL111. ElPEC. ED STUDENTPE81,81E9 0,878

DEPARTMENTS

Figure 2. All departments except physicaleducation/health, saw an improvement in theirstudent's grades, and in most cases it was highlysignificant (p 5.01).

There were highly significantly t(64) =7.69 more students on the honor rolls eachsemester for all grade levels compared to thebaseline of the previous two years.Individual classes were also tracked to see ifthere was improvement within a fixed groupof students to eliminate the potential error ofdifferences between classes. These, too,showed increased numbers of studentsearning honor roll status nearly everysemester. The class of 1996 and the class of1998 had highly significant t(12) = 4.43 &5.77 improvement. The class of 1999 and2000 began high school with the 4 - Blockschedule and didn't have a contrasting

45

[3 BASELINE 1993-95 1995-96 BLOCK 01996-97 BLOCK

baseline; thus, for comparison purposes, twoout of three classes had significantly morestudents on the honor roll with the blockschedule (Figure 3).

ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL HONOR ROLL

110GRA

100

so

70

10

50

9 GRADE 1

3 4

GRADE I1

if I II

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

QUARTERS

GRADE 12

Figure 3. More students achieved honor rollstatus with the block schedule. This was seenconsistently at all grade levels and tracked withineach class.

Teachers were requested during thefirst year to use the same or similar semesterexams, compared to what they gave prior toblock scheduling. The idea was to see if thestudents were exiting their classes withincreased knowledge, and if the teacherswere effectively covering the same amountof material. Nearly a whole grade point ofimprovement was witnessed with theblocked semester exams, even greater thantheir semester grades (Figure 4).

(ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL SEMESTER EXAMS110,600100347 N199647 MG IIGHLY SIGNIFICANT WO C01)

7.3

Tr 8.9

I!, 8.5

O.O.0 8.1

199345 BASELINE

0111113411BLOCK

=1100447 BLOCK

5.7 I I I I I I

1995-98 199897

QUARTERS

Figure 4. Final exam grades significantly (p.01) realized an even greater improvement thanthe semester grades. This suggests the studentswere exiting classes with more content andimproved understanding, with the block schedule.

199394 1994-99

5

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

This type of improvement was seenwith the first set of semester grades andcontinued all that year. During the secondyear, many teachers started adjusting theirexams to more clearly measure the changesthat were evolving in their curriculums. Alldepartments except physical education/health have witnessed significant t(6535 to704) = 15.68 to 2:11 improvements in theirfinal exam grades (Figure 5). With the blockthere were over nine percent more .A and Bgrades issued, and over nine percent fewerC, D, and F grades. The greatest changewas found with the increase in A grades.

9.5

.4-03' 8.5

S7.5

wr 8.50

0O. 5

4.5

ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL SEMESTER EXAMSALL DEPARTMENTS EXCEPT PP/HEALTH

SNOWED SIONWICANI Ot0.05J IMPROVEMENT

1993-95 BASELINE

D 1995-97 BLOCK

rw00 Mai Scion. Fervip S.SPEAks Ovvihmmv 1.110. Arls PE/ Rpvs119 AVERAGE

DEPARTMENTS

Figure 5. All departments saw improvement intheir students' semester exam grades. It wasfound to be significant (p < .05) in alldepartments except in physical education / health.

It was probably too early to ascertainthe affect of block scheduling on state andnational examinations, but the data seemedencouraging. American College TestingAssessments (ACT) scores improvedsignificantly t(732) = 2.99 with blockscheduling. This test was taken by 23% ofthe baseline students and by 22% of theblock students. Figure 6 shows that all testsections saw higher mean scores, particularlyin the reading area.

6

22.5

22.0

IN 21.5

O 21.0O

5N 20.5

gl 20.0

115

1a0

ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL"ACr SCORESSIGNIFICANT (pc0.05) IMPROVEMENT WAS SEEN

01993435 BASELINE 01695.97 BLOCK

ENGLISH MATH READING SCI REASON COMPOSITE

Figure 6. Significantly improved national ACTscores support the belief that improved learningwas taking place with block scheduling.

The state of Indiana requires studentsto take proficiency exams in reading,language, and math in roughly every-other-year sequences. Grades three, six, eight, andten are now given the tests. Prior to 1995-96, the tests were given to grade nine insteadof grade ten. Figure 7 shows the baselinemean of the ninth graders during the 1993-95school years compared to the mean of thetenth graders in the 1995-97 school year.Angola High School's Indiana State Test ofEducational Proficiency (ISTEP+) scores in1996-97 were higher than any other highschool in north-eastern Indiana (Region 8).The school had not scored that high inprevious years.

82

80

78

g 76

g 74

72

70

B8

72-aNGOLA HIGH SCHOOL "ISTEP+"

101993-05 BASELINE 01995-97 BLOCK CUS1ULATIVE I

READING LANGUAGE MATH TOTALBATTERY

Figure 7. The data suggests the 4 - Blockschedule improved state proficiency exam scores.Flexible scheduling permitted at risk students betutored during seminars, better preparing themfor the test. In 1996-97, Angola had the best highschool scores in its state region.

6

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scoreshave gone up moderately since initiating the4 - Block schedule. The tests were taken bya little over 50% of the students. Greaterimprovement was seen during the secondblock year than the first. This improvementwas achieved by the 1997 class, which hadtwo years of block scheduling experience.Though not statistically significant, theachievement was an encouraging sign(Figure 8).

515

510

w " 5052

500

4955

1 490

485

480

cANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL ..SATE SCORES

13 1993-95 BASELINE 0 1995-96 BLOCK 0199&87 BLOCK

VERBAL MATH

Figure 8. SAT scores had modest improvement inboth math and verbal areas. The 1996-97 classwith two years of block scheduling, had thegreatest gains.

At this point the block schedule hasappeared to slightly lower advancedplacement (AP) scores. Though notstatistically significant, scores of four andthree were achieved by a smaller percentageof students with the block schedule as wellas more scores of one and two. Nomodifications to the block schedule weremade for the first two years. Studentsscheduled all their AP classes during the firsthalf of the year, and then they waited untilMay to take the national exams. Aconcerted effort was made the second yearto schedule review sessions to help preparethe students for the exam and to lessen whatwas forgotten. Little improvement wasobserved (Figure 9).

7 BEST COPY AVAILABLE

("ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL

ADVANCED PLACEMENT SCORES

5 4 3SCORES

2

Figure 9. Though not statistically significant,Advanced Placement scores slightly dropped aftertwo years of block scheduling. During this timestudents took the class the first half of the yearand the test in May. (Modifications were madethe third block year with most classes beingoffered three quarters or a modification of threequarters.)

Concern about the scores resulted inchanging the schedule of most of the APclasses the third year of block scheduling. In1997-98 three of the AP classes weremeeting as a college class the second half ofthe year. Working in conjunction with alocal university (Tri-State), students may bequalified to receive college credit for thewhole year. Two other AP laboratoryclasses in 1997-98 were scheduled for thefirst, second, and fourth quarters of the year.Also, two new AP classes were added to theschedule in 1996-97 partially becauseteachers had fewer class preparations andwere willing to take on the extra workrequired by these classes. The flexibility ofthe block schedule permitted the pursuit ofthese arrangements as well as a WorkplaceParticipation program initiated for the 1997-98 year.

There was a 28% increase in usage ofmaterials in the media center with the block.More teachers took their classes to thelibrary to research topics for discussion, witha 237% increase in the number of referencematerials used. Changes in the media center

7

can be partially documented by comparingthe number of materials borrowed (Figure10). A more accurate picture was witnessedby observing the activity and increased trafficflow throughout the media center.

404:ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY CIRCULATION2 % SHOWING % OF INCREASED USAGE

31 %

1993-95 BASELINE

El 1995-97 BLOCK

59% 232%I%

TOTAL /DAY FICTION NON VIDEOS REFERENCE SNORTFICTION ST052ES

Figure 10. The media center witnessed more usefrom the students and faculty, especially with a237% increase in reference materials. With thelonger blocks of time, discussions and researchprojects were expanded and more materials wereborrowed.

Within the first week of the blockschedule, the hallways were quieter duringpassing periods. In fact, the school didn'thave a single hallway fight the whole firstsemester, a never before recorded statistic.Not only did the students seem in less of ahurry (the five minute passing periodremained the same), but students were in thehallways half as many times with the 4 -Block schedule. There was more time inclass to settle conflicts. Because of theseimprovements, fewer students were assignedto in-school suspension (Figure 11). Thoughnot statistically significant, the principal andassistant principal have confirmed reducedproblems.

8

ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL

IN SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS1.7

01993-05 BASEUNE

1995-97 BLOCK

2 3QUARTERS

4 AVG.

Figure 11. Fewer discipline problems arose withthe 4 - Block. Students were in the hallways one-half as many times. Longer class periodsappeared to help resolve conflicts.

With the block schedule, the teacherswere responsible for only three classes, withnearly fifty percent fewer students at anygiven time and never more than threedifferent preparations. Two preparationswere the norm. The average class sizeremained the same as the baseline for aschool mean of twenty to twenty-onestudents (Figure 12).

140

120o-w 100a

N SO

U.0

012

0

ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOL

TEACHER LOAD AND CLASS SIZE

°AVERAGE TEACHER LOAD

°AVERAGE CLASS SIZE

1904415 199546 1996417

BASEUNE BLOCK BLOCK

Figure 12. With a smaller teacher load, theteachers got to know the students better and helpthem more. Also, fewer papers were graded atany one time because there were only half asmany students.

Student attendance significantly t(27) =2.20 improved with the block schedule, ascan be seen in figure thirteen. In seven ofthe nine school months, there was acumulative increase in the percent monthlyattendance rate since being on the block,

8

with an overall mean increase of about one-half of a percent. Not as much of a drop inthe attendance occurred during the end ofthe winter months (February - March);however, December and January had poorerattendance with the block scheduling.

99

31.1

(±) 92

0zIJJ .4

I-

21) 93X

02 92

121

ANGOLA HIGH SCHOOLATTENDANCE

SIGNIFICANT (p<0.05) IMPROVEMENT WAS SEEN

01990 -95 BASELINE

01995-97 BLOCK

Figure 13. A significant (p S .05) improvementwas seen in attendance. Several factorscontributed to the improvement of this constantchallenge. The block was just one more tool touse, and it had the benefit of flexibility to workwith other programs. (*Data from December,1996 was the lowest in years and was dropped forstatistical tests due to new software problemsinitiated then.)

Baseline and first year block schedulingqualitative data were taken through a sixty-six item questionnaire. It was given in thespring prior to starting the block, once inNovember after being on the block aboutthree months, and again in April, after nearlyone year with block scheduling. The resultsrevealed approval of the block by thestudents, teachers, and parents alike. Witheach succeeding questionnaire, there wasalso a general trend toward greatersatisfaction with the schedule. There was aneighty percent return from the students,about fifty percent from the faculty, and fromforty to only ten percent from the parents.Fewer returns were gotten from the parentseach time the questionnaire was given. Tocheck for consistency, some of the questionswere variations of other questions. Noglaring discrepancies were found, though the

9 JEST COPY AVAILABLE

a Students O Parents 0 Teachers

length and repetitiveness of the questionnairewere believed to contribute to the lowerfaculty and parent return rates.

An abridged thirty-five questionquestionnaire was given toward the end ofthe second year of block scheduling, with aneighty percent return from the faculty andstudents and twenty-two percent from theparents. It showed a greater level ofsatisfaction with the schedule than theprevious year's results. About eightypercent of the students, teachers, and parentsagreed or highly agreed that Angola HighSchool was providing a good education(Figurel4).

This school Is providing a good education.

50

45

40

35

30

5 25

w 200.

15

10

5

0

1 2 3 4 51. 14GHLY DISAGREE 2 DISAGREE 3 NO DAIMON 4 AGREE 5 WILY AGREE

Figure 14. A great deal of satisfaction was foundamong the students, parents, and teachers infeeling that Angola High School was providing agood education.

Over eighty percent of the students andteachers and sixty-four percent of the parentsagreed that taking only three or four classpreparations at one time was better forlearning than six or seven classes (Figure15).

Preparing for 3 or 4 classes is bettor than preparing for 6 or 7 classes.

70

60

50

I 40z0ce 30a.0.

20

10-

0

La Students 0 Parents 0 Teachers I

r1 2 3 4 5

I HIGHLY DISAGREE 2 DISAGREE NO OPINION 4 AGREE 5 HIGHLY AGREE

Figure 15. There was stronger agreement withfewer classes at a time being better. Studentsconcentrated on fewer subjects and had fewerteachers to please.

Over seventy-five percent of thestudents and teachers and fifty-eight percentof the parents agreed that a 90 minute classperiod for half the year ultimately allows forgreater depth of coverage of the material,compared to fifty minutes all year long(Figure 16).

50

4oI-

W SOcc

Wa. 20

10

0

A 90 minute class period allows for greater depth Intosubjects compared to a 50 minute class.

10 Students 0 Parents 0 Teachers I

1 2 3 4 5HOMY DISAGREE 2- DISAGREE 3. NO ORISON 4 AGREE 5. FIGHLY AGREE

Figure 16. The questionnaires were given aftertwo years of block scheduling. Students tend toremember more when they can apply and relateknowledge to themselves.

A majority of the students (sixty-threeto seventy-two percent) agreed or highlyagreed that they could be more successfulwith three or four classes compared to sevenclasses (Figure17).

9 0

I can be more successful with 3 or 4 classes compared to 7.

2 3 4 5I. EMILY DRAWEE 3 OPRAOREE S.ND OPIPICOI I RACEME OA HOME AGREE

Figure 17. All grade levels agreed that they couldbe more successful with the block schedule. Onlythe 11th and 12th graders had experienced aseven period day at the high school.

The majority of the teachers liked theblock schedule after using it two years.Eighty-three percent agreed that theypreferred the block schedule over a sevenperiod day, and eleven percent disagreed.Seventy-one percent of teachers felt theblock schedule was less stressful, whileseventeen percent found it more stressful .Eighty-six percent of the teachers foundincreased classroom flexibility with the blockschedule. About three-fourths of the facultyfound it possible to effectively cover coursecontent with the block, while nineteenpercent felt they did not effectively covercourse content.

Based on credits issued, there was asixteen percent increase in studentenrollment in classes during the two years ofblock scheduling, compared with the two-year baseline. During this time period, theschool enrollment increased six percent for anet gain of ten percent. The largest changewas an eighty percent increase observedwithin the fine arts department (Figure 18).

C4NGOLA HIGH SCHOOL

%CHANGE IN STUDENT ENROLLMENT IN CLASSESAFTER TWO YEARS OF BLOCK SCHEDULING

COMPARED WITH THE 199395 BASELINE90

BO

70School enrollment increasedan average of 5.11% betweenthese two time periods.

Visual ArtsIncreased 59 %

E.a4 10

-10.AO. Nab *a *.S1. S.,* Bea* F Nb P.Ials PE/ SpeRZE. AVERAGE

flaalbDEPARTMENTS

Figure 18. With block scheduling, students hadopportunities to take more classes. The fine artsappeared to be the most popular classes to chose.

Within the fine arts department, thevisual arts had a fifty-nine percent increase instudents taking classes. The music artsclasses stayed the same size, but they wereable to offer a class during the school daythat had previously been conducted outsideof school hours. All the fine arts classes sawincreased student involvement. A seminar(small study hall), built into the schedule,permitted the music arts to adapt withoutany loss to their year-long programs.. Vocalmusic students were able to meet flexibly,either for 45 minutes daily or for an entireblock every other day the entire year. Theinstrumental music students met for an entireblock in the fall during marching bandseason, and had the choice of meeting dailyfor all or half of a split block, the rest of theyear. If they chose to meet all the block,they took another music class (Figure 19).

lot 1

Atgela tOgh School 1310Ck Schedule

SAMPLE BAND STUDENT SCHEDULE

first SemesterSecond Semester

First 9 nettsr

2nd 9 vensks

Band Oro'Bad 46 ni9; Jaz 46

rrin; Ssrrinar

ilind 46 ntradeg Jazz Band 45 rnirs

Setts/

P.E. Science

Engrah Plia

ampule App. Basic at Forsignleng99119

Figure 19. The flexibility of the seminar periodallowed the music arts department program toimprove with the block schedule. Rehearsal timebefore and after school hours decreased. No lossin enrollment or program was witnessed.

Indiana high schools may issueAcademic Honor Diplomas to graduates whocomplete a minimum of 47 designated creditsin academic challenging core areas.Approximately ten percent of the baselineand first year block graduates qualified forthis distinction. In the 1997 class, over 17%of the students received the Academic HonorDiploma. This class had two years ofincreased opportunities to take more classeswith block scheduling.

The math, social studies, and practicalarts departments' enrollments, eachincreased twenty, nineteen, and ten percentrespectively. The other departmentsincreased in the same proportion as theschool enrollment with the exception of aslight drop in the foreign language andspecial education departments. Theenrollment drop was believed to be fromnormal yearly fluctuations.

11

Twelve to eighteen months prior tochanging the schedule, in-service sessionscentered around active student learningstrategies, were held for the teachersapproximately every six weeks,. All teacherswere encouraged to attend conferences thatwould help them build new teachingtechniques. Past records of the number ofprofessional development days used by theentire high school staff were obtained, tohelp measure the amount of staff trainingreceived. During the year prior to going toblock scheduling, there was a thirteenpercent increase in the number ofprofessional development days taken by thehigh school staff, compared to the previoustwo years. The first year of block schedulingwas very busy with the staff developing newlesson plans. During this year only a sixpercent increase in professional developmentdays from the baseline was seen, and aneleven percent increase over the baseline wastaken during the second year of the blockschedule (Figure 20).

1130

185

wa 180

R3175

.3( 1700< -2 165

01- 160

156

150

O1NGOLA HIGH SCHOOL

TOTAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS

0 MVO YEAR BASELINE

0 PLANNING FOR BLOCK

0 BLOCK SCHEDULE

1992-9 169344 199445 191946

SCHOOL YEAR

169047

Figure 20. Staff development appeared to be themost important ingredient to successful blockscheduling. The data suggests a direct correlationexists between the two.

After one semester of teaching with the4 - Block, about one-half of the staffvolunteered to meet twice a week in themorning before school for 45 minutes tointroduce each other to new teachingstrategies. Small faculty teams researchedand tried new methods with their students

I2

and brought that information back to the restof the staff. Using this knowledge, thefaculty then hosted a one-day workshop inthe summer of 1996 for over 430 educatorsfrom Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.

The same peer coaching strategyoccurred during the second year of blockscheduling, meeting once every week or two.In the summer of 1997, approximately one-third of the faculty hosted 30 smalldepartmental workshops to 167 teachersfrom the Tri-state area, emphasizing blockscheduling teaching strategies useful tospecific departments. Over 550 teachersrepresenting 73 schools visited. Angola HighSchool during the two years of blockscheduling with the faculty hosting theguests during the school day. Numerousstaff have presented in-service workshops atother schools as well.

Discussion

Mixed reviews were found in theliterature involving statistical analysis ofblock scheduling. Significant unaccounted-for variables were likely to blame for manyof the differences found. With the teacherbeing one of the most important criterion inmodifying student successes, it wasimportant to document any change in theteacher's presentation and style. Accuratelymeasuring the teacher's level of adaptationto block scheduling in a large region, state,or province would be a daunting challenge atbest.

It appeared that the most accuratemethodology used, was that of case studiesbeing done within classrooms, buildings ordistricts. The classroom teachers were theones who directly witnessed changes takingplace among their fellow colleagues. Thesereviews needed to have a statistical analysisof the data applied, a requirement which was

12

sorely lacking in most block scheduling casestudies.

Decisions about school improvementplans had to be based on solid research.Instincts and feelings were not good enoughreasons to change. The goal of this paperwas to provide the reader with a carefullyanalyzed small database from which to drawsome inferences and direction for change.Careful data analysis supported the belief the4 - Block schedule with aggressive stafftraining provided tremendous educationalopportunities for those willing to change.However, with so little data available, it wasimperative for blocked schools to documenttheir changes and share them with others.

There was solid evidence thatimproved student learning took place atAngola High School with the 4 - Blockschedule. The strongest proof was throughthe analysis of the student grades. Teachersusing the same semester exams the first yearof the block and finding student successesnearly a whole grade point higher on thoseexams add credence to this conclusion.Other supporting statistics are the highscores on the state ISTEP+ tests and thesignificant improvement on the ACT scores.

The type of learning encouraged by theblock schedule helps students develop life-long learning skills. The development ofthese skills were seen in the increased usageof the media center where students werelearning to research a variety of topics.Classroom discussions, teamwork, andcooperative learning activities occurred morefrequently in a number of classrooms. Manyclasses were able to have time to collect"real" data and analyze and interpret itbefore the class period ended.

The data suggests the block scheduleby itself was not the most important reason

3

improvement was witnessed at Angola HighSchool. It appeared the most importantingredient was staff development. Theteachers were given a great deal ofownership in the improvement plan. Thevast majority of the teachers were dedicatedto learn new teaching strategies and werewilling to teach them to other educators.The environments in many classrooms wereobserved to exhibit actively involved studentlearning. It must be emphasized, though, the4 - Block schedule was the means by whichmany improved teaching strategies wereimplemented. Tremendous power was foundin block scheduling, power to makesignificant improvements in the educationalprocess.

References

Canady, Robert Lynn, and Michael D.Rettig. Block Scheduling: A Catalystfor Change in High Schools.Princeton, New Jersey: Eye onEducation, 1995. 266 pages.

Canady, Robert Lynn, and Michael D.Rettig. Teaching in the Block:Strategies for Engaging ActiveLearners. Princeton, New Jersey: Eyeon Education, 1996. 299 pages.

Carroll, Joseph. M. "Organizing Time toSupport Learning" The SchoolAdministrator 51, 3 (March1994):26-28, EJ 481 309.

Hackman, Donald G. and others. "TenGuidelines for Implementing Block

14

13

Scheduling" Educational Leadership,Association for Supervision andCurriculum Development, Vol. 53,No. 3, November 1995.

Marshak, David. Action Research on BlockScheduling. Princeton, New Jersey:Eye on Education, 1997. 204 pages.

Marshall, M., Taylor, A., Bateson, D., &Brigden, S (1995). The BritishColumbia assessment of mathematicsand science: Preliminary report(DRAFT). Victoria, B.C. Ministry ofEducation.

Robinson, Jay (Chairman). "BlockedScheduled High SchoolAchievement: Comparison of 1995End-of Course Test Scores forBlocked and non-Blocked HighSchools." Evaluation Brief. PublicSchools of North Carolina, StateBoard of Education. 1996.

Strock, Gerald E., and David S. Hottenstein."The First-Year Experience: A HighSchool Restructures ThroughCopernican Plan." The SchoolAdministrator 51, 3 (March 1994):30-31. EJ 481 309.

Sturgis, Jeffrey D. "Flexibility EnhancesStudent Achievement." NASSP APSpecial: The Newsletter for AssistantPrincipals 10, 4 (Summer 1995): 1-2.

Wianans, Dave, ed. 'Block Scheduling."NEA Today. 15, No 7. March 1997:4-6.

U.S. Department of EducationOffice of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI)

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)

REPRODUCTION RELEASE

I. DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION:

(Specific Document)

ERIC1

Title:4 - Block Scheduling: A Case Study of Data Analysis of One High School After Two Years

Author(s):Dave Snyder

Corporate Source:Presented at the Annual Meeting of the MidwestEducational Research Association Chicago, Illinois

Publication Date:

I October 15-18, 1997

II. REPRODUCTION RELEASE:In order to disseminate as widely as possible timely and significant materials of interest to the educational community, documents announced

in the monthly abstract journal of the ERIC system, Resources in Education (RIE), are usually made available to users in microfiche, reproducedpaper copy, and electronic/optical media, and sold through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS) or other ERIC vendors. Credit isgiven to the source of each document, and, if reproduction release Is granted, one of the following notices is affixed to the document.

If permission is granted to reproduce and disseminate the identified document, please CHECK ONE of the following two options and sign atthe bottom of the page.

ICheck here

For Level 1 Release:Permitting reproduction inmicrofiche (4' x 6" film) orother ERIC archival media(e.g., electronic or optical)and paper copy.

Signhere-4please

The sample sticker shown below will beaffixed to all Level 1 documents

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL

HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

Level 1

The sample sticker shown below will beaffixed to all Level 2 documents

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS

MATERIAL IN OTHER THAN PAPERCOPY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

Level 2

Documents will be processed as indicated provided reproduction quality permits. If permissionto reproduce is granted, but neither box is checked, documents will be processed at Level 1.

Check hereFor Level 2 Release:Permitting reproduction inmicrofiche (4" x 6' film) orother ERIC archival media(e.g., electronic or optical),but not in paper copy.

hereby grant to the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) nonexclusive permission to reproduce and disseminatethis document as indicated above. Reproduction from the ERIC microfiche or electronic/optical media by persons other thanERIC employees and its system contractors requires permission from the copyright holder. Exception is made for non-profitreproduction by libraries and other service agencies to satisfy Information needs of educators in response to discrete inquiries."

Organliatonaddress:

3140 W Landis RdAngola, IN 46703

Panted Name/Position/1We:Dave Snyder / Science Teacher

I Telephona: rAX:i 19 665-3255

Aadress:dksnyder@dmci.net

bate:11-16-97

Invorl

III. DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY INFORMATION (FROM NON-ERIC SOURCE):

If permission to reproduce is not granted to ERIC, or, If you wish ERIC to cite the availability of the document from another source,please provide the following information regarding the availability of the document. (ERIC will not announce a document unless it ispublicly available, and a dependable source can be specified. Contributors should also be aware that ERIC selection criteria aresignificantly more stringent for documents that cannot be made available through EDRS.)

Publisher/Distributor:

Address:

5:11 r::

,

: "ri. I.

Price:

IV. REFERRAL OF ERIC TO COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION RIGHTS HOLDER:

If the right to grant reproduction release Is held by someone other than the addressee, please provide the appropriate name and address:

Name:

Address:

V. WHERE TO SEND THIS FORM:

Send this form to the following ERIC Clearinghouse:

However, if solicited by the ERIC Facility, or if making an unsolicited contribution to ERIC, return this form (and the document beingcontributed) to:

ERIC Processing and Reference Facility1301 Piccard Drive, Suite 100

Rockville, Maryland 20850-4305

Telephone: 301-258-5500FAX: 301-948-3695

Toll Free: 800-799-3742e-mail: ericfac @inet.ed.gov

(Rev. 3/96/96)

4

. ,