Setting up for multiple preps is much easier with block schedule.

Cons: Poor attendance

Con’s: Sometimes is feels too long. It would be better if there was one advisory to make clubs and 1:1 work easier (I don’t like using my lunch to support students who have a different advisory).

At first this scared me, but the more I thought about it though the more I realized that we could use the extra time.

Imagine being able to hold a circle in content classes. Or having a 30 minute break in the middle to play a game, do grade checks, or have study hall.

Cons: trying to get student by in with having ...that doesn't really matter? It really just turns into extra lunch for those who dare to take it and baby sitting club for those who don't.

Block schedule will better prepare students for college and career (and life).

The problem is, most students are skipping and take an extremely long lunch and still showing up late to 5th/6th period.

Is it possible to move Advisory to a different time of day? Not back up against lunch could help attendance and actually give them specified time to build community and work on school.

Con - a 6-period class schedule is tiring and so many students to engage with in one day. 6 period day doesn't offer enough time with students who need more 1:1 or small group support.

This is also difficult though for those who are part time because I don’t know where advisory would go.

Like if we eliminate Advisory and our classes get even longer that would not be good...

Cons of block: Most classes finish a lesson early and there is a lot of dead time

Pros of 6-period: Days feel shorter and fits the students attention span.

Cons of 6-period: Difficult for teachers to transition.

When I was in high school our advisory was 30 minutes after the first of 6 periods and it was used to go and talk to teachers to get help. I like meeting every day because it helps with consistency across all classes.

Cons: it is an additional group of students that teachers are expected to invest in ON TOP of our contract max. Convincing students to buy in to advisory is a decent amount of work--that is emotional energy and time teachers could be spending prepping for their content areas, grading, contacting home. Students don't necessarily care about the credit, so attendance can be spotty.

PROS: Community-building, goal-setting, circles and continuity with one staff-member for four years are super-invaluable

CONS: One hour per day was too long, 45 minutes is better. It's good to have touchpoints but when there is not structured activities provided it is more of a struggle.

Cons- giving students credit for this class, low attendance

Cons: Some students who often skip Advisory are the ones who would benefit most from catching up on classwork during Advisory.

Pro- time to make up work, retake quizzes or just meet for 10-15 minutes to review a topic/concept.

1. happen at the same time for everyone so that students across grade levels can participate in clubs and activities together.

2. be separated from lunch.

3. be a time when groups meet so student are not pulled from classes.

4. Offer a variety of options (social, academic, circles, quiet time, clubs, games, etc.) so that students have choices and can find something that suits them.

5. Prioritize academic support for students who are struggling or behind.

6. Have a system that makes students accountable for being in an acceptable location during Advisory time.

More students are in the halls during the block period days than I ever remember seeing at FHS in the pre-pandemic 6 period day ever. I don't know if that is a function of students struggling to manage the long-blocks or other perceived lack of consequences for non-attendance. With either schedule option, we need to figure how to get students to be invested in being in class.

Pros of blocks: more time to engage with content deeply, less transitions

Cons of 6th period day: really rushed! hard on kids and teachers to make so many transitions

Pros of 6th period day: daily contact with kids and engagement with content

Cons: mental transitions is difficult for staff and students (and physical transitions with furniture for staff).

Pro/Con: Sports early dismissal impacts 2 classes in the afternoon vs one

Block periods seems like it should be better due to fewer transitions, but students seem exhausted, so I'm not sure which supports students better

Pro: Used to HSBP, focus on what needs to get done for graduation requirements, used for retakes, have to schedule around that, club meeting during the school day increase equity, academic supports, such as grade checks, Advisory FOR a club, increase supports, Same advisory as students you teach, Targeted interventions to get supports, push in to a non-academic class, cleanest, and most students registered this year

Questions:

If we have to have 2 lunches, how does that work for block schedule, and NO advisory

What are the guidelines for one lunch vs 2?

One advisory for all?

SEL break?

I'd most like to have a 6 period day with a short study hall/Advisory time attached to one of our periods

I'm pro-Advisory for either schedule option. I'm not sure if Advisory needs to be daily. If there was a modified block, Advisory could be on 1-2 days a week.

If Block: Have an extended nutrition., advisory, SEL break,

If 1-6 no advisory

If Advisory was not included

Every day (except Wednesdays and when we do circle on some Fridays) I have students either coming to my Advisory to work on their assignments or going to another Advisory to make up work/retake tests/receive academic support.

Every day in my Advisory there are at least a handful of students who are on my Advisory roster doing work for other classes during Advisory.

Clubs have time to meet during Advisory.

Advisory has been a useful time to do grade checks or make announcements about school events or cool opportunities like career or service stuff.

Whether we have Advisory or not next year, I want a schedule that retains the ability to do these things within the school day.

Cons: sparse attendance during actual advisory times

CONs: timing. I agree with others that it would be beneficial to schedule advisory earlier in the day, likely after 1st period. I think that if it were the first class of the day, many students would not come to school until 1st period began.

CONs: none. I love block periods!

As much as kids do not like the longer class, having 6 periods everyday will not allow for having time to really get to know the students and to build community.

1. I think Advisory could be more productive if it were smaller groups of students.

2. I would love to see resource and extended resource paras assigned to spaces where they can pull students they work with to get caught up on work, reteach content, etc., instead of being assigned to other teacher's advisories.

3. If possible, having interventionists lead advisories for students on their caseloads would be a great tier 2 support!

4. As the year has gone on, more and more students have come to my room for support or just a quieter place to study with a smaller group of students, I think having an open door, student-chosen space has been really great for students who have elected to come get support. I recognize this may not be able to be replicated on a large scale, but I do think this has been a successful outcome of advisory for me!

Some obvious cons, from my perspective, are lack of attendance and engagement. Students not feeling comfortable in their advisories (I think for my students this is related to size and sensory needs). Inconsistent grading practices, especially during the Student-Led Conferences-- I fault no one, I just observed a vast difference amongst my students' grades.

1. It's really hard not having a prep every day. Teaching is an exhausting job, and this is compounded on the days where teachers have one 30 minute break without students in front of them.

2. I have a lot of students for whom one hundred and forty minutes is too long for their attention spans. That being said, I see the benefit for labs, presentations, etc. Perhaps a schedule were we have a couple block periods a week and several 6 period days could meet more people's needs?

Con: with many teachers refusing to engage in community building / academic advising / grade checks / family communication with their advisory students, students choose not to go, and so it turns into an extended lunch. The work for organizing advisory activities falls on just a couple passionate/willing folks who are not paid for this work, and then they are publicly shamed for their work by their colleagues - so I guess I would say the Con is that it emboldens folks doing little to contribute to our Advisory "issue" to criticize folks that are doing more contributing... so creating tension between colleagues is a major Con for me.