District again takes up block scheduling
STAMFORD — Stamford Public Schools administrators have revived plans to transition Stamford High School and Westhill High School to a block schedule after the move was delayed last year.
Under the proposed schedule change, students would “have more time in class with teachers to really dive deeply into the content and work collaboratively with their peers,” said Amy Beldotti, associate superintendent for teaching and learning. “Also, by having less transitions throughout the day it brings a level of calmness to the building that our high schools are looking forward to.”
Stamford High and Westhill students now have six daily 50minute class blocks. As students take seven courses, they rotate through them with one dropping every day.
According to the new proposal, the block schedule would feature four 88minute classes each day. Students would take eight courses, alternating with four one day and then the other four the next.
“Block scheduling adds flexibility and
eases scheduling,” said Board of Education President Andy George.
In the last five years, many districts throughout the state, including Danbury and Norwalk, have adopted a block schedule, in part due to a change in the state graduation requirements that mandate students need 25 credits to finish high school instead of the current 20 credits.
Stamford’s Academy of Information Technology & Engineering has used a block schedule for the past 15 years.
The proposed block schedule for Stamford High and Westhill would allow students to take eight, rather than seven, classes and thus provides more opportunities to earn credits. Under the proposal, study halls woulds be eliminated in favor of “academic labs,” which Beldotti said will give students time to get additional teacher support.
Beldotti and Superintendent Tamu Lucero have had several closeddoor discussions with the Stamford Education Association, the union that represents all of the city’s public school teachers, about what block scheduling would mean for Stamford educators.
At the latest meeting on Monday afternoon, Beldotti outlined a plan in which teachers would still teach five courses, but now in 88minute blocks. An original proposal called for each educator to teach six courses.
A recent SEA survey showed 87.5 percent of teachers strongly disagreed with teaching six 88minute classes; in comparison, only 54.35 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed with teaching five 88minute classes, said SEA President Diane Phanos.
Because the current schedule is not technically a Board of Education policy, moving to the block schedule does not require a board vote and could be made through an administrative decision, Beldotti said.
“It’s not a requirement but certainly something we want the board to understand and endorse,” Beldotti said.
Block scheduling is not on the agenda for the next school board meeting on Tuesday evening.