Research & Resources - Four Period Day for Anoka-Hennepin #11
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Report Study of the Four-Period Schedule for Anoka-Hennepin District
No.11
by Carol Freeman and Geoff Maruyama, University of Minnesota
(December 1995)
Executive Summary
During the school year 1994-95, the Center for Applied Research and
Educational Improvement (CAREI) conducted a study of block scheduling
for the Anoka-Hennepin school district. Two high schools, Champlin Park
and Blaine had a 4 period schedule and two, Coon Rapids and Anoka, had a
7 period schedule. A prefatory comment needs to be made. As we look at
these comparisons of 4 and 7 period day schools, we need to remember
that we are talking about 4 good schools.
Diverse research methods were used, including a teacher survey,
student survey, classroom observation, focus groups, interviews,
examination of school records, and analysis of district achievement test
data.
A literature review of block scheduling and school reform and
restructuring, discussions with district and school officials, and an
initial teacher survey guided the study.
- School Demographics Students in the four high schools are
basically comparable demographically. A higher proportion of teachers
in the newest high school, Champlin Park, are relatively new to
teaching, and, of course, all teachers had three years or fewer of
experience in the new school.
- School Participation Relying mainly on interview data, 4 period
schools report fewer behavior and discipline problems. Comparable
attendance, suspensions, and dropout data were not available. Teacher
attendance data showed no pattern by schedule.
- Student Attitudes The survey of student attitudes found that
student attitudes were more positive in the 4 period schools across a
number of dimensions. They included school climate, engagement during
classes, attitude toward schoolwork, and ratings of teachers and the
methods the teachers use. On student safety, there were not meaningful
differences.
When the student responses are broken down for level of student
performance as assessed by self-reported GPA , the higher achieving
students consistently respond more positively. More importantly for
the current focus, within all levels of achievement, students in 4
period day schools view schools more favorably than do students in 7
period days. This finding occurs despite the fact that grades are
higher in the 4 period schools, which makes the low achieving students
in 4 period schools a more extreme group. Interview data on climate,
including comments on the 10 minute passing time, was very supportive
of the 4 period schedule.
- Teacher Attitudes There are two distinct patterns of findings that
emerge from the teacher survey. First, teachers in 4 period schools
believe that their school schedule allows them to do their job much
more effectively than do teachers in 7 period schools. The dimensions
rated include facilitating student achievement, maintaining order,
fostering quality education, and improving their work life. Second,
more general teacher attitudes about their school environments also
favor the 4 period days. The 4 period day teachers respond more
positively when rating community, collaboration with peers (which is
rated relatively low in all schools), respect and support, influence
they have, and the effectiveness of their approaches. With respect to
perceptions of being overworked, there were no differences between
schedules.
Interview data give support to the survey data results. There is
general agreement that teachers know their students better in a 4
period school. Teachers in all schools report not having time for
collaboration although they differ on the extent to which they attempt
to collaborate. Teachers in 4 period schools report greater attempts
to collaborate. Teachers in 4 period schools report they work as hard
but have less stress. Teachers in all schools voiced a desire for more
professional development focused directly on needs related to making
the schedule change and continuous assessment of how work is going.om
Observational Data The observational data provide a description of the
methods and approaches used at various time points during the class
period (narratives for classroom observation) and our ratings of the
overall engagement level of the students. The methods and approaches
data seem to show a trend toward less lecture and more small group
work in the 4 period day schools. Engagement ratings were higher in
the 4 period classes, and remained relatively high throughout the
class period.
Interview data seem to reinforce the classroom observations, for
teachers say that the 4 period day allows greater opportunity for
teachers to vary the way they do things, to engage in more effective
teaching strategies, and to increase the effectiveness of all teaching
strategies. Teachers, particularly in foreign language, perceive that
students do retain skills over gaps of time between courses depending
on the degree of their original learning.
- Curriculum Opportunities and Issues Students in 4 period schools
spend more time in classes and less time in study halls than 7 period
students. 4 period staff report advantages in the schedule for
students of all achievement levels.
Issues related to curriculum loss in some core subjects has lead to a
dialog in the district about what should be taught. Making these
adjustments is the most difficult problem identified by the study.
Achievement Students in 4 period schools report getting higher grades
than do students in 7 period schools. On district criterion referenced
tests, the district report of percentages of mastery tends to favor
the 4 period schools in number of objectives mastered. These findings
would seem to support perceptions in interview data from staff in 4
period schools that more students are doing better under the 4 period
schedule. In contrast, a deeper examination of 4 math areas shows no
apparent differences in means on district tests. Once again, when
students are grouped by quartiles of their Iowa Tests of Basic Skills
quantitative scores, there are no consistent differences in favor of
either schedule. Finally, examination of school aggregate scores on
ACT college admission tests show no discernible pattern related to
school schedule.
What can be said definitively is that the 4 period schedule does not
adversely affect student achievement on district course objectives and
on teachers' course expectations. It is more difficult to address
issues of whether one schedule allows for more curriculum coverage or
one schedule allows for greater depth and retention. Those questions
were not examined here.>
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