4x4+Schedule+Primer

This page was created to begin preparing you for next years new schedule. Resources from all over the web will be added here so that you can do your own research and prepare yourself for the 2009-2010 school year.

What is a 4x4 Schedule?
The 4x4 schedule plan splits the school day into four instructional blocks of approximately 90 minutes each. The school year is split into two semesters. During the first semester students are enrolled into four classes that meet daily. Instruction which had been stretched over a 180 day school year is now compressed into one semester of double block periods. After the completion of the fall semester, students receive credit for each course successfully completed and enroll into four courses for the spring semester. Generally teachers instruct for three periods and use the fourth for planning. 1

4x4 Scheduling has become a very hot topic in education over the past decade. There have been numerous books written on the topic. Some of them are available online through [|Google Books].


 * [|The 4x4 Block Schedule] - By J. Allen Queen & Kimberly G. Isenhour
 * [|Block Scheduling: A Catalyst for Change in High Schools] - By Robert Lynn Canady and Michael D. Rettig
 * [|The Block Scheduling Handbook] - By J. Allen Queen
 * [|Career Pathways] - By Elaine Makas Howard, Pamela J. Ill

What does a 4x4 Schedule look like?
This [|PDF] is a copy of the 4x4 schedule from Classical Academy High School in Escondido, CA. The chart below shows an example of 4x4 scheduling. More can be seen [|here].
 * Time || Day 1 || Day 2 || Day 3 || Day 4 ||
 * 0800 - 0925 || English I || Science I || Spanish I || Health ||
 * 0935 - 1100 || Math I || English I || ACT Prep || Spanish II ||
 * 1100 - 1135 || Lunch || Lunch || Lunch || Lunch ||
 * 1135 - 1300 || Computer || Home Ec. || Phys Ed || History I ||
 * 1310 - 1450 || History II || Math II || Business || Science II ||

Positives of a Block Schedule
Block schedules are said to better prepares students for taking standardized tests. It also fosters cooperation amongst students putting them into groups. This is also known as [|cooperative learning]. Cooperative learning helps students learn from each other rather than have just direct from the teacher learning. Some experts feel students learn better from their peers rather than just from professionals.

Negatives of a Block Schedule
A [|study] by the College Board found that students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses on a 4 x 4 block schedule score lower than do students taking the same AP course on a traditional full-year schedule. Block scheduling has been [|criticized] as resulting in class periods that exceed the attention span of students, resulting in less retention and watering down of the material to maintain interest. It may result in gaps of weeks or months where students are receiving no instruction in a specific subject like math or history, and critics say this results in retention problems and the need for more remedial review. A University of Virginia [|study] of 8,000 college students found that students who had block scheduling in high school performed worse in college science courses.

If you find any more information you think your peers may need to see, send an email to the techco or post in the discussion section of this page or in the 4x4 discussion forum on your First Class desktop. Any of the new information can be added here.

More Links

 * [|Block Schedule Models] by Michael Rettig
 * [|Collection of web links] about block scheduling
 * [|Block Scheduling: Is this Right for America’s Public Schools?] by John W. Cooper

1. Block Scheduling: A Catalyst for Change in High Schools. By Robert Lynn Canady and Michael D. Rettig 1995, p.67