OC HIGH / STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS : Rebuilding Blocks of Education

A number of Orange County high schools are experimenting with block scheduling, which is used to create fewer but longer class periods in the belief that students can learn more in extended, undisturbed time periods.

The specifics vary from school to school.

At Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, students typically take six classes per semester. On Monday, the student receives instruction in all six classes in the traditional 56-minute period. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the student receives 112-minute instruction in the second, fourth and sixth period classes. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the student attends block-length first, third and fifth period classes. Students get 16 minutes between blocks (called passing) to relax and prepare for the next intensive study.

At University High School in Irvine, 95-minute class periods are in effect two days a week, with the traditional 56-minute classes in effect on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. The schedule also sets aside time for students to seek individual help from teachers.

Here is a look at how the schedule changes at the two schools have fared.