The addition of two periods into students’ schedules in the upcoming school year is beneficial. This includes a “house class” period and an elective class. Students have the opportunity to choose an extra elective to put in their schedule. This change will also result in only A and B block days in the schedule.

This change helps ensure that students get the required credits they need to graduate. If a student doesn’t pass a class they’re enrolled in, getting a 60% or lower, they do not receive the credit for that class. They have to make up for the credit by taking summer school, an early-bird period, or find another way to make up for the credit. At the moment, students need 24 credits to graduate. Attempting to achieve the credit minimum can be difficult. Having eight classes allows students to obtain more credits than the required 24 because of the increase in classes. This creates a chance for students to have more options to graduate with enough credits.

House classes are required for all grades, which could also be a benefit. This may be similar to a homeroom class, or if allowed by teachers it could be used as a “study hall.” If given the opportunity to use this period as a study hall, more homework could be finished by students during the day. This will reduce work being done at home, which can be especially beneficial for students that participate in extracurricular activities. Student athletes, club members, musicians, and others can all gain a chance to lower time being spent on homework. This can even benefit students that get overwhelmed with school work. By getting homework done during the day, there will be more time that can be devoted to studying or getting larger assignments done.

Realistically, because of the house classes, there is only one real elective/period being added into students’ schedules. Some students are prone to believe that more classes inherently mean a greater workload. However, this change is not all too drastic. Our current rotation of A, B, and C block days include classes that are around 90 minutes long. Because we have integrated this into our routines already, making the change to having block days every day won’t be that big of a change.

This still gives students the freedom and flexibility of having to choose the classes they want to take. There are a lot of restrictions in our current six period class schedule. Students that are enrolled for year-long electives get more opportunities to expand their choices in classes, without having to prioritize one class over the other when forecasting. The new schedule offers a larger number of classes that students may have not had room for in their current schedule. This can give students the chance to enroll in an AP class, try out a new language, or become a part of an elective class they’re interested in. Even having the chance to gain more credits, get a study hall, and try new classes, is extremely beneficial for all students.