Scheduling, Types of in Schools

The school schedule is the administrative mechanism by which the instructional day is divided into manageable timeframes so that school personnel can deliver the curriculum. An effective scheduling model maximizes available instructional time for learning activities, empowers teachers with decision-making authority to group learners for skills instruction, and provides teachers with the flexibility and creativity to design and deliver instructional methods that fully engage students in the process of learning. Mastery of curriculum content for all learners is the goal of an efficacious scheduling model.

The number of minutes allocated for instruction within a discipline is a critical variable when considering curriculum mastery. Educators, therefore, must consider issues related to curriculum breadth, depth, and balance when designing the school schedule because mastery of curriculum standards is closely correlated with the time spent on learning activities. For example, requiring the curriculum to include a variety of disciplines will expose the student to an array of subjects (thereby ensuring curriculum breadth) yet may provide insufficient time within the school day for the in-depth instruction that is necessary for the student to master any discipline. Conversely, limiting the curriculum to a few core disciplines may ensure that ample time is available for content mastery of these core subjects, but the student may then not receive a well-rounded education through instruction in disciplines such as the arts and humanities. Curriculum balance also must be carefully considered because instructional minutes will not be equally allocated for every subject. Greater time must be allocated for the core disciplines than for elective or other subjects, so that students can master the basic state and local curriculum standards.

Another consideration when designing the school schedule is developmental appropriateness for the learner at each grade level. Special attention and consideration should be given to easing transitions for the student—from the home environment into the kindergarten setting, through each subsequent grade, and when moving from one building level to another. For example, kindergarten students would find an assignment with numerous teachers and classrooms to be overwhelming; at the other end of the spectrum, high school seniors may consider being scheduled with only one teacher for the entire instructional day as too confining and boring. Because the developmental and instructional needs differ for students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, the remainder of this entry will address effective scheduling arrangements at each building level.