As the block schedule pilot is set to end at the conclusion of this school year, Elk Grove students and teachers find themselves reflecting on the impact it has had on them these past four school years, including the block schedule used during the remote learning school year of 2020-21.

This was a big shift from the traditional eight-period schedule. The block schedule was originally put into place to limit the amount of contact students made with one another during covid, but many found that it had benefits. Township High School District 214 launched a pilot program, which was originally meant to last until the end of the 22-23 school year. However, it was extended another school year.

Despite this shift, teachers found several benefits to an 80-minute block schedule.

“One thing I really like about the block schedule is that more students have a study hall now, and that’s been great for meeting with students who need extra help or having them make up for missing work,” science teacher Laura Dubnicka said.

One of the changes the block schedule brought was that every student has either a study hall or an independent learning time that is earned by meeting certain criteria. These times are intended for students to complete work or to get tutoring help.

“So when you have homework one day, you have an extra day just to complete it,” senior Kyle Niven said.

With the block schedule working in an alternating manner — four periods one day and the other four the next — this format gives students a buffer day to catch up on homework before they meet with that class again. 

Another benefit of the block schedule is that class time is doubled from the traditional 48 minutes to 80 minutes. This boost provides benefits to classes such as science classes that do labs that sometimes took more than 40 minutes and provided students with fewer interruptions.

“You learn more, and you get uninterrupted learning time for 80 minutes instead of the previous 40,” Alejandro Pons Jurado said.