blocking schedule and the LD or ADHD student in middle schoo

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

I had difficulties with my special ed kids in the regular classes that are always blocked for 90 minutes. The kids get restless and their focus wanes. The teachers change their mode of the class to keep the kids interested from manipulatives , working on the board and practice a math skill. I then just found out many of our special ed kids math scores did not meet proficiency. I feel that they only got math 3 times a week instead of meeting with their teacher everyday. These kids need consistency and continual reinforcement . Any thoughts or research to back this up as I feel this is not a good idea for these kids to have blocking and see their teachers on an every other day thing.

Submitted by victoria on Wed, 08/11/2004 - 2:33 AM

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Welcome to the bureaucratic nightmare of the middle and high school. My daughter’s high school taught Grades 9 and 10 math and English and science on a semesterized system, meaning they only had 90 days of instruction in their most important subjects and they often had a year off between classes in the subject. When parents complained, the school board made a whole bunch of excuses which boiled down to it was more convenient and cheaper (half as many texts, for example.)

There is a fallacy that a certain number of hours in the class equals the same amount of teaching and learning in every case. Doesn’t work that way. In my daughter’s classes they got about two-thirds of the curriculun sort of covered; everyone including adults fades during 90-minute classes. However the laws and regulations are all written around total number of hours and it is hard to buck the system.

You are very very unlikely to change this in less than a major five-year campaign. The scheduling system affects every teacher and every student in the school, as well as the text ordering and the gym (where of course they love 90-minute sessions).

For the present, work on ways you and your students can cope with it,

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