Middle School Scheduling

For almost 50% of students, grades 7-9, are often the “make it or break it” time for students. By the time students reach the 10^th grade, we average losing almost 1/3 of students nationally and over 60% of at-risk students and students from high-poverty urban areas. Traditional scheduling has failed to address the specific learning needs and requirements they need to be successful. To increase the odds of graduation, scheduling must provide the necessary supports for success, acceleration and opportunities for choice, intervention/enrichment as needed, foundational supports for core classes, flexibility, and the opportunity for credit recovery.

Scheduling is a critical component of effective middle schools. Traditional middle schools schedules reduce the amount of instructional time in core reading and math courses, while adding additional time to science and social studies while adding exploratory courses. Middle schools schedules must strategically allow appropriate core instructional time, have flexibility to allow for needed additional instructional, offer exploratory course to meet social/emotional needs and prepare students for high school tracks, and offer student choice and acceleration options.

Examples of Middle School Master Schedules