Book Description
Middle level school reform has recently been placed center stage in an effort to improve student achievement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implications of block scheduling on a middle level school and whether its implementation increased student achievement. The three questions guiding the research and analysis were as follows: 1) did block scheduling support increased student achievement; 2) did the increased instructional time provide a platform for teachers to change instructional practices; and 3) did block scheduling provide an avenue to promote teacher collaboration? Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from state standardized tests and teacher surveys in order to evaluate the impact of block scheduling. The analysis of state testing results showed increased student achievement for all demographic groups once block scheduling was implemented. Teacher responses to the survey were consistent with the literature review and generally positive. Based on these results, although no direct cause and effect relationship exists between block scheduling and student achievement, the data clearly shows an environment was created through block scheduling for teachers to influence student achievement.
