NDCL to enhance flexibility with 7-block option

Currently, the ordinary schedule for an NDCL student includes eight classes each semester. Very few students have unscheduled blocks, and there are no traditional study halls.

When our students register for classes next year, they will be able to continue the current pattern of choosing eight classes per semester, or they may elect to take seven classes in one or both semesters.

What might you build? Next year NDCL students will have the opportunity to build a more personalized learning experience with the option to take seven classes in one or both semesters.

A group of 25 teachers, counselors, and administrators met last June to explore possibilities and surface questions related to this option. We introduced the concept to our students last week.

Why the change?

"High school education has changed remarkably since NDCL adopted our current scheduling model nearly 20 years ago," said Principal Mr. Joseph A. Waler.

"It's no exaggeration to say that the range of student needs and educational options has grown exponentially. Our approach to schooling needs to continue to expand to embrace more possibilities for our students, not to limit them."

Assistant Principal Mrs. Denice Teeples explained that eight fully scheduled blocks work very well for many students, but not for every student and not for every academic year.

"We know that learning in a formal course in a classroom is essential, but it's not the only way learning occurs. The seven-block option gives our staff and students flexibility to explore all sorts of creative possibilities," she said.

What might these options include?

When he introduced the seven-block option to our students, Mr. Waler encouraged them to envision how they might use an unscheduled block to promote and take greater responsibility for their personal growth and learning. He suggested the following "what if" questions: "We're inviting everyone—teachers, students, counselors, administrators, and parents—to think big, to expand our possibilities, and to create new opportunities for our students' growth and learning," Mr. Waler stressed.

"We're obviously not talking about the traditional study hall that parents will recall from their own high school days," he noted. "While our students may certainly use an unscheduled block to study and do assignments, we're talking about offering them much more than that. We'll be creating an enhanced learning environment, not just giving them a desk in a room and telling them to keep quiet."

In preparation for next year, Mr. Waler has already appointed Sister Michelle Kelly as the director of an academic success center that will operate in NDCL's new Sisters of Notre Dame Learning Commons. Sister Michelle will assemble a team of academic coaches who will be on call throughout the school day to guide students to higher levels of achievement in major subject areas. These coaches and other educators will also offer programs in time management, test preparation, study skills, stress management, and more.

"We're envisioning students being able to plug into the specific personnel and programs that they need during their unscheduled time," explained Sister Michelle, who is currently researching academic success programs at colleges and universities as she creates a plan for NDCL. "The possibilities are really exciting."

Mr. Waler described how the college model reaches far beyond the stereotypical notion of academic support in K12 schools.

"I think of a conversation I had last winter with the mom of one of our graduates who is now a student at Case Western Reserve. She told me, 'You know, Mr. Waler, the 'A' students at Case go to the academic support center, not just the 'D' students. The strong students seek out the support because they want to reach new levels of excellence."

The seven-block option will also help students assume more responsibility for managing their workloads and stress levels—important skills crucial to success in college and adult life.

"Interestingly, a study on students' personal and emotional preparation for college was just released this week," Mr. Waler said. "The majority of college students in the study reported that they were inadequately prepared to manage their time, to make good decisions to solve their own problems, to take initiative to seek the help they need to succeed, and to bounce back from temporary setbacks and failures."

According to one of the sponsors of the study, adults need to provide high school students with opportunities to manage their responsibilities with increasing independence so that they will have practice in developing the skills needed to manage sleep, stress, nutrition, money, time, relationships, conflict, failure, and more.

Mr. Waler and Mrs. Teeples noted that a few NDCL students are already experiencing some of the possibilities of the seven-block option. Students with a tutoring block have always had seven classes, and students returning from long-term illnesses frequently have one or more unscheduled blocks for a semester. This year the 60+ students taking a Notre Dame College psychology course on our campus through College Credit Plus have a seven-block schedule.