SHS Bell Schedule Frequently Asked Questions

Rush-Henrietta Senior High School plans to move to a new bell schedule in September 2024. This means we will move from 80-minute blocks to 42-minute periods. Rush-Henrietta strives to create the best learning environment for all students. Evidence-based practices help us inform decisions that strengthen classroom instruction. We use data from student outcomes to evaluate the learning environment we provide, and examine best practices to identify ways to improve the educational experience in R-H.

The discussion about moving away from the block schedule to a period bell schedule began more than a year ago. This was done only after careful consideration of many factors including student performance data, schedule flexibility, attendance, and more. Knowing that change isn’t always easy, we surveyed faculty, students, and families to identify concerns. By seeking other perspectives, we can identify potential needs and make a plan to address them. Rest assured your feedback is being heard and taken into consideration throughout this process. Below are answers to many questions recently submitted to the principal. NOTE: This document will be updated as needed. Any answers that have been revised will be noted.

Q: Will the school start and end times change?
A: We are not proposing a change to start and end times.

Q: Will students have eight classes each day?
A: The new period bell schedule will most likely run on a four-day schedule (A, B, C, D.) Most students will have six classes during two of these days and seven on the other two. Seniors may have fewer classes, as would those who take college courses. Students who wish to take additional classes may schedule for eight periods. The period schedule offers additional flexibility to take electives.

Q: How will changing the bell schedule benefit our students?
A: We see a number of positive changes. For example:

• The period schedule provides more instructional time in more frequent, smaller chunks.

• A daily period schedule allows for consistent reflection by both students and teachers. It also allows for an immediate restart and review the following day. 

• The daily schedule helps with pacing, making it easier to present the entire curriculum and still have review time prior to end-of-year exams, especially Regents.

• The daily schedule reduces the extraordinary effect a single absence has on the classes missed in a block schedule.

• The period schedule strengthens our science classes with additional minutes.

• The flexibility created by the period schedule allows interested students to take more classes, especially electives and college courses that are of particular interest to them.

• Here is an example of newfound flexibility: The block schedule forced us to schedule 40 extra minutes of PE during every six-day cycle that are not required by the state. We will reclaim this time and make it available for classes and electives students want to take. 

• The period schedule allows us to create multiple PE offerings, such as modified or adaptive PE instruction, to service students with unique interests or requests.

• The flexibility of the schedule allows us to increase our use of shared staff and address the teacher shortage affecting all schools across the state. This is not a primary reason for the schedule change, but it is a positive and welcome side effect. 

Q: I’m concerned that student learning and achievement will suffer.
A: We believe academic achievement will increase. With daily classroom contact, students will learn the material and solidify learning on a daily basis rather than every other day. It is easier for most students to learn smaller chunks of information given today’s limited attention spans.  Some believe a teenager’s attention span can be measured in minutes by taking their age and adding two. That means a 16-year-old has an 18-minute attention span. Others think it is longer, between 32 and 48 minutes. In either case, these estimates track with our proposed 42-minute periods.  Measures for success are being established now so we can track our progress. 

Q: Is there academic data to show that this change is wise?
A: We have examined empirical evidence from a number of local high schools that adhere to a period bell schedule. In many cases, students in those schools are outperforming ours. We can help address this by using a period bell schedule. We believe this schedule would help more of our students reach mastery levels of learning, a marker demonstrating the depth of the content students were able to learn. 

Q: Will seniors still be able to take early dismissal?
A: Yes, as well as late entry, depending upon when their first class begins.

Q: What will the advisory period (traditionally known as 5th block) look like?
A: Advisory period will be 30 to 35 minutes long and will remain at the end of the day.

Q: Are the opinions of students, parents, and staff really being taken into account?
A: The concerns you have shared are documented and have made us all think more on how to implement the change. There are several examples of how your comments have made us rethink the design of the schedule as well as the plan for professional development with staff.  Because of your feedback, we are:

• keeping the advisory period at the end of the day.  

• soliciting other schools to talk with staff and students so they can share their experiences from the schedules they live in daily. 

• promoting the RIT and U of R partnership through more avenues.  

• planning to host Grade-Level Team Meetings (something that could never be done in a block schedule) that allows core teachers to get together to plan homework assignments and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) on a weekly basis. 

• better addressing the mental health needs of students by providing more flexibility in our daily schedule to address individual needs.  

• thoughtfully considering homework assignments and their timing. Our AP teachers will be invited to meet with AP teachers from other local high schools to learn best practices when it comes to helping students find a balance with homework on a period schedule.

• considering 20, 30, (& 40) week Assessments that parallel Regents Assessments so students have the experience of longer assessments at least two times a year prior to final exams.

Q: How will the shorter class periods impact longer science labs and food science classes?
A: Science lab time has the potential to increase from 80 minutes to 126 minutes in a six-day cycle. However, there is also potential to average 63 minutes over that same time span. Science teachers and program directors meet to discuss these things on a regular basis. There is potential for the contact time to remain at 126 minutes in either scenario. In non-lab courses, such as food science, teachers will adapt activities to fit within these shorter class periods. These same classes occur at other high schools in Monroe County and we are reaching out to schools now to assist with planning with our teachers in the very near future. (Rev. 1/26)   

Q: How will music lessons and rehearsals work with the shortened class times?
A: Students will still be required to take lessons. While we would like for them to be prioritized to be scheduled during study halls and advisory periods, this may not be possible. We will continue to be flexible based on student needs. Since classes will be held every day, there is greater opportunity to catch up on missed instruction. (Rev. 1/30)  

Q: I’m concerned with the amount of homework being given each day. How will teachers balance assignments and expectations, particularly with AP classes?
A: Teachers are discussing how to assign homework to avoid overburdening students. Teachers listened to concerns at a recent shared-decision-making meeting. Solutions include coordinating major assignments so they fall during different times in the curriculum by content area. Grade-level team meetings can happen weekly once we have a flexible schedule. At these meetings, one topic for discussion will be how much homework each teacher is giving so the teachers can plan around one another. Another topic will be major assignments and how to rearrange due dates to work around one another. This will be crucial to our efforts, even though one could argue that students juggling multiple assignments is an important skill for lifelong learning. We are also talking about homework completion and the amount given in AP courses.

Q: How many lunch periods will there be? How much time will students have for lunch?
A: There will be three lunch periods, just like there are now. Lunch will remain 30 minutes long.

Q: Will additional passing times throughout the day increase potential for misbehaving?
A: That is on our radar and something that we are responsible for managing. Nothing is more paramount than student safety. We have had meetings with our safety team and we know that staffing in this area will improve.  

Q: Will passing time be decreased to accommodate the increase in class periods?
A: No. Passing time will still be five minutes between classes.

Q: Students do not have time to go to lockers between classes now and carry everything with them all day. With all classes each day they will carry twice as many books and notebooks which can be a heavy load and not good for their backs.
A: Most classes no longer use heavy textbooks. A Chromebook, notebook, and writing utensils are the norm now. However, students will have the same amount of time to go to their lockers as they have had in the past.  Our experience has been that, no matter how long the passing time is or the proximity of the locker to the class, students who carry a heavy load in their bookbags do not opt to use their locker.   

Q: The 80-minute classes prepared students for longer college classes. How will they be ready?
A: Not all college classes are longer. Some are an hour or less, while others can be as long as three hours. Being able to focus on instruction of any length is an important skill, and one which a 42-minute class period allows students to hone. For those students who wish to get a taste of college during high school, and experience sitting in a 75- to 120-minute class, our partnership with RIT and U of R for tuition-free classes will continue.  We encourage eligible students to take advantage of this opportunity. It will be easier to do under the period bell schedule!

Q: Will there still be no-movement restrictions 20 minutes at the beginning of class and 10 minutes at the end? Will limits on being able to visit the restroom during class time continue?
A: We would keep hallway restrictions for the first 10 minutes of class. With a 42-minute period, students will be required to be on time to class and remain in class for the first 10 minutes before bathroom or water breaks. Pre-passes, such as counseling passes, can be approved before the first 10 minutes (like they are now), and teacher discretion can override rules about the first 10 minutes. 

Q: Will students who have been a member of two music groups (a combination of band, chorus, and orchestra) still be able to participate in both and maintain a challenging course load?
A: Yes. Nothing changes in this regard. A potential schedule* for a student that has a full course load, more than one music class, and multiple APs might look like this:

*This is one of the most complicated schedules a student could have and everything still fits.
In this table, the yellow highlighting shows that two music classes are possible. The green highlighting indicates where classes vary from day to day. (Table Rev. 1/26)

Q: How often will students attend PE classes with the new schedule? Will the absent guidelines for physical education change? We get a zero for missing a class. What if we are sick for days?
A: Students will attend PE every other day for 42 minutes, or 126 minutes in a six-day cycle. The new schedule reduces PE class sizes and enhances our ability to tailor PE classes to better meet the needs of all students. Regarding PE absences, the agreements made between the department, principal, and others can change but are not related to the schedule change. Under the period schedule, three absences in a row due to illness has the potential to impact one or two days of makeup.   Under the block schedule, students are required to go through two or four make ups.

Q: How will this impact testing, as many tests take longer than 40 minutes to complete?
A: Program directors reviewed the period schedule and will meet with their departments to redesign required common assessments and create exams that fit within the new time frame.  Another potential solution we are exploring is to bring back midterm exams and/or 20- and 30-week tests in a modified schedule so students are exposed to 120- to 180-minute exams prior to the finals.  (Rev. 1/26)

Q: I am concerned about how hands-on classes such as art, wood tech, metal tech, and food science would work with that limited amount of time.
A: With our hands-on courses, teachers will adapt activities to fit within shorter class periods. These same classes occur successfully at other high schools, with which we are consulting.