At Marco Island Academy, students go through only four classes a day, contrary to the typical seven periods. This means that class times are longer and the classes change after winter break. Compared to other schools in Collier County, most have a seven period schedule, where classes are 45 minutes to an hour long and they take the same courses all year. I personally believe that a four block schedule is way more beneficial to students than a seven period one for a variety of reasons.

At the end of a day, a four block schedule allows students to earn one extra credit by the end of the year. This is equivalent to four extra credits obtained in the duration of a student’s high school career. These four extra credits let students get ahead and gain possible dual enrollment opportunities. This benefits students by allowing them to get ahead in college credits as they obtain additional credits while taking dual enrollment classes.

To accommodate the shorter schedule, classes at MIA are longer – 88 minutes to be exact. This can be a burden to new students at first, especially those who are not used to a four block schedule. However, longer classes provide students with more time to get work done. It is likely that teachers will assign the same amount of work as they would a seven period class, as they do have other classes to focus on. But, because of the longer periods, teachers have more time to be more in-depth with their lessons, allowing for higher learning for each student. They are also more likely to get done early, which is not always available in a seven period schedule. Getting done early allows students to bond with their teachers and their peers while also getting ahead with work. Block schedules improve interpersonal relationships between students and staff, which does have its possible benefits (like teacher recommendations).

The administrators of the school that organize the schedules for students can also arrange which classes are in which semester, depending on the date of the AICE (or AP) exam or state tests. For example, If a student’s test is in May, they wouldn’t want to have their English class in the fall semester, as they may forget some of the information. This allows for students to be more prepared for those exams. If a student has these classes year-round, they would still have the class by the time the test comes, but students may need to go over the information taught at the beginning of the year, which can affect their test scores. This also takes up a lot of time that could be used learning newer material about the subject.

This schedule also benefits the teachers of the school as well. Having a four block schedule allows for teachers to see less students during the semester, meaning less stress for them. They can dedicate this spare time to make the lessons more in-depth and create extra studying opportunities for their students. The grading will be more accurate, the lessons more thought out, and the teachers will have less stress because of the smaller amount of students they would have. They also have a planning period, so technically they will only have three classes to focus on, not four, which can benefit both the teacher and the student.

Most students believe that the shorter classes are more beneficial because of a short attention span, but this would end up with them having more work to do at home. A school day is still a school day, after all. Students are still there 7-8 hours every weekday. The way Marco Island Academy creates the schedule for students is one of the more convenient ways for all of the staff and all of the students in the school. Logically, a four block schedule is better than a seven period one.