Revamp High School Schedules to Minimize Contact

Schedules
Written By Samantha Artukovich

Milford High School switched to a 4x4 schedule for the 2020-2021 school year to minimize risk of spreading COVID-19, believing this schedule would benefit students academically in response to the conditions caused by the pandemic. Milford chose not to cohort students (i.e., keep students with one set of peers throughout the day when they are attending in person) to make sure students were able to choose the courses they wanted to take (e.g., electives) and were ready to take (e.g., AP courses).

Previously, Milford had followed a schedule under which students attended seven different courses every single day throughout the entire school year. In the new 4x4 model, students enroll in four courses per semester that meet for a longer period of time and then enroll in four new courses in the second semester. Since students are only in four courses at a time, this schedule reduces the number of contacts for students compared to their previous schedule. An added benefit of the 4x4 schedule is the reduction in courses a student is asked to focus on, further supporting students as they make the transition to remote, asynchronous learning.

Milford also made this schedule switch to minimize the number of courses that students were taking at one time online. In Milford’s hybrid model, students are at school in person either on Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday. All students are remote for a shortened instructional day on Wednesdays, and some students have opted into remote instruction for all school days. There is also the possibility that if COVID-19 cases spike, all classes would be fully remote for all students. 

The following tables demonstrate Milford’s schedule in detail.

Chart with four columns - one blank, Time, Lunch, and Time again. The first blank column is labeled with periods, and the information is as follows: Passing (10 min): 7:40-7:50 am; Period 1 (80 min): 7:50-9:10 am; Passing (7 min): 9:10-9:17 am; Peri…

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
(Hybrid Model)

 

Wednesdays (All Students Remote):

Table - Period 1 (50 min): 8-8:50 am; Break 8:50-9 am; Period 2 (50 min): 9-9:50 am; Break 9:50-10am; Period 3 (50 min): 10-10:50 am; Break 10:50-11 am; Period 4 (50 min): 11-11:50 am.

Here are some sample schedules for students participating in the hybrid learning model:

Typical 9th Grade Schedule - Period 1, Terms 1 and 2: English 9; Period 1, Terms 3 and 4: Algebra; Period 1, Period 2, Term 1: Wellness, Period 2, Term 2: Art; Period 2, Term 3: Directed Study; Period 2, Term 4: Robotics; Period 3, Terms 1 and 2: Hi…
Typical 11th Grade Schedule 1 - Period 1, Terms 1-4: AP Language and Composition; Period 2, Term 1: Sociology; Period 2, Term 2: Yoga; Period 2, Terms 3 and 4: Physics; Period 3, Terms 1 and 2: Pre-Calculus; Period 3, Term 3: Directed Study; Period …

Notice the variance in length of courses. Advanced Placement courses are slotted for the entire school as Milford’s school leader felt a full year would be necessary to prepare students for AP exams. On the opposite end, elective courses meet for half a semester. 

Milford plans to return to their traditional schedule next school year.

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Samantha Artukovich
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