Dothan tech schools: Block scheduling change hasn’t had negative impact on career tech program

By Jim Cook

Published: June 23, 2008

When the Dothan City School Board voted to go from block scheduling to a seven-period day, some career technical program teachers predicted the move would cause an enrollment decrease in their programs.

The opposite appears to be happening, based on preliminary enrollment reports.

According to Sylvia Shepherd, Dothan Technology Center guidance counselor, about 1,400 students are signed up to take classes at DTC throughout the 2008-2009 school year. That’s an increase of about 200-300 students over the usual total.

The board voted 6-1 in May to change its high school class schedule from four 96-minute blocks to seven 55-minute periods.

The city schools administration recommended the change, saying the new schedule would allow daily reinforcement in academic courses and save money because the seven-period scheme would require fewer teachers. School officials have estimated that over time the change could save $1 million in personnel costs.

Students initiated a petition effort to ask the city school board to reconsider their decision. According to the students, the change would negatively impact students because it reduces the number of courses students could take over the course of their high school careers, increases their workload and reduces class time for lab activities and projects. Under the four-block system, students take four complete courses per semester, which allows them to take eight courses per year. The seven-period schedule would have students take seven classes over the course of an entire school year.

Shepherd said the seven-period day plan allows students to use two periods of their day for a DTC class. That two-period class allows them to spend the same amount of time in their DTC class, and receive a full credit hour at the end of each semester. In other classes, students only earn half a credit per semester. Shepherd said the two-period, one credit option could be credited for the rise in student enrollment.

“It’s essentially going to be the same for us,” she said.

Houston County also recently went from a four-block to a seven-period schedule. Houston County School Superintendent Tim Pitchford said the shift had not impacted student enrollment at the county’s career technical center in Ashford.

According to Pitchford, the schedule shift had actually allowed the center to offer more classes because of greater flexibility in scheduling afforded by the seven-period regime.