This afternoon, business teacher Nathan Tackett proposed a modified A/B block schedule to the SBDM council in the library with hopes of giving teachers more time for planning during the school day and opening up elective course options for students.

Tackett’s proposal of an A/B block schedule included alternating “Red” and “Gold” days, and in these separate days students would trade meeting with four out of their eight enrolled classes. Included within the daily schedule, students would meet with their homerooms everyday for 20 minutes, and once a week students would have a “Charger Connect” day. In these days, students would have the opportunity to have remediation and enrichment for subjects of their choice.

Guidance Counselor Crystal Barr expressed her concern for the impact this A/B block schedule would have on Dual Credit students. Although under this new schedule students would have more options for elective courses, Dual Credit at Bullitt East would not longer be an option for students due to the availability of professors, taking away an opportunity for students to earn college credit in their high school years.

Some of the other concerns that were expressed by attendees were how we would alter the schedule around standardized testing days, how student organization would be impacted and how many instructional hours teachers would ultimately be losing.

Some of the components within Tackett’s proposed A/B block schedule were praised by the group, like the “Charger Connect” days and the idea of students meeting in homerooms everyday. However, as a whole the group agreed that this A/B block schedule was a far jump from the schedule that the school is now on and possibly making smaller changes to the traditional 7 block schedule may be more effective.

Updates on this subject will be made as the SBDM council furthers their discussion.