The relationship between schedule type and ACT Assessment scores: A longitudinal study

Abstract

This study investigated trends in the mean ACT Assessment scores of 450 public high schools in Illinois and Iowa, according to how they scheduled classes. The schools continuously employed either a traditional eight-period daily schedule, 4 x 4 semester schedule, or an eight-block alternating day block schedule. Seven years of data were available for the blocked schools, representing 2 years preimplementation through 4 years postimplementation. The eight-period schools demonstrated a slight upward trend in mean ACT scores over time, regardless of content area. The eightblock schools demonstrated some variability in mean ACT scores, but increased little over time. After reaching a peak at or near the year of implementation, the 4 x 4 semester block schools demonstrated a generally declining trend in mean ACT scores across tests. With the exception of Reading, mean ACT scores rebounded somewhat at the fourth year postimplementation for the 4 x 4 semester block schools. (Contains 7 figures and 37 references.) (Author/SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

Considering District and School Factors and Their Relationship to ACT Performance in North Carolina: An Examination of the ACT Pilot Results

“…In contrast to the lack of research understanding district factors and student performance, there has been a great deal of research on the relationship between school related factors and student achievement. The research has pointed to the influence of student wealth, race, school size, curriculum, teacher preparation, and other variables that were found to predict a reasonable degree of student outcomes [6][7][8][9][10]. For example, Ma and Klinger, in their study of New Brunswick Schools, found that how student and school factors influenced achievement varied over the type of academics examined such that race, gender, and wealth of students is seen as significant predictors of performance.…”

The Impact of Block Scheduling on Agricultural Education: A Nine Year Comparative Study

“…In 1997, Skrobarcek reported high school students taking Algebra I in a block schedule had a higher rate of failure than those on a traditional schedule (Lawrence & McPherson, 2000). Problems with block scheduling may be due to transition time, stress at the beginning of the implementation process and difficulty for teachers to adapt (Harmston, Pliska, Ziomeck & Hackman, 2003;Spencer & Lowe, 1994).…”