After a comprehensive study of the district’s high school master schedule during the spring and summer of 2015, the district has decided to return to A/B block scheduling next year.

“I look forward to the change (because) it’s going to be good for all and students are going to like it too,” teacher Heather Hogue said.

After several parent complaints about the current schedule of nine, 45-minute class periods, the district held focus group discussions, which involved student, parents and teachers, before the decision was finalized.

“I feel pretty content about the changing,” junior Celine Pham said. “It’s going to give us more time to focus on a specific subject. We will probably have the same amount of homework, however longer to do them.”

Students will take four different blocks on “A” and “B” days.

“It’s more like college and it will keep them from getting overwhelmed with eight classes of homework on one night,” Hogue said. “Overall, it will reduce stress and help improve student grades.”

Each class will be 90 minutes and lunch will last 45.

“The time can drag if students are not given a variety of activities to do,” Hogue said. “I plan on doing a lot more cooperative learning (and) moving around the classroom, so that students don’t fall asleep and can stay engage in the material. There’s a lot more work for the teacher.”

The change will still allow students to have access to Ben Barber Career Tech, dual credit, College Board advanced placement and quality co-curricular and extra-curricular programs.

“We hope students don’t have to sacrifice classes that they want,” Lead Counselor Schmeka Salgado said. “When those dilemmas arise, we’re going to try to fix the situation as best as we can.”

Salgado said the hardest scheduling problem will be double blocking athletics and band.

“We’re going to have to make some considerations and talk to coaches and instructors about how we can make a student’s schedule work,” she said.

Junior Lauren Garza said double blocking softball would be helpful.

“This change will help us get more reps in and break down fundamentals since we have time to focus on different things,” junior Lauren Garza said. “We will also have time for study hall which will help us stay on top of our grades because, as athletes, the student part is first.”

All high school campuses will start and end the day at the same times as this year.

“We already practice every day but this allows us to focus on different things rather than in a short class period we could only concentrate on one thing at a time,” Garza said.

The change will consist of 16 weeks in the fall semester and 21 weeks in the spring, instead of being balanced out 18 to 18.

“I do not like the schedule change during my final year of high school,” Garza said. “I like how our schedule is now.”

Pham said she was concerned about the way the block schedule will effect absences.

“It may be harder if you miss school a couple of days because there will be more to learn in one class period,” she said.

Many questions remain like when progress reports will go out because of different grading periods and how a longer second semester will work but those details will be decided this summer.

“It will take some time to get used to,” Garza said. “But hopefully this will be beneficial to all.”