Kalamazoo Public Schools Move to New Middle School Schedule

KPS middle schools will move from a seven-period day with every other day (EOD) classes to a six-period day without EOD classes in the fall of 2010. The new schedule provides 40 more minutes a day in the content areas of language arts, math, science, and social studies. Each period increases from 48 to 58 minutes a day under the new schedule. The change in schedule also provides the district the opportunity to double-block (provide two periods of instruction to) those students who need additional support in language arts or math.

In a similar process to that which took place to change the high school schedule, effective September 2010, from two four-period semesters a year to three five-period trimesters a year, the district had a committee to study middle school structure. The result of that committee’s work was a recommendation to move to a six-period day. This effort represented a significant collaboration between district administration and the Kalamazoo Education Association to improve time use and by extension student achievement within the constraints of district financial resources. According to much educational research, instructional time on task is a major factor in boosting student achievement.