Otherwise, students can choose an enrichment class to attend, complete homework, or work on class projects. Schools should be able to clearly identify why they want to do flex time. The next year my district made a commitment to flexible seating by equipping every classroom with seating options and chairs on wheels. Despite the Flex Mod structure not taking off, its likely that the Flex Time that was offered in this more complicated schedule led to Flex Periods being implemented in the more traditional block schedules that most US schools use today, as most of the benefits are still achieved while minimizing the challenges presented by the other schedule. This school also has four lunch periods built into their day, allocating only 24 minutes for each. Private English Tutoring. In this 4 week flex class, learners will discover life in the middle ages and participate in creative projects to explore the time period. A start-of-class seating chart and routine, Guidelines for where/how students may work, Consequences for abuse of the seating options. Middle School Schedule Examples - Enriching Students With teacher direction, they may move to specified options. They may even need teachers or other staff to help them with their selections each week. In this model, students are expected to eat lunch during one of the two options and attend a tutoring, enrichment, or extracurricular session during the other, but it is common for students to take two lunch periods as well. This movement created challenges accounting for students and resulted in time wasted, so they moved to a system that allowed students to get daily assignments that prioritized students with a specific request for each day. This flexibility includes being able to move again if their current location isnt working for them. In these situations, usually, students are divided up, often by grade level, and have access to only one of the two periods with only some of the teachers being available on each period. New to Flex Periods but want to know more? Cruising for Skills on MS Word - Pt 1 for Middle School - Flex PDF NMSA Research Summary - Flexible Scheduling (January 2007) - AMLE If youre feeling stuck, our 19 Benefits of Flex Periods post might be a good place to spur some ideas. 4 FLVS as Homeschool 5 Elementary FLVS Flex 5.1 What do the Elementary FLVS Flex assignments look like: 6 Middle School FLVS Flex 6.1 Example FLVS Middle School Assignment 7 Submitting FLVS reports to your county 8 Support for FLVS parents FLVS is short for Florida Virtual School, which is really a fancy name for online school. High School. Depending on school size, these tasks might be held by a single person or delegated across a group depending on which pieces mostly align with their regular role in the school. For schools that leverage time coinciding with lunch, Lunch & Learn and SMART Lunch are both popular. Students are able to play in the gym (among the most popular choices) while others attend club meetings. There are a few challenges to consider when first implementing FLEX time at the middle school level. Flexible classrooms give students a choice in what kind of learning space works best for them, and help them to work collaboratively, communicate, and engage in critical thinking. require some new roles and actions from your staff, Hastings High started their intervention period as an HR where students reported to the same teacher each day and could get passes to travel to teachers they needed help from on assignments. Then there are the logistics. Flex time is there for whatever a student needs most. M/J Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Learning Strategies. Completion Part III. Which are off-limits during this time? Learn more about FLVS by watching a video overview or browse our school options by grade level. Homeschool Families - FLVS - Florida Virtual School A Flex Time Amount is a predetermined period of time in the daily schedule (typically between 20 and 45 minutes) during which students can visit a different location each day (as opposed to always going to math for their first period, for instance). To create flex time in their school, they could shorten each period to 42 minutes. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Most commonly, flex time is implemented once per day, five days per week. All rights reserved. Learning a new language can open doors to the world, and with Florida Virtual School, students can learn onlineanytime, anywhere. Let's Be Real. What does this look like? We offer a variety of world language courses to students in elementary, middle, and high school. FLVS - Florida Virtual School | Grades K-12 Online During the school day, students have the option to participate in Flex Time. Through this new structure, the school has transformed its intervention period to support their students in ways that were much more challenging before, especially tier 2 type interventions. But the research on flexible classrooms is frustratingly scarce. And if youre wondering if theyre possible in virtual or distance learning environments, check out our How to Run Virtual Flex Periods post. Other schools have divided up their lunch periods into two periods within one. Understanding the FLEX period. Quick User Guide. You will leave TLA's Resources and Guidance site. Flexible seating options include: Working at tables or traditional chairs with attached desktops. They also found a 31% increase over the year (from 46.8% to 77.8%) in students balancing their school workload and managing their personal interests. A downfall of this model, though, is of a teacher teaches across grade levels and is not free when flex time falls. Additionally, the school uses the time to perform interventions for students who have not become proficient on power essentials and/or learning targets deemed necessary for student success in the coming grades. Their intervention time on Tuesdays and Thursdays is spent matching students with teachers they need more support from, usually for more traditional interventions, tutoring, and small group instruction. It is one of the most important and impactful scheduling tweaks that can be made throughout the school day. The school chose to schedule it for 29 minutes, compared to the 48 minutes given to their eight other periods dedicated to regular classes. Teachers can use this time to allow students to work on special projects, or teach social-emotional lessons. These five minutes, from 8 periods, could be combined to create a 40 minute 9th period for flex time. PRISM students need to notify their teachers at least 24 hours in advance of a PRISM class. The exception to this is on Mondays, where students do not have a Tutorial Period or independent work time, and instead of attending half their traditional classes for longer periods on alternate days, they have all six of their traditional classes for shorter periods and get out early. What are the conditions needed for success? Another challenge when first implementing FLEX periods in middle school, is that students often are not ready to make independent decisions about their academic needs. Check out the, Want more details on where to find the time for flex periods? Flex time in schools not only allows for more productivity throughout the day, but also for students to have more freedom and flexibility. The school chose to schedule it for 30 minutes, compared to the 47-51 minutes given to their seven other periods dedicated to traditional classes. Teachers generally have a set schedule for when they offer sessions to ensure they get a designated lunchtime each day which gives students the option to choose whether theyd like to take A or B lunch. They also chose to include it at the end of the day, right before school lets out. For instance, this could look like Test Retake Day on Monday, Tuesday; Intervention Day Tuesday, Assignment Make-up Day on Thursday and Enrichment Day Friday. Use data to put students into small groups for instruction. The author's classroom, ready to go for the new year. Many districts opt to use their flex time at the start of the day instead. They happily cleaned it up at the end of class and repeated the process every extended writing time. Period three could be school-wide flex time for 6th grade, period four for 7th, and period five for 8th. Finding the appropriate place to schedule flex time in school is as critical to its success as finding the time in general. Welcome to Florida Virtual School. Create Your Own Path. Tammy teaches business courses at the post-secondary and secondary level and has a master's of business administration in finance. Lastly, Flex Periods also require some new roles and actions from your staff to ensure they are executed according to plan. Please sign up below. Do our expectations change with seating options? Scheduling FLEX periods in middle school gives students time during the school day to participate in extension activities that may be unavailable to them if they were held after school. Flexible seating can add a wrinkle to classroom management, but with careful planning and clear expectations, our students will rise to the occasion and use flexible seating to improve their own learning environment. Next, craft a purpose statement that feels right and you can come back to throughout the next steps in the process. Giving students more time to work with each other and their teachers is a mutually beneficial situation for all those involved. While you might also want to bring some other people into this process, we recommend keeping the group somewhat small at this point, with your leadership team, or even a subgroup of them, being a great place to start. They also have four classes that operate on a block schedule that changes at the semester. Starting here will help guide you through each subsequent step, even if you decide to jump between steps a bit to fit your needs. Finding ways to make the school day conducive to learning, while maximizing the time that students are spending engaged with learning that matters is a fine balance. We hope that these examples have been helpful as you consider your own schedule, whether or not you already have a Flex Period. To get started, first, reflect on why you think starting (or keeping) a Flex Period is important, what you hope it accomplishes, and the impact you hope to see in the short- and long-term. There are plenty of studies that isolate the effects of light, acoustics, or air quality on learning. Assigned seats also address what is often an invisible issue for many students: the social anxiety that comes with entering a room and not knowing where to sit. Take true ownership of your education by creating your own schedule and working at your own pace. A middle school teacher shares the benefits of giving students voice and choice in their learning environment. A fun way to train students to move seats into various configurations is with Desk Olympics. While these can look slightly different in each school, usually the purpose is similar: to give students more tailored support and the ability to express their agency by exploring their interests. Take charge of your enrichment - plan ahead! Join. What Is Flex Time In School? - Kentucky Charters It empowers teachers to give students what they really need time, during the school day. See how you can take a traditional schedule, and add Flex Time! What kinds of sessions are considered most important? Wed recommend one to three and ensure they reiterate whatever your current goals are for the school as a whole. The principal believes its made a big difference and is happy to see that their scores on their state report card reflect this as well. Flex Time in Middle & High Schools - Enriching Students They ask teachers to monitor which students are proficient and which arent. Most schools leverage online documents or spreadsheets (like Google Docs), but schools should leverage whatever is easiest and most routine for their context. Scheduling a variety of activity types weekly is also imperative if you want your FLEX time to be successful. By having flex time in your school, students may subconsciously, and perhaps even overtly, learn how to balance the minutes in a day. gives students the choice of enrichment activities, The Challenges and Benefits of a Zero Period Class. This is a blended learning program where a student can take courses online. Critical components to making flex time successful are, first, identifying the reasons for creating flex time, and the goals that you want achieved with that time. In the example below, this Wisconsin-based school has a single Flex Period called Academic Focus. FLEX time in middle school is beneficial for many reasons. In this example from a California-based school, they have a single Flex Period, where they chose to schedule it for 27 minutes, compared to the other six 50-54 minute periods dedicated to traditional classes. You also will likely go through some iterations of the schedule, especially as you bring more people into the process, and thats OK. Getting buy-in from your team and community is among the most important steps in this process, but its worth noting that while you should start it early, it is an ongoing process that takes time. This school has three lunch periods of 30 minutes each built into their 5th period. Homeschooling Isn't Easy. It can also spark a new idea for making it work by seeing another model that organizes it in a way you hadnt yet thought of. Below is a sample graphic organizer you can try, or feel free to. A/B Block School Schedule | Unlocking Time | Unlocking Time Schedule 1 - 1 Flex, 6 Classes, + 1 Lunch, Schedule 2 - 1 Flex, 7 Classes, + 3 Lunches, Schedule 3 - 1 Flex, 4 Classes, + 3 Lunches (Block Schedule), Schedule 4 - 1 Flex, 7 Classes, + 3 Lunches, Schedule 5 - 2 Flex, 3-4 Classes, + 1 Lunch (Virtual Schedule), Schedule 6 - 1 Flex, 4-6 Classes, + 1 Lunch (Virtual Block Schedule), Schedule 7 - 1 Flex, 6 Classes, + 2 Lunch (Block Schedule), We hope that these examples have been helpful as you consider your own schedule, whether or not you already have a Flex Period. Figuring out the most productive time in the school day is essential to student success and the effectiveness of the flex period. There are a few places to start looking when considering the best ways to fit flex time into the school day. Students should understand that their FLEX time is valuable, and should be held accountable for their attendance and participation. One strategy that continues to grow in popularity is implementing Flex Time Periods into their bell schedules, allowing teachers to get more time with the students that need it most while leaving room for student choice. You have been added to our mailing list. Understanding Flex Block Scheduling. Some students at this grade level may have a late arrival due to their required course load. Most schools give teachers and students some choice in the matter and try to prioritize teacher requests over student requests. And while many schools believe its a best practice to avoid the first or last period of the day to house your Flex Period because of the logistics that come with starting and ending the day, other schools find that these options work best for them for other reasons and are willing to make that tradeoff. Extra points for silence! FLEX is a structured and flexible way to implement this valuable time in the middle schools daily schedule. This could mean shaving a few minutes off of each period to create the necessary time for a flex period. They can learn how to properly allocate time in their day for things that they need to get done, and for enrichment. Each FLEX session scheduled should be intentional. Sit on it for a day or two. What Is Flexible Grouping? Across the country, schools are reevaluating strategies for meeting their students needs and reconsidering the role time plays in doing so. Below, this school in North Carolina has two 30-minute Flex Periods combined with their lunch periods, often referred to locally as a SMART Lunch model. Several factors determine whether your FLEX time will be successful in your middle school. Log In. M/J Spanish Intermediate. Below, see an animated example of how a school could divide a flex period into 3 sections A, B, and C, and rotate lunches and flex periods for different groups of students. All rights reserved. Book a free Flex Period strategy call here. FLVS is one of the world's leading online learning providers that delivers engaging and innovative experiences so students can enjoy a safe, reliable, and flexible education in a supportive environment. The Ultimate Guide to Flex Periods in Middle + High School Schedules. A schedule that includes flex time can take many shapes and forms. Its also important to remember that your staff likely has a lot of relationships with these groups and will need to address their concerns as you continue the process. Below are some of the most common ways schools create the time for their Flex Periods: Adapt your Homeroom or Advisory schedule*, Take 1 (or even 2) minutes from each passing period. Under the block schedule, middle or high school learners attend four classes every day for approximately 90 minutes per period. Flexible Seating Elevates Student Engagement | Edutopia Not only does this better prepare them for learning in college, but it could also allow them to get their High School diploma more quickly. This could replace having a daily homeroom period, or, homeroom could occur one or two times per week, and flex time during the other days. If you find that they are somehow totally unrelated to your schools current goals and vision, you should stop to consider if this is the right time to implement a Flex Period or the right strategy altogether. Weve broken down the steps needed to get one started, or ensure youre maximizing the one you already have, below: Below we expand on each of these to help guide you through the process, but if youd like a more in-depth take on how to get started or want a tool to guide you through each step in more detail, feel free to check out our How to Start a Flex Period post or download our Flex Period Planning Tool, which guides you through each step, feel free to do so. We track anonymous visitor behavior on our website to ensure you have a great experience. Plan your transition to flexible seating with: For more information about flexible environments, check out John Thomass post on flexible seating for first and second graders, and see these resources that he and I put together: Eighth-grade students in Laura Bradleys flexible classroom make themselves comfortable to work. We also recommend considering how to invest your early adopters first so they can help bring along those that might take a bit more convincing. Youll need to define the people and roles they should play. After getting the initial buy-in, administrators usually shift to the planning process, building out systems and seeking tools to ensure the Flex Time runs smoothly. We practice moving into the different formations, racing against the clock to see how fast we can finish. As you see from the above examples from schools across the country, there are several approaches middle schools take to implement Flex Time in their schedules, even if there is often less variation than we see in high schools. In the example below from Minnesota, the school has four Flex Periods, called Resource Periods, in their block schedule that consists of 4 regular classes, lasting 85 minutes each and changing at semester. While the format might vary from school to school, the purpose remains the same: to give students a chance to follow their own interests and manage their own learning time. Typically a FLEX period may be scheduled during the middle of the school day and lasts for about 30 minutes or so. FLVS Flex | Online Learning for Public, Private & Homeschool Students M/J Spanish Beginning. Is the class schedule flexible? In this lesson . 7 Middle School Schedules with Flex Periods, Adding a Flex Period to your schedule is becoming increasingly popular in middle schools across the country. Ultimate Guide to Flex Periods | Edficiency What exactly is Flex Time? With year-round, 24/7 access, you can complete courses on your schedule, finishing a course at an accelerated pace or taking extra time on difficult topics. Middle School Schedule Examples Home / Advisory, Enrichment, Flex Period, Intervention / Middle School Schedule Examples Many educators have grown accustomed to a traditional period schedule for middle school. Edutopia and Lucas Education Research are trademarks or registered trademarks of the George Lucas Educational Foundation in the U.S. and other countries. I was already experimenting with flexible seating in my eighth-grade English classroom when I saw a video about combating writers block by working in a box castle. Flex time usually lasts for 30-45 minutes. But despite the differences, the purpose is often the same: to provide additional opportunities for students to get the support they need and have a choice in how they spend a part of their school day. Initially, implementing FLEX time can be challenging because it may be difficult to find time in the daily schedule for it. For students in grades 6-12, we offer more than 190 online middle and high school coursesall free to Florida students*. Every day they have a single, 30-minute Flex Hour in their schedule at 9:50 and two 30-minute lunches, all of which remain at the same time every day regardless of whether it is a block day or not. They then give their PROWL Period a pretty standard 30 minutes in the mid-morning between traditional classes. Starting a flex period at (school name) will enable us to (insert primary purpose), while also (insert secondary purposes, if applicable). Fortunately, there is also software designed for this specific purpose that will simplify and organize this process to make it easier for you and your team. I didnt want to assume they were off-task, but I also couldnt help them with their work if I couldnt see their screens. a science class could have a lecture from 9:00-9:40 on Mondays, another at 2:00-3:10 on Tuesdays, and a lab on Fridays from 10:00-11:30). This means that students are consistently able to engage with the topics that their flex periods were designed for. We also highly recommend that you make your goals SMART. If youre unfamiliar with what SMART goals are, we recommend spending a few minutes familiarizing yourself with that concept through a quick web search (or you can check out, After gaining clarity around what you want to accomplish by implementing a Flex Period, creating a draft schedule is a great next step, as it will help answer questions youll likely get from your staff, students, or broader school community as you start building buy-in with them (step 3). Scheduling issues may initially be a challenge for both teachers and students as they learn the system. Annapolis, MD All of the high schools in the district run on an A/B schedule. Has COVID-19 forced your school to use virtual instruction? What is FLVS (Florida Virtual School) and how does it work?

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