Every other week in April, I beg my parents to let me skip school. The reason is clear: superblocks. The two-hour-long blocks, dubbed “superblocks,” dominate the schedule from Wednesday to Friday. On Fridays, there is one superblock, and all other classes are shortened to 30 minutes. This is done to accommodate the sophomores and juniors taking the MCAs. The current MCA schedule needs to be adjusted for next year to reduce teachers’ stress, minimize student absences, and make classes worthwhile for freshmen and seniors.
First, the superblock schedule is unfair to the people who do not take the MCAs. Students have to sit through long, tiring classes. The two-hour-long schedule gives students few breaks throughout the day, leading to worse concentration in class.
A study published by the National Library of Medicine found that forcing teens to sit for long periods of time can affect cognitive function. This is especially when it comes to memory and attention span, meaning the two-hour blocks only make it harder to learn effectively and cause more harm than good for students
Additionally, the MCAs put stress on teachers. Many don’t have enough work for students to fill the block. So, they try to teach two or even three lessons in one block, which is exhausting for students as they try to remember such a large amount of information.
The only other option is for teachers to give one lesson and give students an activity, which is less overwhelming. However, this rarely fills a two-hour block, and students ultimately end up with free time, which leads to boredom, as they eventually run out of things to do.
Even more so, on Fridays, when the seventh-period superblock starts the day, and students return for 30 minutes, teachers struggle with finding a lesson or activity short enough to fit their class periods. This leads to even more work time for students, who simply waste time sitting in school without learning.
As a result, many students will choose to stay home during certain superblock days or leave school early, because they don’t see the point in staying for another two hours of a short lesson and more work time. Students then miss out on vital learning and are encouraged to continue this behavior.
To limit teachers’ stress and reduce boredom in students, the MCAs could be condensed into one or two weeks to limit the number of two-hour classes. By reducing to two superblock weeks, students can minimize testing stress while maximizing effective class time. This way, the math and reading MCAs would be taken one week, science would be taken the next, and students can gain back a week of normal class periods
To combat this, another solution is half days. In the morning, sophomores and juniors would take the MCAs, and students could have the option to either go home or stay for office hours with available teachers. This would be extremely helpful to students, especially with finals and AP exams coming up in the next month.
To reduce absences, lesson teachers’ stress, and make classes beneficial for those not taking the MCAs, the superblock schedule needs to be changed.
