Hello,
I have a bit of a complicated schedule. My high school runs a hybrid block schedule (MWF are 80 minute blocks) and T/TH are 8 period days. The elementary school only runs the 8 period days. However, I need to share specials teachers (Music, Art, PE). The schedule on T/TH aligns between the HS and the elementary. How do I set this up?
Thanks in advance!
Josh
Hello, Josh (
@jater ),
I could use some documents showing past timetables (email if private, attached here if not). But I will try to answer without them:
I suppose that the 80 minutes blocks days have say 6 time slots per day (T/Th). You could add 8 FET hours on each FET day, and put a not available on the last 2 days T/Th for HS.
But you need to "protect" the teachers on T/Th. This can be done by adding, for each Music/Art/PE teacher, for each T and Th, a few constraints activities occupy max time slots from selection. Activities = all the activities of that teacher, selected slots = two adjacent slots from T (respectively Th), max occupied = 1, so that the teacher is not present in two real hours at the same time. These slots are those overlapping. Quite many constraints to add from the interface...
I hope you understand my idea. It would have been easier if all HS was 80 minute blocks - you could have used the newly added constraint (in FET-6.17.0) teacher max 1 hours daily in hourly interval.
Please let me know.
How would I enter my hours per day (periods)?
Here are the two different schedules:
HIGH SCHOOL
(NOTE: The rotation works so that the periods even out every two weeks using the 3-day rotation listed below. Week one on Monday has periods 1,2,5,6. Wednesday has 3,4,7,8. Friday has 1,2,5,6. The second Monday then has 3,4,7,8. Second Wednesday has 1,2,5,6. Finally, second Friday has 3,4,7,8.)
M/W/F (80 minutes)
8:20 - 8:30 Homeroom
8:30 - 9:50 Periods 1 / 3
9:53 - 11:13 Periods 2 / 4
11:16 - 12:03 FLEX Period
12:03 - 12:43 Lunch
12:46 - 2:06 Periods 5/7
2:10 - 3:30 Periods 6/8
T/TH
8:20 - 9:03 Period 1
9:06 - 9:49 Period 2
9:48 - 10:04 Homeroom
10:07 - 10:50 Period 3
10:53 - 11:36 Period 4
11:39 - 12:22 Period 5
12:22 - 12:52 Lunch
12:55 - 1:38 Period 6
1:41 - 2:24 Period 7
2:27 - 2:40 Flex
2:43 - 3:26 Period 8
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8:20 - 9:01 Period 1
9:04 - 9:45 Period 2
9:48 - 10:06 Recess 1
10:09 - 10:50 Period 3
10:53 - 11:34 Period 4
11:37 - 12:09 Lunch
12:12 - 12:23 Period 5 A
12:22 - 12:53 Period 5 B
12:56 - 1:17 Period 6 A
1:17 - 1:37 Period 6 B
1:40 - 1:58 Recess 2
2:01 - 2:42 Period 7
2:45 - 3:26 Period 8
(**NOTE: Periods 5A/5B and 6A/6B are one period M/W/F and split into smaller periods T/TH where 5A is a short class and then 5B/6A/6B is a lengthened class for one grade and then 5A/5B/6A are a lengthened class for another grade and 6B is the shortened class for that grade).
My specials teachers are available on Tuesdays and Thursday's only where my high school take take the elementary teacher either period 4 or period 5.
YES - THIS IS A HIGHLY COMPLICATED SCHEDULE! Can you help?!
Thanks
Josh
Hello, Josh,
My previous post is wrong, probably, sorry.
Could you please explain:
1) In FET, an activity (lesson, event, etc.) is an essential component of the timetable. It has a fixed teacher(s), students set(s), and subject. It has a fixed duration. In your timetable, an exact activity can be placed at any time and it will have that duration? For instance, if placed on M Period 1 it lasts 80 minutes, but if placed on T Period 3 it lasts 43 minutes?
2) What is FLEX period?
3) I don't understand the rotation concept. Because Period 1 is at the same time as Period 3.
I will think of your problem in the next interval and let you know when I imagine something useful.
Here are my responses:
1) Yes, you are correct. This 'hybrid' schedule has become popular at least amount secondary schools in the United States.
2) FLEX period is a schedules 'activity' where students can choose to do a study hall, get tutoring help, do service, or another prescribed activity.
3) The Monday-Wednesday-Friday (MWF) rotation works so that the periods even out every two weeks using the 3-day rotation listed. Week one on Monday has periods 1,2,5,6. Wednesday has 3,4,7,8. Friday has 1,2,5,6. The second Monday then has 3,4,7,8. Second Wednesday has 1,2,5,6. Finally, second Friday has 3,4,7,8. At the end of the two weeks there has been the same amount of instruction time for all 8 periods.
Complicated. I know.
1b) Please explain to me, at point (3), on week 1 there is on M Period 1 say activity X, on Period 2 activity Y, then week 2, on M Period 3 say activity T and on M Period 4 activity Z. Then on week 1, W Period 3 is activity T, W Period 4 activity Z, week 2, W Period 1 activity X and W Period 2 activity Y?
2b) Please let me know the conflicting periods between high-school and elementary school of teachers on T/TH. Is it that such a teacher cannot teach both Period 4 on T/TH in high-school and elementary school? Also, cannot teach both Period 5 on T/TH in high-school and Period 5 A on T/TH in elementary school? Other than that, we can consider the slots as being independent between high-school and elementary school?
3b) So, we don't need to care about activities in Flex? It may appear empty, as Lunch, Homeroom, Recess 1, and Recess 2?
PS:
Quote from: jater on March 20, 2024, 12:48:34 PMhas become popular at least amount secondary schools
- amount = among? Or it is the least preferred?
Let's take the easiest first - "among US high schools." We are the last high school of 18 Catholic schools in our area to adopt this model and also the last Regnum Christi school of 11 across the United States to implement the hybrid schedule that mixes block with the more traditional periods.
This might help to explain how we have laid out our schedule. We are using a block schedule on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We are using a more traditional schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In order to make sure we get the same amount of instructional time, while using the block schedule we rotate 4 periods each day during block. 4 periods x 6 days = 24. 24 / 8 = 3. In other words, every two weeks, each class gets the same instructional time. Here is an example of how this works.
Math (Period 1)
Science (Period 2)
History (Period 3)
Spanish (Period 4)
Literature (Period 5)
Logic (Period 6)
Study Hall (Period 7)
Religion (Period 8)
Week 1
Monday: Math (Period 1); Science (Period 2); Literature (Period 5); Logic (Period 6)
Tuesday: Math (P1); Science (P2); History (P3); Spanish (P4); Literature (P5); Logic (P6); Study Hall (7); Religion (P8)
Wednesday: History (Period 3); Spanish (Period 4); Study Hall (Period 7); Religion (Period 8)
Thursday: Math (P1); Science (P2); History (P3); Spanish (P4); Literature (P5); Logic (P6); Study Hall (7); Religion (P8)
Friday: Math (Period 1); Science (Period 2); Literature (Period 5); Logic (Period 6)
Week 2
Monday: History (Period 3); Spanish (Period 4); Study Hall (Period 7); Religion (Period 8)
Tuesday: Math (P1); Science (P2); History (P3); Spanish (P4); Literature (P5); Logic (P6); Study Hall (7); Religion (P8)
Wednesday: Math (Period 1); Science (Period 2); Literature (Period 5); Logic (Period 6)
Thursday: Math (P1); Science (P2); History (P3); Spanish (P4); Literature (P5); Logic (P6); Study Hall (7); Religion (P8)
Friday: History (Period 3); Spanish (Period 4); Study Hall (Period 7); Religion (Period 8)
Hello, Josh,
I made a small/very simple file. Please generate and examine the students timetable.
We might have a complication with the periods 5A/5B and 6A/6B on elementary school, but I am interested firstly into your opinion of the attached file.
PS: I modified your post above, to not allow smileys.