Messages

Ok. I think I now understand. The reason they must be parallel is because these teachers are 'self-contained'. It is the only teacher that teaches all of those subjects. For example:

Grade 1 Teacher teaches: Math, Science, English, Religion, Social Studies. This teacher needs a planning bell.

When they aren't teaching the subjects above and are in their planning bell, the first grade students have the option of being in either music, PE, computers, or art (what we call specials).

I am allowing the software to choose when the Planning Bell can occur as well as the specials for scheduling purposes.

Let me try to explain better.

Each teacher is required to have a planning period (activity) every day. During this time they will not have students. The options available for those students are to go to either music, or art, or STEM, or computers. The students must be assigned to one of those listed above.

Currently, I have the planning period setup as an activity with no students assigned. I have the music, art, STEM, or computers also setup as activities. I need a method to tell the software that when a planning period happens, it needs to assign the students to either music, or art, or STEM, or computers.

Does that help?

Is there a better way to set this up? I am letting the software choose when a teacher can have the planning period activity, so I am not sure how a preferred room constraint would help. I am still learning all of the options with the software. Please advise.

I have to schedule Planning Periods for each faculty member. I have setup the planning period as an activity with no student assigned. When a planning period takes place, the students need to be in another classroom. In our case, art, physical education, music, computers, or STEM are options. I need to be able to setup a constraint that says when a teacher has a planning bell with 0 students, then those students MUST be in one of the classes listed above (either: art, music, computers, STEM). How do I set this up?

[Week 1]

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)

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.

[HIGH SCHOOL]

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,
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