Osan American Elementary School students say the Pledge of Allegiance at Osan Air Base, South Korea, on Aug. 25, 2014. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
SEOUL, South Korea — Department of Defense Education Activity middle and high school students in Seoul will attend classes on a “hybrid” schedule next year that combines traditional seven-period days and block-scheduled days within a single week, officials announced last week.
The change will mean more time in the classroom and fewer mix-ups at Seoul American High School over which classes students should be attending on a given day, principal Kathleen Reiss said.
The school now operates on a block schedule, with “A” and “B” class schedules alternating daily.
“It’s constant confusion now,” Reiss said. “There’s not a day that goes by that somebody doesn’t ask me, ‘Is this A day or B day?’ ”
Under the hybrid schedule, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays will be seven-period days. Wednesdays and Thursdays will be block-scheduled days, with a built-in seminar period used for assemblies, makeup tests and other instructional purposes.
She estimated that by adopting the seven-period days, each class will add nearly 500 minutes of instructional time per academic year.
DODEA Pacific spokesman Charly Hoff said Seoul American Middle School will move to a similar hybrid schedule next year, with a 50-minute seminar on Wednesdays that focuses on mentoring, enrichment, extra academic support for students, clubs and teacher collaboration.
Reiss said the decision to move to a hybrid schedule was a compromise, with student leaders telling her they preferred the hybrid schedule. She said she also discussed the matter with parents and teachers.
