One of the drawing factors to Cape Coral High School is the International Baccalaureate Program, or more commonly referred to as “IB” by students and teachers alike. This global program is one that separates students from the rest of their peers, highlighting those who wish to go above and beyond in their academic achievements; and it just so happens that nearly 100 percent of The Seahawk’s Eye staff is IB. 

Now, this isn’t a bad thing whatsoever. However, ever since the Lee County School Board decided to change all high schools from an eight period block schedule of four rotating 90 minute periods to seven consecutive 45 minute periods at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, IB students have gotten the short end of the stick. 

This wasn’t the first time the school board attempted to “change” the way high school functions in Lee County, however, this was successful. Warned and protested by administrators, teachers, and students alike, this change from block to seven periods was horrific for all students on accelerated programs, most notably, IB. 

As a staff full of IB students, we at The Seahawk’s Eye took this change particularly hard. Not only does a seven period schedule limit the amount of time per week we can collectively work on our paper, but it also diminishes the academic learning environment in all of our classes. 

For those who are unaware, the IB program is composed of seven core classes: an IB science (biology, chemistry, or environmental), IB math (IA or AA SL/HL), IB history, an IB elective (business, digital societies, art, or psychology), IB language (french or spanish), IB english, and Theory of Knowledge [TOK]. These classes are required by the IB Diploma Programme curriculum in order to graduate with an IB diploma. However, these core classes leave IB students at Cape High a regular elective course. 

To combat this, IB students have a rotation between their TOK class and elective, meaning that while the other six classes are everyday, TOK and an elective are still on an “A” or “B” rotation schedule. Essentially, all current IB juniors and seniors are taking eight classes on a seven period class schedule, including more than 80 percent of The Seahawk’s Eye staff. 

Not only is this ridiculous in practice, but taking eight classes on a seven period schedule is simply callous. Two years later, as predicted, the switch to a seven period schedule has grown to be worse than annoying; it has been detrimental to IB students’ successes. 

45 minute periods are not only an insufficient amount of time to learn productively in class, they are actively worsening the learning environment for IB students. IB is a two-year program, therefore, it is critical that students continue to retest and retain the information taught to them starting from the beginning of their junior year to the end of their senior year. A seven period schedule makes it physically impossible for some IB students to achieve this in the allotted school hours. 

For example, IB psychology students have two long answer questions [LAQs] on their end of course exams. These LAQs are an hour long, 15 minutes more than the time allotted in class for students to be tested. As a result, IB psychology students are required to test after school. This is not a fault of the curriculum or the teaching, as two years ago, IB psychology students had no issues taking their LAQs in-class. Yet, that all changed when seven period schedules were introduced. 

Now, students in this class have less ability to appropriately prepare for their IB exams, which are crucial in their receival of an IB diploma at the end of their senior year. 

The rationale behind changing from a block schedule to a seven period schedule may have made sense in theory, but in practice, it fails to accommodate the needs of students on an accelerated track like IB. 

The School Board failed to take into account the horrendous impact this would have on students across Lee County. While we at The Seahawk’s Eye can only comment on the experiences within the IB Program, it isn’t a reach to assume that other accelerated programs like AICE or dual enrollment have also been poorly impacted by this change. 

There is only one solution to this problem: bring back block scheduling. Eight periods. Four a day. 90 minute classes. There was nothing wrong with block scheduling, however, everything about this seven period schedule is wrong. 

Students in all programs deserve a learning environment that is appropriate for their program needs, and it’s safe to assume that seven periods isn’t cutting it. 

Learning and testing shouldn’t have to happen outside of school hours. Students in accelerated programs like IB shouldn’t be punished for wanting to academically challenge themselves. Bring back block schedules and listen to the voices who will eventually be running our world.