For all students in grades 5-12, PCDS utilizes a block schedule on a seven-day rotation. Each day, students take only four, 75-minute classes, with significant breaks in between each class. These extended 75-minute learning blocks allow for teachers to utilize multiple teaching strategies, from lecture or group work, to guided practice, different media, and more to engage the different learning styles of the students in the classroom. In short, at PCDS teaching and learning emphasizes depth of understanding, deep questions and conversations, and demonstration of mastery, rather than superficial memorization. In Middle School, students rotate through academic subjects every two days, and attend co-curricular classes within the full seven-day rotation.
Breaks between classes are meaningful and substantive-- Morning Meeting, advisory, Middle School electives, or just a chance to grab a snack and chat with some friends allow for appropriate mental breaks in between demanding courses.
Additionally, homework and academic planning is manageable with four courses per day. Each week, Middle School students have a proctored "work period"-- a 75-minute period dedicated to completing coursework or meeting with a teacher for additional support-- as well as "Homework Help," where students may meet with teachers midday for any questions they may have. Because of the schedule's rotation of classes, students typically have a full school day between class meetings to manage their homework or preparation for the following class period.
Middle School Curriculum