An Update on the Mod Schedule with Director of Upper School, Stephany Fontanone

An Update on the Mod Schedule with Director of Upper School, Stephany Fontanone

The new Mod Schedule has brought a fresh rhythm to Upper School students' academic lives, offering a mix of longer classes and the hopes of a more balanced workload. For many, the shift has been a welcome change.

One student noted, “Homework has become more manageable, which has been helpful with my challenging dance schedule outside of school. There are more summatives and less time to retake assessments if I feel I need to, but overall, I’m happy with it.” Another student echoed this sentiment, stating, “I really like it—definitely more than the block schedule. At the beginning of the year, the homework load was challenging, but it’s gotten a lot more manageable, especially now in December.”

Students have also appreciated the depth of learning the Mod Schedule provides. With 90-minute classes and daily meetings, they feel more engaged. Science courses, particularly, have benefited significantly. “We’re able to do more labs, including self-paced ones, and I’ve been able to understand more challenging concepts better since we have more time to work with them,” one student shared.

Looking ahead, students are excited about the opportunities the schedule offers. “I’m looking forward to classes in Mod 4 because they’re a little more humanities-focused,” one 9th grader noted. For those with breaks in between mods for subjects like Mandarin, the concern about forgetting material is minimal. “I didn’t forget much over the summer, so with a little review, but it should be fine.” Another student noted she has been taking advantage of the “x-block conversation labs and keeping a streak alive on her Duolingo.”

The entire Upper School student body was surveyed towards the end of Mod 2, and overall, the Mod Schedule seems to strike a balance between academic rigor and flexibility, helping students navigate their busy lives while diving deeper into their subjects. The learning outcomes, especially, are improving in ways we had expected.

The questions focused on the reasoning behind our transition to a mod schedule, and I’m thrilled to share that the enriching opportunities we envisioned are coming to fruition. While we anticipated some areas for refinement, we’ve been proactively making adjustments and are confident that these improvements will continue to enhance our progress as we venture through the second half of the school year!

Our next step for student feedback includes checking in at the conclusion of Mod 3 with a focus on learning retention (since classes will be continuing from Mod 1) and to see how adjustments to their noted concerns have improved their learning experience.

We are committed to creating an enriching, balanced, and engaging educational experience for all our students. Your continued support and partnership are essential as we work together to empower our students to succeed academically and personally.

Below are the survey highlights; you can find the complete data presented here.

Academic Engagement:

  • Course Variety: 82% of students are satisfied or very satisfied with the variety of courses available.
  • Elective Exploration: 62% are taking electives or interdisciplinary courses they might not have considered otherwise.

Deeper Learning Opportunities:

  • 79% feel that having fewer classes per mod allows them to engage more deeply with the course content.
  • 85% found that hands-on and interactive activities have enhanced their understanding.

Time Management and Workload:

  • Class Lengths: While 20% of students find 90-minute sessions just right, 75% feel they are slightly too long.
  • Homework: Students average two hours of homework daily, with varied feedback on the workload's manageability.

Student-Identified Benefits:

  • Enhanced Learning: Longer class periods support hands-on activities like labs, simulations, and group discussions, leading to better comprehension and retention.
  • Expanded Opportunities: The Mod Schedule promotes flexibility and enables exploration of diverse subjects, including STEM, arts, and interdisciplinary courses outside graduation requirements.

Areas for Consideration:

  • Pacing: Some students find the schedule’s pace leads to rushed learning, particularly with frequent assessments.
  • Balancing Responsibilities: Challenges exist in managing extracurricular activities, homework, and assignment resubmissions.

Looking Forward:

  • The faculty has been dedicated to adjusting class pacing during mods, carefully evaluating the purpose of each homework assignment, and helping students understand that more frequent, lower-stakes assessments can actually decrease the pressure of individual evaluations.
  • Students also noted they would be interested in Forest Ridge enhancing our offerings by introducing new courses in the following areas: Creative Arts/Expression (ceramics, photography, songwriting, and theater), STEM (advanced coding like Python, Java, AI, biochemistry, and astrophysics), and Life Skills (budgeting, taxes, cooking, and self-defense).

The new Mod Schedule has created a vibrant learning environment, fostering deeper engagement with course content while providing opportunities for exploration and flexibility. As we approach the halfway point of the school year, the school remains committed to refining the schedule to address student feedback, ensuring that both academic and personal growth are prioritized. With continued collaboration between students, faculty, and families, this innovative approach to learning promises to cultivate a balanced, enriching educational environment that prepares students for future success.