Helpful resources to plan for the school year

The rotating schedule allows for students and teachers to interact at different times of the instructional day. Students who learn better in the morning have the opportunity to learn from teachers of all content areas during their peak learning times. Some students are more tired in the morning, and having the same first hour class doesn’t allow the student to engage in the content the same way they would after lunch or later in the day. Additionally, many of our students participate in activities and athletics that require them to leave early for competitions. With a rotating schedule, students do not regularly miss the same classes and more easily maintain high academic standards while simultaneously engaging in the many activities BT has to offer.

Flex time is time built into the school not occupied by curriculum studies that provides an opportunity for study hall, grade level collaboration, sports and activities early release, and additional extracurricular opportunities.

Anytime a student in grades 5-9 is not in a scheduled class, that student is assigned to a supervised study hall. Students in grades 10-12 have a free period if they are not in a scheduled class. There are designated classrooms assigned for quiet work space for students during free periods and flex time.

Depending on the number of courses students register for, students have study halls. Some students who choose to fill every period will not have a study hall. In some instances, students may have time to work on homework in class, but that is determined by the teacher and the lesson plan for the day.

Days are determined before the start of the academic year. Middle School students receive planners outlining the days of the rotation for the school year. Rotation days are displayed on exterior signage at both circle drives. In the event of an unexpected missed day of school, that day is skipped in the rotation.

Seniors will continue to enjoy senior privileges while they remain in good academic standing. Seniors with free periods are allowed to leave campus if they sign out in the office and sign back in when they return to campus. Seniors are able to leave campus for lunch if their schedule allows.

We recognize that some students may need to double up based on their future aspirations and academic needs. These discussions will occur as needed and a decision made in the best interest of the student.

Engagement during any length of time is dependent on effective teacher planning. Teachers use a variety of instructional activities to ensure students learn new skills and content and have opportunities to interact with it, collaborate together and critically engage with new materials. Teachers receive professional development on ways to best engage students, with concrete strategies, for an 85-minute period. Classes are not 85 minutes of teacher lecture.

Students may take one AP course sophomore year, three AP courses junior year, and three AP courses senior year. We encourage each student to determine the number of AP classes to pursue based on each student’s interest and ability.

The schedule provides the opportunity to enroll in eight courses. There are seven academic content areas (English, history, math, science, world language, art, and PE). Students are encouraged to maximize their academic opportunities by taking a minimum of four to five courses and a maximum of seven to eight courses each semester. The majority of courses are yearlong courses with the exception of some art, technology, and PE courses.

A primary reason for moving to a rotating schedule and moving away from having every class every day is to allow students to simulate a college experience by focusing more on the classes they are enrolled in each semester. Homework load decreases as the number of courses that students must focus on nightly reduces. In most cases, students have two days to complete homework for a given course.