Schools with a flex period, or flex block, have many options for what to offer. The best part of this flexible scheduling is that the offerings can be adjusted over time. The offerings do not need to be figured out before school starts.
Generally, we see offerings fall into one of the following categories:
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- Academic Support
- Quiet Study
- Enrichment
- Club Meetings
- Social/Emotional
- School-wide activities
- Guidance
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Academic Support
Academic Support is typically the primary reason a school will offer a flex period. Administrators may want to see improvement in GPAs and test scores or want to offer students more time to make up for learning loss.
Many teachers will offer open support for any of their students during this time. Teachers provide extra support to students by re-explaining concepts, clarifying course expectations & competencies, providing time to make up work, quizzes, or tests. A teacher might have students from across their classes attend their flex period or create an offering for a specific help topic.
Some schools offer Academic resource centers for students to attend. These could be staffed by a student’s teacher or another department teacher. Some examples include:
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- Writing Lab
- Math Support
- Science Support
- Language Support
- Social Studies Support
- AP exam prep
- PSAT/SAT prep
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Specialists, such as Reading Specialists or ELL Specialists, may use this time for targeted groups of students. Students may be invited to attend these offerings on a regular basis.
Peer tutoring may also take place during the flex period. Students may also work with classmates during flex period on cooperative learning assignments.
Quiet Study
Some students may want a place to go to complete homework or study. Many schools will have dedicated classrooms for quiet study.
Librarians may offer enhanced library access so that the school library would be available for students to complete research and use other library services.
Enrichment
One of the great benefits of offering a flex period is that students can spend time working on their own interests. Schools can have a variety of offerings and spaces for enhancing or supplementing a student interest. Teachers can create special offerings designed to engage students beyond the typical course content.
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- Art Studio Time
- Maker Space
- Music Room Time
- Computer Programming Projects
- Weightlifting
- Open Gym
- Cardio
- Yoga
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Club Meetings
Instead of having students stay after school, clubs can meet during flex period. Whether these are academic clubs or special interest clubs, flex periods can be a time for these students to come together. Examples include:
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- School Newspaper
- Mock Trial, Mock Senate
- Debate team
- Chess Club
- Yearbook
- Robotics
- Math team
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Social/Emotional
Many schools are making time to address Social and Emotional learning. Flex period is a time where there can be offerings for students to attend. Examples include:
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- Various Social Group Offerings (or clubs) for students that want or need the social time
- Teacher mentor time
- Peer mentoring
- Small group guidance counseling seminars
- Freshmen Transition
- Bullying & Suicide Awareness
- Mindfulness and Meditation
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School-wide activities
Flex period is a good time to hold school-wide activities so that academic classes aren’t interrupted. Examples include:
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- School Assemblies
- Class meetings
- Fire drills
- Guest speakers and performances
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Guidance
Guidance counselors use this time to meet with students one on one, in small groups, or with an entire grade level. Flex period can be used for many purposes, including:
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- School Counseling Seminars
- One on one Guidance Counselor Meetings
- College Applications
- Resume Writing
- Career Planning
- Course Selection
- College Essay Support
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There are many ways that students can benefit from a flex period. Whether they are able to raise their GPA, work on their college applications, or spend time with a mentor, students gain a varied and beneficial experience from the offerings during flex period.
Download our Flex Period Offerings Guide to see offerings used in leading schools across the country!
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Learn how one school changed their culture and raised student engagement and achievement by implementing a flex period.