A flexible block of time to support students’ individual interests and needs

To provide their high school students with a flexible option to support individual interests and needs, Mendon-Upton Regional School District embedded a “What I Need” (WIN) block within their daily schedule to allow for choice in activity.

To support differentiation, student interest, and empowerment of student choice in activity, Mendon-Upton Regional School District launched a daily flexible block at the end of every school day for high school students where they were invited to participate in a variety of activities of their choice, which was titled the “What I Need” (WIN) block.

Approach

During the last block of the day for 30 minutes, students participated in a WIN block, which was designed to provide flexible options to support students’ individual interests and needs. A schedule was provided to students each week with options for activities that allowed them to plan their week. The one mandatory activity, advisory time, occurred during this block every Monday and schedules were delivered for students to plan out the rest of their week. WIN block activities included:

• Targeted academic support from teachers to help reinforce or reteach learned content

• Club and activity meetings

• Individual and small group counseling sessions

• Social-emotional learning activities with teachers and peers that focus on overall wellbeing and connection

• Early dismissal for senior students on Tuesday through Friday should based upon students meeting the required criteria, which included:

• having been on time every day that week

• having no unexcused dismissals from school

• have passed all of their classes

• have a completed permission form on file in the main office

This strategy is a part of TLA’s Hop, Skip, Leapfrog release, which explores the concrete ways in which schools and systems pursued student-centered innovation during COVID-19. Explore the full guide to find additional strategies, insights, and resources.