What Day Is It? The Logic Behind Potomac’s New Schedule

By Sarah Beck, assistant head of school for academics

As we have settled into the beginning of the school year, we have begun to adjust to our new six-day rotation. While the school-wide schedule has garnered comical commentary, broadly speaking, faculty, students, and staff have implemented the six-day rotation with minimal disruption. 

The three crucial building blocks behind the new schedule include rotation of days vs. days of the week, tumbling blocks, and intentional community time. What exactly does that mean? 

Rotation Schedule Instead of defining a week as Monday through Friday, it takes six days and uses them as a cycle throughout the school year. Day “1” may fall on a Monday one week and it may be a Thursday on another week.

Tumbling Blocks The same class does not meet at the same time throughout the year– on Day 1, science might be in the morning, and on Day 2, science could be in the afternoon.  Additionally, divisions with heavier homework expectations (Intermediate and Upper School) have classes that meet every other day. 

Community Time This is scheduled time outside core academic classes that allows students to participate in community time within their divisions. The language differs slightly across divisions but could include conference, community, and assembly blocks. 

What exactly are we trying to accomplish in this new schedule? As we measure the effectiveness of the six-day rotation this school year, we want to ensure we are meeting four core objectives. 

Are we providing equitable access to the educational experience? We all have different learning styles. Our updated schedule should ensure we meet each student's needs by varying the times of instruction (morning vs. afternoon) and limiting the impact of potential schedule interruptions on specific cohorts of students (always missing the last class because of an athletic event or arriving late because of a long bus ride). 

Are we balancing academic rigor with the health and wellness of students? The health and well-being of children and adolescents continue to be a national concern. Youth nationwide are experiencing tremendous stress, and new research shows how detrimental that is to their learning. By creating a more balanced schedule throughout all six days, we aim to minimize unnecessary academic pressure created by overprogrammed learning. 

Are we optimizing for minimal disruption? Holidays, athletic events, snow days, and special events all can disrupt a traditional 5-day block schedule. By leveraging a six-day rotation, our schedule is built to be flexible, absorb those unique circumstances, and minimize the impact on the core academic schedule. 

Are we providing appropriate variety and novelty for students? Research suggests that some students do better when a standard daily routine is broken up, and they can experience variety and novelty in their school day. 

This is an exciting new chapter in the academic experience of our students, and we are eager to track its successes and failures and continue to adjust and innovate. We appreciate our communities’ willingness to implement the six-day rotation, even if you find yourself asking, “what day is it?” a little more often.

Assistant Head of School for Academics Sarah Beck, is an experienced educator with a deep commitment to student success. Prior to Potomac, she was the assistant head of school for programs at The Langley School in McLean, where she served as chief of staff to the head of school and oversaw all academic and related programming.