Teachers and students urge board to keep two‑period AP science blocks

Multiple teachers, department chairs and students urged the East Side Union board on Nov. 20 to preserve two‑period blocks for AP Chemistry and AP Biology.

An AP instructor described extended lab time as essential for advanced science: “AP Chemistry covers an enormous amount of content, thermodynamics, kinetics, and more,” a speaker said, adding that double periods allow labs to be collected, analyzed and discussed without rushing. One presenter said an AP Chemistry class at Independence High School had a 97 percent pass rate and credited the double‑block structure for sustained success.

Rebecca Taylor, an AP biology teacher and department chair, told the board the decision to reduce double blocks to single periods had been made without consultation: “This decision was made without consulting a single science teacher… We all strongly disagree with this move, and we feel like this is to the detriment of the students.” Taylor said her team ran a quick survey with over 1,400 student responses and reported that “75% said that they would be less likely or they would not take the class” if it were converted to one period.

Students echoed the concern, describing longer class blocks as critical for hands‑on labs, deeper discussion and peer collaboration. One student said two periods provide the time needed for long exams and multi‑step lab procedures. Teachers and union representatives asked the board to reconsider the scheduling change, warning it could disproportionately affect students without access to outside tutoring or extra time for study.

Superintendent and staff did not present a formal implementation timeline at the meeting; speakers requested that any change be paused until staff consults with science teachers and shares comparative data on AP outcomes from districts with different scheduling models.