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Dakota Middle School staff tell board block-schedule pilot boosted instruction time, choice and supports
Summary
Dakota Middle School staff told the Rochester Public Schools board that a year-one block-schedule pilot produced deeper learning time, daily 30-minute "flex" for intervention or enrichment, expanded electives and reported early reading gains; staff emphasized the model was a school-level pilot and said district-wide rollout would require additional planning and resources.
Dakota Middle School teachers and administrators presented a year-one report to the Independent School District 535 School Board on May 19, describing a new A/B block schedule intended to increase student choice, deepen instruction and build daily intervention time.
The principal, Terri Lanander, told the board Dakota replaced a seven-period day with four blocks of roughly 74—75 minutes and an embedded 30-minute flex period. "We have added a 30-minute flex time," Lanander said, calling it a daily window for intervention, enrichment and guest speakers that staff and students value.
Teachers and specialists described classroom changes and early results. Amelia Rutzloff, a sixth-grade English teacher, said she reorganized instruction into short "chunks" and used daily small-group meetings to target higher-need students. "I started this in October—and 20 of those 22 kids either went up in their FastBridge scores or stayed the same," she said. Reading interventionist Nikki Melis said she served 77 students this year and has exited 44 students from her caseload, adding that she now runs multiple small groups each day.
Presenters said the schedule enabled more electives and —skinny— classes (splitting a block) so music, PE and special education resource time can run more often. Dakota staff said they added offerings this year including ukulele, world drumming, theater, rocketry and a tiny-homes elective; one teacher said the schedule also allowed music every day instead of every other day.
School leaders described staffing and workload tradeoffs. The Dakota team said they secured "100% of staff buy-in" through visits to districts using block schedules, staff surveys and union conversations. They also reported giving teachers "about 100 more minutes a week" of prep time and using half-block subs to ease daily substitute coverage. The team acknowledged one budget tradeoff: to preserve new classes they reduced some ESP support for next year.
Board members asked how the model would translate to other middle schools. Director Cook urged presenters to reflect on barriers and said some elements (advisory, flex) might scale at low cost, while full district rollout would be a far bigger lift. The Dakota team and superintendent said the pilot was locally driven, responsive to Dakota's data, and that the district would not mandate district-wide adoption without further study.
The presentation emphasized student engagement and inclusion: staff described a Special Olympics Champion School designation and a forthcoming sensory gardening elective co-taught by a math and RISE teacher. Parent and student voices were cited as positive indicators: a parent said the schedule reduced their child's daily stress and improved opportunities to build relationships across grades.
The board thanked the Dakota team for the report and for the level of staff engagement. No board action to expand the pilot district-wide was taken; the report was received for monitoring and the district will evaluate outcomes as the work continues.
