When school begins Wednesday at Northbrook Junior High School, students will report directly to a new type of homeroom.
This year, Northbrook School District 28 is introducing a period called x-block, which will replace the traditional, end-of-the-day homeroom period and offer a mid-day opportunity for studying and additional academic help.
“Homeroom before was kind of like that,” said Scott Meek, Northbrook Junior High School principal. “A fair amount of kids used that time to work on homework.”
But x-block will differ from that traditional study time in several ways. It will be 10 minutes longer than homeroom — 30 minutes rather than 20 — and it will begin at 1:40 p.m., leaving enough time for one more class period before students leave for the day.
The x-block concept was borrowed from North Shore School District 112 and Glenview Public School District 34, where it seemed to work well, Meek said.
Many students will be able to use the time in the same way as in homeroom. They can do homework, work on projects with their peers or study. But some students will attend reading or math intervention sessions three times a week.
Students identified by educators as struggling in those subject areas will participate in the intervention sessions, which will likely involve a group of five to eight students, Meek said.
The goal of intervention, he said, is both to help students academically and to target those who might eventually need additional assistance through individualized education plans.
“This could be a student [who] is having a math problem, and you do something for a month,” said District 28 spokeswoman Sara Loeb.
Northbrook Junior High School used to offer intervention programs in reading. Plus, students who attended had to forego their foreign language classes, Meek said. With the new schedule, students won’t have to miss other classes.
The two days of the week students aren’t taking part in intervention, x-block will continue to operate similar to a traditional homeroom. Teachers will talk about topics from preparation for high school to character education, such as the dangers of bullying, Meek said.
“Overall, I don’t think it’s going to be that big of an adjustment,” he said.
Not only will students report directly to their x-block rooms on day one, Meek said, they also will attend an assembly during opening week.
“The expectations are still the same,” he said.
