West Hartford’s Conard and Hall high schools will operate under an A/B block schedule beginning with the fall 2026 semester.

By Ronni Newton

At a presentation of a proposed block scheduling plan to the Board of Education in February, West Hartford Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus said the decision about moving forward would be confirmed in March, and on Wednesday he announced the transition will take place beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

“I am writing to share an important and exciting update regarding our high school schedule beginning next school year,” Vicinus said Wednesday in a letter to the West Hartford Public Schools community. “After more than a year of study, research, and engagement with students, staff, and families, we are planning to transition to an A/B block schedule at Conard and Hall next year.”

With the new block schedule, high school students will have four classes of roughly 88 minutes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, plus time for lunch, and eight shorter periods with all classes meeting for roughly 30 minutes on Wednesdays when schools have an earlier dismissal time and teachers engage in professional development. Many teachers had indicated they liked the option of having all classes meet on Wednesdays in order to have a third touchpoint with students each week.

“This recommendation is grounded in a clear goal: to better support student learning, wellness, and long-term success. As you may know, Connecticut’s graduation requirements now require students to earn a minimum of 25 credits. Under our current schedule, students have only a narrow margin to meet those requirements, which can create challenges if they need to recover a credit or wish to pursue additional areas of interest,” Vicinus said in his letter.

PA 17-42, legislation enacted in Connecticut in 2017, increases the number of credits required to graduate from high school to 25. Previously, 21.75 credits were required by the state. The increased credit requirement became effective for the Class of 2023.

When the proposed plan was presented to the Board on Feb. 3, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Anne McKernan said the increase in the number of required credits – which also includes requirements in various subject areas, including nine credits in STEM classes – was implemented within the same schedule system that the schools had for years. “That is not a small thing … and has put pressure on our students in different ways,” McKernan said during her February presentation, creating a “dangerously narrow” buffer for meeting graduation requirements since there are just seven class periods per day.

Vicinus said the current schedule limits flexibility, lacks a meaningful “safety net” for students to stay on track for graduation, and can restrict student participation in electives and other areas of interest. The block schedule “affords the opportunity to explore a greater depth of our amazing arts and elective programming, advanced coursework, and career pathways without having to make difficult trade-offs,” said Vicinus.

Having fewer classes per day through the A/B block model, Vicinus said, should improve the daily experience for students. “Under the A/B block model, students will focus on fewer classes each day, allowing for deeper engagement, more sustained learning, and stronger relationships with teachers. Fewer transitions and longer instructional periods will reduce stress and support more thoughtful, student-centered instruction.”

One of the trade-offs that many students make in order to earn enough credits in the necessary areas or pursue electives is skipping lunch. Currently, 28% of high school students don’t take a lunch period, Vicinus said, and that’s a wellness concern.

“The revised schedule eliminates this trade-off, ensuring that all students can access a full academic program while maintaining time for a healthy meal and socialization during the school day,” he said. Under the A/B block schedule, a 30-minute lunch period is embedded in the third block of the day on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and a lunch period is also incorporated into the Wednesday schedule.

A team of administrators – including Vicinus, McKernan, Director of Secondary Education Eileen Eustis, Conard Principal Jocelyn Tamborello-Noble, Hall Principal Sarah Isaacs, and School Counseling Department Supervisor Patty Pires – have been studying block scheduling in earnest since late 2024. Included in the process was hosting a panel discussion with students from other area high schools that have block scheduling, who were very honest in sharing their opinions.

“Throughout this process, we have prioritized listening. Students, families, and staff have contributed through surveys, panels, and community conversations, and their perspectives have shaped this proposal,” Vicinus said.

The class selection process for the fall of 2026 is already well underway, and when schedules are released and sections are assigned at Conard and Hall it will incorporate the block schedule. During the February presentation to the Board, McKernan said the transition was not expected to impact the number of FTE positions within the district.

“We will continue to engage our community as we move toward implementation, with additional opportunities to learn more and ask questions in the coming months,” Vicinus. Principals will communicate directly with families regarding community conversations where further details can be shared and concerns addressed.

“We believe this shift positions our students for success, academically, socially, and emotionally while aligning our schools with practices already in place across many high-performing districts in our region,” Vicinus said.

The complete Feb. 3, 202q6 report to the Board of Education can be found here.

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