Flexible modular scheduling is a type of academic scheduling where a day is broken into many 10-20 minute modules or "mods". The technique resembles some common college scheduling schemes.

One such example of high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 modular scheduling is utilized at the Bergen County Academies

Bergen County Academies

The Bergen County Academies is a magnet public high school located in Hackensack that serves the high school population of Bergen County, New Jersey. The school was conceived by the late Dr. John Grieco. The current principal is Russell Davis; Raymond Bath is the vice principal; Dr...

 in New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. At this school, the day is broken down into 27 separate 18 minute modules. Classes vary in size, from a small class of 2 mods to a larger class of 3 mods. Labs, projects, and certain electives can even run for as long as 9 mods. Student schedules often change between different weekdays (i.e. one could have Literature

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

one day for 3 mods, then 2 mods on the next day - or not at all). This type of scheduling allows for many free periods during the day as well as the possibility for more classes. These "free mods" can go to as long as 180 minutes of continuous free time without classes. This time could be utilized for lunch, study, or socializing. Due to the latter, students are advised to spend most of their free time in study halls so that such time is not misused. An additional bonus is the ability for students to have more than 2 elective classes (according to free time), whereas in the traditional period scheduling, students are limited to 1-2 electives.

Some Other Schools That Use/Have Used Modular Scheduling

East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah used a modular flexible scheduling system during the 1970s and 1980s until the Salt Lake School Board voted to change back to a more traditional program. At the time, it was felt that the programming difficulties resulted in too much time and effort to be feasible.

St. Teresa's Academy in Kansas City, Missouri has used a rotating modular schedule since the 1970-71 school year.

Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska has used some form of modular schedule since the fall of 1967. Rather than study halls, Westside's modular schedule system uses IMC's (Instructional Materials Centers) as work locations for students with unscheduled, independent study time. These IMC's are curriculum-specific and are located near the desks of each subject-area's teachers.

Holland Hall High School in Tulsa Oklahoma also uses a modular schedule with 18 22 minute mods

Ursuline Academy in Blue Ash, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, uses a mod schedule broken up into 18 20 minute mods.