Performing a detailed examination of secondary school class size and scheduling can help districts meet a variety of instructional and learning goals. Many factors associated with secondary school scheduling can significantly impact a district's staffing, spending, and performance. These factors include:

• The number, length, and integration of classes — Research suggests that 90 minutes of uninterrupted literacy and math instruction should be provided per day. Combining blocks in these core academic areas can facilitate more personalized learning via a reduction in teaching loads.
  
  
• The number of teaching versus planning periods — Research suggests that at least five hours per week of total planning time is optimal. This planning time should include two 90-minute sessions of common planning.
  
  
• Class sizes — Adjusting class size can play a key role in student achievement when used in conjunction with focused, high quality instruction. Reducing class sizes can be a way of promoting personal relationships between teachers and students by providing more opportunities for individualized instruction. While smaller class size is especially valuable during core academic instruction, increasing class size at other points in the school day can free valuable resources to fund other improvement strategies.
  
  
• Teacher loads — The fewer students for whom a teacher is responsible throughout the school day, the more the teacher can target instruction to individual learning needs and goals.