Upper School Director Meghan Tally announced via community email last Wednesday that due to “student-centered” and “data-driven” feedback, the class schedule will be altered to adhere to lessened screen time. Lunch will be lengthened to to an hour-long period instead of the previous 45 minutes, now lasting from 12:20 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. Five minutes will also be trimmed off of each class period, shortening the period blocks from 90 minutes to 85 minutes. These changes will begin Monday tomorrow.

“Your recent feedback clarified some clear trends: an increased workload and amount of screen time, the adverse impact on your wellbeing, and craving more connection and joy,” Tally wrote via school-wide email. “Teachers will use a course-specific questionnaire to gather data on your experiences of screen-time, workload, and time on independent tasks beyond the 90-minute (or now 85-minute) block.”

Tally, who is new to Archer this year, also noted future efforts to increase communication and clarity surrounding major assessments.

“We hear that our coordination around major assessment dates needs to be stronger in some cases,” Tally wrote.”We are committed to using our assessment calendar and communicating with you about major assessment dates.”

In this continued virtual learning environment caused by COVID-19, Tally recognized that these schedule changes are aimed to “support connection” while still “maintaining time on learning.”

“Archer is student-centered and data-driven, and we will continue to ask you about your learning experience, to listen, and to be responsive,” Tally wrote. “This is an ongoing process with a steady feedback loop, and while adjustments may not be dramatic, they will be meaningful where we identify clear trends regarding your needs as learners.”