The St. Clair Catholic District School Board says the new "quadmester" model is having a positive impact on student learning in its high schools.
This year, as a pandemic precaution, students remain in one class every day for a week and take a second subject with a different cohort the following week.
Superintendent of Secondary Education Scott Johnson said the number of students in Grades 9 and 10 who are passing their compulsory courses and earning at least a Level 3 grade, exceeds the board's five-year average.
That applies to those in both the academic and applied learning levels.
He said part of the reason for the success is that students only have to focus on one course at a time, rather than juggling four.
"I'm hearing teachers suggest that where they have students for a longer block of time, they get a chance to better understand the student's needs and strengths," said Johnson. "They get a better chance to observe student conversations and school work embedded within the course of a lengthy school day where they just have one course."
Johnson said students have come back eager, and enthusiastic to learn after a long layoff.
He noted that 97 per cent of all Grade 9 students earned at least one credit in the first quadmester and 95 per cent of them earned both.
"We are pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the student achievement and engagement, and by the work of our school staff, to really find hope for our students and make sure that they're on track for graduation and the various opportunities that await them."
Johnson said it's difficult to quantify the success of the online learning model because the number of students using it is far lower than those attending in-person classes.
Some courses weren't even offered online due to low demand.
