We have the blocked 1.5 hour classes. Four blocks each day, BUT one block (as in, for 1.5 hours every other day) is a school wide "study hall" type to do homework, see teachers, etc and is mandatory. So kids get to choose 7 classes - although they don't get to choose required classes, or cores until about junior year. Every year there's room for at least 2 full year electives, although some kids choose to take all cores and no electives except a language (sounds pretty joyless to me; I think only a few really extreme kids do it).
