A recent California task force report on middle grade education, "Caught in the Middle," recommends that the master schedule provide for extended time blocks for core curriculum courses. Several goals of middle school education will be fulfilled by the program which is often called "core block" or "block time." The goals include (1) transition; (2) student guidance; (3) belonging; (4) interdisciplinary focus; (5) teacher collegiality and professionalism; (6) variety of instructional methods; and (7) access to key learning experiences. The task force report recommends a "humanities" core for the middle school curriculum. Collaborative team planning that evolves into interdisciplinary team teaching describes the ideal teacher assignments presented in the paper. The "house" plan is described as a possible option for providing transition from the self-contained elementary classroom to the multiteacher, departmentalized mode of high school. Other features of the "core block" program are also discussed: homeroom/student advisory schedule, exploratory offerings, electives, small school size, facilities, and flexible-modular scheduling. Implementation of the "block time" program calls for a pilot project to aid in the transition process. Appended are 33 references. (SI)