Put an End to the Hybrid 4x4 for York County

The York and Bruton high schools have implented a Hybrid 4x4 program which is "planned" to be extended to the Tabb and Grafton schools once it is successfully implemented.  There are major problems with the Hyrid 4x4 and the way its being implemented. 

First and foremost, there are significant problems with the program itself (4x4 and hybrid 4x4) notably large gaps between successive classes (languages/math/etc), subject matter learning/retention, remediation loss, repeating classes, transfer student inclusion in mid-semester, etc.

Second, there is absolutely no justification for the social and educational inequity that is created with this split system and subjecting York and Bruton communities to an experimental program that clearly lacks the proven results, quality and readiness for a county-wide implementation.  

Third, there are systemic, serious, ongoing problems with the implementation at York and Bruton, including a clear lack of investment in the necessary training,  which are confirmed overwhelmingly among teachers and students.

So WHY are we embarking upon this experiment?   Where was the confirming data and studies with SAT, SOL, scores, etc. that should have been a requirement for study and building community support for a county-wide implementation?   Why are York and Bruton being unfairly used as guinea pigs in an unprecedented segregated educational system?   Why would we "invest" in this experimental program period, let alone in the face of a budgetary crisis? 

The collective York County community, including Tabb and Grafton who have merely delayed this flawed program's implementation, needs to speak now and speak clearly to our elected representatives that we want to "Put an End to the Hybrid 4x4 for York County".


MORE INFORMATION:

This revision will definitely produce lower standardized scores for graduating seniors, lower graduation rates, and a reduction in material covered in each course taken when compared to the Block 7A/B format.

Many parents that have reviewed the proposal, especially for their students who are not taking a lot (or any) AP courses, have noted the following :

1. Students do not learn and retain as much information in the compressed delivery format of five 90-minute classes per week. Homework as well as material intensity per subject is more difficult for students especially those with any attention or focus problems, as are fairly common in this age group. Can we imagine 90 minute every day language/math courses leading to better language/math accomplishment than having such courses spread over two semesters allowing more time to digest and improve skills?

2. Large gaps between normally consecutive classes (foreign language successive years, mathematics curricula) either (a) yield extensive class review periods and reduce overall content or (b) force students to simply struggle harder going forward into the next sequenced class after a long lay-off. Imagine taking math in the fall semester of one year, then gapping the period to the next math level by 8 months until the next fall or even longer (same for Spanish, French, or other foreign language sequences). Furthermore, a teacher will face classes composed of students with a variety of "gaps" since their prior course and dealing with the appropriate amount of review could be challenging and time-consuming.

3. There is no time for effective remediation if a student gets behind for any reason due to the compressed schedule of material delivery. In the alternate day format, students get two days to digest and perhaps seek help on material much like in college classes. Even colleges have not embraced 90 minute classes five times per week as a way to improve delivery to their even older age group.

4. Missed days (sick, approved absences, field trip, etc) make catching up harder as the student misses larger portions of a class than in the  current alternate day format. As well, currently 15 days missed in a year causes automatic failure. When this is applied to a semester it becomes 7.5 days which could happen much more often than 15 days for the year.

5. Coursework in 7 A/B format was planned to be synchronous with standardized test dates with the most important material being taken in close proximity to test dates. Packing in coursework further from these dates will make retention harder and yield lower scores, thereby both impeding getting into desired colleges and lowering the current high standards of York County schools.

6. AP students are largely protected from this concentration format in their AP courses : for the same reason non-AP students should be protected in  pivotal subject areas. Perhaps electives, English, social sciences, and others might not be as detrimental when compressed, but why take the chance and incur the scheduling dilemmas associated with the Hybrid concept at all? What is the gain as compared with progressive subject delivery in the existing format? 32 course high school schedules are still possible in the current Block format if extended to 8 A/B.

7. If a student is required to repeat a class in the five day 90-minute category, he must basically repeat the whole class since two current semesters would be combined into one. Currently, a student that fails the first semester of a class, can pick up an elective in the second semester (as well as remediation support) and then repeat the class in the fall, or if he fails the second semester he could repeat just the second semester in either summer school or the next spring semester. The proposed format eliminates the chance to pick up an extra elective in the off-semester. For some students this could be the difference between graduating and not and lead to a lot of "dead" time attending a class a student has already resigned himself to fail to complete the semester.

8. There are scheduling difficulties in the Hybrid 4x4 when applied against electives such as band and choir. Proposals include exempting these from the 4x4 format, but then they compete with blocks set aside for AP courses in the alternating day format and might restrict AP students from participating in these activities. These are just examples of the potential scheduling nightmares that might be presented to guidance counselors, parents, and students. In addition, scheduling classes that have only one time slot offering would also be restrictive. Also trying to marry-up two A/B format classes will be required if a student needs to take one of them and this could lead to scheduling nightmares.

9. While 37 percent of Virginia schools have undertaken this format, there has yet to be results that indicate any improvement in standardized test results or graduation rates as a result. Why would we change to an unproven system with potential for significant reduction in education levels due to the above?

10. There will be great difficulty integrating students into the Hybrid 4x4  in mid-term from other school systems not using this system. In York county we have a significant number of comings and goings from our military families and we want military families to continue to choose York County because of our school system and "not in spite of it."