5/17/2021

Dear Dr. Williams, BCPS Board of Education members and BCPS high school principals,

Eighteen out of 24 BCPS high schools used the semester block schedule for virtual learning during this school year. The supporters of this petition favor using the same model for school year 2021-2022 in a “hybrid” or “combined” format, which will combine the best features of the A day/B day schedule with the semester block schedule. The advantages are many and this schedule is Board approved (Exhibit 1). 

Many factors must be considered for the upcoming 2021-22 school year: students’ health (physical, mental, emotional and social); the transition to fulltime in-person learning; learning loss; a process for students to advance when able and processes for remediation. The best instructional schedule must be carefully chosen so that teachers and staff can perform at their highest levels, given all they have endured — all virtual instruction from home, the ransomware attack, then virtual from classrooms, then concurrent instruction with in-person students and remote  students. Technology problems have thwarted BCPS teachers and students at every turn. For the 18 of 24 high schools who used semesters this year, the input of students, parents and teachers is urged in order to plan wisely for the fall. 

GENERAL BENEFITS OF COMBINED SEMESTER BLOCK/A day, B day SCHEDULE

• Reduces student/teacher ratio. With a reduced caseload, teachers can provide better feedback and more individualized attention. 
• Most students take four classes each day. Classes change mid-year. Exception: AP classes run yearlong on an A day/B day schedule when paired with band, chorus, etc. (This is why this model is called a HYBRID semester block schedule. It combines the best features of both the semester block schedule and the A day/B day schedule.)
• Students see their teachers daily (with a few exceptions), and the number of classes each student has to manage at one time is minimized. 
• Reduces stress and anxiety for teachers and students, resulting in improved social and emotional health. 
• Teachers teach three classes, allowing a better chance to forge authentic relationships with their students via daily interaction.
• Because of their similar formats, a semester schedule better prepares students for college. 
• Both incoming ninth and tenth graders will be “new” to a normal week of high school. A less complicated schedule better ensures their success. 

PREVENTION OF COVID-19 BENEFITS

• Students would be exposed to approximately HALF as many peers during the week as they would using an A day/B day format. 
• Students who may get sick would have fewer teachers for whom to make up work. 
• The majority of BCPS high schools (18 out of 24) chose a semester schedule for virtual learning. Justifications for this choice continue to exist (Ex 2).
• The B.1.1.7. variant is presently the most prevalent Covid variant in the United States and is attacking young people the most (Ex 3).

ADVANTAGES FOR GIFTED & TALENTED STUDENTS

• Highly achieving/gifted students can accelerate through general requirements to more rigorous academic subjects sooner. 
• High performing students are more willing to participate in more school clubs/sports/community service projects because their course load is lighter. 
• Students who are able to meet graduation requirements are able to graduate early and begin taking college courses. 

ADVANTAGES FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

• Organization is facilitated — fewer binders; assignments from four, not eight, classes; easier to navigate the schoolhouse with four classrooms. 
• Focus is limited to only four subject areas. Academic requirements are more easily met with fewer classes to juggle. There is less confusion. 
• Ease of coordinating assistance from teachers is increased.  
• Students with ADHD perform better with a deeper immersion into fewer subjects.
• Fewer class peers during the week reduces chances of bullying.
• Four classes results in easier “catching up” when missed due to testing and meetings. 

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION 

An A day/ B day schedule combined with a semester block schedule will set students up for success rather than failure (Ex 4). There is a precedent in BCPS for this model. Best practices already exist. This schedule has been successfully used at four high schools in BCPS: Catonsville (Ex 5), Hereford (Ex 6), Kenwood and Patapsco High School and Center for the Performing Arts. Test scores at Hereford High consistently improved after the semester block schedule was implemented in 1993, contradicting fears that not having yearlong instruction in certain subject areas would result in a loss of skills. Results were so positive that the hybrid semester block schedule was used there for 21 years, until 2014, when a schedule mandate was put in place by a former superintendent, Dr. Dallas Dance. At the time of the high school schedule mandate in 2014, BCPS officials expressed concern that students who transferred schools would fall behind when transferring to a school using a different schedule. In reality, these “mobility” percentages for BCPS schools count students who have moved in or out of state, moved to or from a private school, students who died, etc. Such data inflated the only numbers that matter — exactly how many students transfer from one BCPS school to another.

The methods used to deliver instruction in the United States are ever-changing. The pandemic has impacted the social and emotional well-being of many students (and their families). When using the hybrid semester block schedule, the “whole child” benefits. There is time to make this happen for BCPS high school students. In August last summer, schedules in those 18 BCPS high schools were changed from the A day/B day format to the semester block schedule after stakeholders made their voices heard. Stakeholders will again make their voices heard. They will sign and share this petition. 

Sincerely, 

BCPS students, parents and communities 

EXHIBITS:

Ex1 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EAdppw450DL5XDMuwu09t53As9ahfYxdfnl0muOw6c4/edit?usp=sharing

Ex 2                      https://www.change.org/p/members-of-the-board-of-education-of-baltimore-county-bcps-use-semester-block-schedule-for-virtual-high-school-classes?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=custom_url&recruited_by_id=4e324e99-287d-40b6-bff7-2ef880315d94

Ex 3 https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/04/12/health/b117-covid-variant-young-patients/index.html

Ex 4 https://docs.google.com/document/d/12bMGDZ1TtjGwir6p60BSWrsKHUjyMoe-hgcz6D1X3O4/edit

Ex 5                                  https://vimeo.com/92929126 @ ten minute mark

Ex 6 https://docs.google.com/file/d/1E4sfVxVCxAT9-u6BbT5Rc3h_wTh2RRh2/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword