"4x4" block at Wilson HS next year?

[Anonymous]

Why does DCPS go through principals so quickly?

[Anonymous]

I thought a 4x4 block was what you described at first: 4 classes on Day A and 4 classes on Day B.

I've not heard of a 4x4 meaning 4 classes 1 semester and 1 classes another semester. That doesn't seem to work out time wise.

[Anonymous]

Wilson is already on a 4x4 block schedule (4 classes per day). Now DCPS wants to change it to 4 classes per semester that you take every single day. So a year long class becomes a half year class.
As people have already stated, this is problematic for many reasons:
1) AP classes get affected terribly. You finish the AP class in December but the AP exam is not until May. Or you start it second semester and don't nearly have enough time in class before the AP exam.
The science APs are all double period so it will really limit what the science kids can take and cause big schedule headaches for them especially since DCPS forces everyone to also take all the PE, Art, Music and DC history electives. I wish they would let you get some PE credit for being on a school sports team or let you take an art class in the summer or something.
2) Math scores in general are deplorable across DCPS. Now math teachers and students will face an even bigger hurdle as they will have a 6 month gap before they are in a math class again.
Same issue with foreign language classes and English.
3) Wilson and I'm sure other DCPS schools seem to have a big issue with teacher absences (such as late teacher hiring, teacher quitting in the middle of the year, maternity and paternity leave, serious illness). All of this is so much easier to deal with in a year long class. It seems much more stressful and damaging when the teacher is not there for one advisory if the entire course is only two advisories.
4) Art and Health classes will become condensed into only one advisory. That seems crazy. I don't think the teachers or students will like that.
5) Kids and teachers like some variation. My kid has one teacher this year who gives hours of hw each class (AP class). It is doable because my kid has the class every other day. I don't think my child would handle it well if they had hours of hw for that one class every single day even if it was a shorter overall time period. It would be pure misery in our house for that one semester and I'm sure many kids follow the same pattern.
6) My concern is that they may see even more truancy with this system. Some of these kids who are not showing up to school won't show up if they get stuck with 2-3 bad teachers in one semester or a long term substitute. Teachers at Wilson are a mixed bag ranging from excellent to mediocre to incompetent. If you end up with 2 bad teachers one semester, that would be very depressing.

DCPS needs to focus on all their students not just the ones who are failing classes. What they really need to do for the failing kids, is to make sure that they hire good teachers across the board and make class sizes smaller so that teachers actually have time to pay attention to students. They also need more counselors in schools so that they actually have time to work with kids who are not doing well or not showing up to school and figure out what they really need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wilson is already on a 4x4 block schedule (4 classes per day). Now DCPS wants to change it to 4 classes per semester that you take every single day. So a year long class becomes a half year class.
As people have already stated, this is problematic for many reasons:
1) AP classes get affected terribly. You finish the AP class in December but the AP exam is not until May. Or you start it second semester and don't nearly have enough time in class before the AP exam.
The science APs are all double period so it will really limit what the science kids can take and cause big schedule headaches for them especially since DCPS forces everyone to also take all the PE, Art, Music and DC history electives. I wish they would let you get some PE credit for being on a school sports team or let you take an art class in the summer or something.
2) Math scores in general are deplorable across DCPS. Now math teachers and students will face an even bigger hurdle as they will have a 6 month gap before they are in a math class again.
Same issue with foreign language classes and English.
3) Wilson and I'm sure other DCPS schools seem to have a big issue with teacher absences (such as late teacher hiring, teacher quitting in the middle of the year, maternity and paternity leave, serious illness). All of this is so much easier to deal with in a year long class. It seems much more stressful and damaging when the teacher is not there for one advisory if the entire course is only two advisories.
4) Art and Health classes will become condensed into only one advisory. That seems crazy. I don't think the teachers or students will like that.
5) Kids and teachers like some variation. My kid has one teacher this year who gives hours of hw each class (AP class). It is doable because my kid has the class every other day. I don't think my child would handle it well if they had hours of hw for that one class every single day even if it was a shorter overall time period. It would be pure misery in our house for that one semester and I'm sure many kids follow the same pattern.
6) My concern is that they may see even more truancy with this system. Some of these kids who are not showing up to school won't show up if they get stuck with 2-3 bad teachers in one semester or a long term substitute. Teachers at Wilson are a mixed bag ranging from excellent to mediocre to incompetent. If you end up with 2 bad teachers one semester, that would be very depressing.

DCPS needs to focus on all their students not just the ones who are failing classes. What they really need to do for the failing kids, is to make sure that they hire good teachers across the board and make class sizes smaller so that teachers actually have time to pay attention to students. They also need more counselors in schools so that they actually have time to work with kids who are not doing well or not showing up to school and figure out what they really need.

They need to bring back behavior techs and take behavior issues seriously, so whatever the level, teachers can teach! Even a small class with multiple different behavior issues in one room is problematic!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has this been done at any other school in DC before?

Or is this experiment being rolled out everywhere at once?

CHEC already does it.

My kid is a 12 grader at CHEC and he has every class every day.

[Anonymous]

Why do some think Principal Martin is leaving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has this been done at any other school in DC before?

Or is this experiment being rolled out everywhere at once?

CHEC already does it.

My kid is a 12 grader at CHEC and he has every class every day.

np: Does he have just 4 classes and do they last just half the year? That's the question.

[Anonymous]

I went to an HS that was traditional 4x4 block. AP classes had two parts so that it was a full year course. Math in freshman year was spread over the full year by break Algebra 1 done into 2 courses. Same with English in freshman year. Sophomore year was the only time that I didn't take English for one semester. Foreign language was no issue, needed 3 credits so language 1 and 3 were offered in fall semesters while language 2 and 4 offered in spring semester.

[Anonymous]

Wilson does NOT have a 4x4 schedule right now. Just because they take 4 classes a day (except for Mon) does not mean they are on a 4x4. A 4x4 means you only take 4 classes for 90 days. You see your teacher everyday for a long block across 90 days.

Here is an explanation along with examples of a 4x4 schedule.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov95/vol53/num03/The-4x4-Plan.aspx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone who attended the parent coffee with the principal today please report on what she said about this topic?

Bump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do some think Principal Martin is leaving?

Maybe because her son is graduating in the spring.

[Anonymous]

Here are the email addresses for those wanting to express their concerns about the 4x4 block schedule:

David Pinder - [e-mail],
Drewana Bey - [e-mail]
Kimberly Martin - [e-mail]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are the email addresses for those wanting to express their concerns about the 4x4 block schedule:

David Pinder - [e-mail],
Drewana Bey - [e-mail]
Kimberly Martin - [e-mail]

I’m poster 13:17 on page 3 of this thread. I emailed both Pinder and Martin last week. Pinder responded right away not once but twice. Said that the schedule change is not happening next year. He is in charge of a different area. Bey oversees the area where Wilson is.

[Anonymous]

Here is the text from Principal Martin’s weekly newsletter, hot off the press this evening:

Lastly, many parents, students, and teachers are aware that a few weeks ago, DCPS considered implementing a pure 4X4 block schedule at all comprehensive high schools. For a variety of reasons, that schedule is not conducive to the learning environment at Wilson. On Friday morning, Deputy Chancellor Legrand shared with high school principals that she has decided that we will not change the structure of master schedules for SY2018-19. Instead, we will use next year as a planning year for a SY2019-20 change. We will continue working collaboratively toward finding a schedule that works best for the students at Wilson High School. (Thanks to The Beacon for breaking this story last week on Twitter!)

Here's to another great week at Wilson!

Kim Martin

[Anonymous]

sooo glad to be nearly done with DCPS
this idea clearly comes from people who aren't teaching college-bound kids