Arlington parents have voiced numerous objections to implementing block scheduling at the middle-school level. These objections include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. As APS administrators concede, the impact of block scheduling on middle-school academic performance is inconclusive at best. Given that fact, changing the current system -- which works well for a great majority of Arlington middle-school students -- would appear a poor use of APS time, money and resources, and would impose a significant burden on APS teachers who would have to rework substantially their lesson plans and teaching methods.
2. Rather than suffer the distraction of designing and implementing middle-school block scheduling, APS should focus its time and resources on the paramount concern of the day: building and identifying additional capacity.
3. Certain core academic subjects, including math and foreign language, are simply best learned when presented each academic school day, as opposed to three non-consecutive days per week.
4. Many 11- to 13-year-old students are not sufficiently mature to concentrate and learn in classes of 75 and 93 minutes in length. Likewise, without thorough, substantial and high-quality teacher training -- and adequate preparation time to incorporate such training -- many of Arlington's middle-school teachers are not sufficiently prepared to create and conduct (three times per week) the kind of engaging and stimulating lessons that APS envisions.
5. Band and orchestra students require daily music instruction to excel, and should be assigned to classes by ability, not by mere grade level.
6. Sixth-grade students require daily physical education for improved health and classroom success.
7. Continuity of learning is significantly more likely to be negatively impacted under the new block schedule, as teacher work days, sick days, conference days, snow days, and visits to health professionals will too frequently result in a core class meeting only once or twice in a given week.
For one or more of the aforementioned reasons, I strongly object to the implementation of block scheduling at the middle-school level in Arlington public schools.
Updates
March 1, 2012
im still reading through all the notes you guys have been leaving about how this schedule change would hurt our kids. there is so much anxiety out there about the math and language classes being cut in half and frankly i share those concerns. i am working on getting a meeting set up with the district leadership so we can show them how many of us think this is the wrong move.
March 1, 2012
i honestly cant believe how fast this is growing. seeing so many people speak up about the block schedule really shows that we all feel the same way about our kids classrooms.
Reached 100 supporters
March 1, 2012
6 Comments
Teachers are already stressed enough. Why dump this on them when no one can even prove it works better?
Middle schoolers cant sit still for that long anyway. This is a bad idea.
LEAVE THE SCHEDULE ALONE.
My son needs math every day to keep it fresh in his head. Block scheduling is just gonna make him fall behind.
Fix the overcrowding first. That should be the only thing on the board's plate right now. Stop fixing what isnt broken.
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Arlington parents have voiced numerous objections to implementing block scheduling at the middle-school level. These objections include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. As APS administrators concede, the impact of block scheduling on middle-school academic performance is inconclusive at best. Given that fact, changing the current system -- which works well for a great majority of Arlington middle-school students -- would appear a poor use of APS time, money and resources, and would impose a significant burden on APS teachers who would have to rework substantially their lesson plans and teaching methods.
2. Rather than suffer the distraction of designing and implementing middle-school block scheduling, APS should focus its time and resources on the paramount concern of the day: building and identifying additional capacity.
3. Certain core academic subjects, including math and foreign language, are simply best learned when presented each academic school day, as opposed to three non-consecutive days per week.
4. Many 11- to 13-year-old students are not sufficiently mature to concentrate and learn in classes of 75 and 93 minutes in length. Likewise, without thorough, substantial and high-quality teacher training -- and adequate preparation time to incorporate such training -- many of Arlington's middle-school teachers are not sufficiently prepared to create and conduct (three times per week) the kind of engaging and stimulating lessons that APS envisions.
5. Band and orchestra students require daily music instruction to excel, and should be assigned to classes by ability, not by mere grade level.
6. Sixth-grade students require daily physical education for improved health and classroom success.
7. Continuity of learning is significantly more likely to be negatively impacted under the new block schedule, as teacher work days, sick days, conference days, snow days, and visits to health professionals will too frequently result in a core class meeting only once or twice in a given week.
For one or more of the aforementioned reasons, I strongly object to the implementation of block scheduling at the middle-school level in Arlington public schools.
Updates
March 1, 2012
im still reading through all the notes you guys have been leaving about how this schedule change would hurt our kids. there is so much anxiety out there about the math and language classes being cut in half and frankly i share those concerns. i am working on getting a meeting set up with the district leadership so we can show them how many of us think this is the wrong move.
March 1, 2012
i honestly cant believe how fast this is growing. seeing so many people speak up about the block schedule really shows that we all feel the same way about our kids classrooms.
Reached 100 supporters
March 1, 2012
6 Comments
Waste of tax dollars. Keep the current system.
Teachers are already stressed enough. Why dump this on them when no one can even prove it works better?
Middle schoolers cant sit still for that long anyway. This is a bad idea.
LEAVE THE SCHEDULE ALONE.
My son needs math every day to keep it fresh in his head. Block scheduling is just gonna make him fall behind.
Fix the overcrowding first. That should be the only thing on the board's plate right now. Stop fixing what isnt broken.
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Waste of tax dollars. Keep the current system.