Bibb County Board of Education Considering Hybrid Schedule

By Daniel L. Bamberg

Daniel@Centrevillepress.com

It has become the talk of the town and like most topics, which take on such a feat, the “hybrid schedule” may be generating more myth from the community than fact. 

The Bibb County Board of Education is currently considering adopting a very distinct classroom hybrid schedule for the 2010-2011 school year.

During the Board of Education Meeting on April 1^st, a presentation of how the schedule works was shown to board members.  After lengthy discussion, the board members conducted a poll.  There was unanimous positive interest in pursuing the “hybrid” alternative but no action has been taken at the present time. West Blocton High School has agreed to postpone their use of the schedule, if it is approved, until the next year.  So what is this “hybrid schedule”?  Is it as advertised or is it as rumored?

According to most sources within Education it is an alternative to the block schedule, which is currently practiced in Bibb County’s High Schools.  Some see it as a solution to the present 90 plus minute classes, which some educators find to be too long for retaining the attention of a student.  Meanwhile, others believe it is simply trading one problem for another.

“We were shown a demonstration of the Pisgah High School version of the hybrid schedule and it was impressive.  I am interested in that version of the hybrid, but am not exactly sure this is what we are considering,” said District 3 Board of Education member, Mike Oakley.

The idea of the ‘hybrid schedule’ is to decrease the length of the four curriculum courses to 75 minutes.  This will free up approximately 84 minutes of time, which when combined with lunch becomes nearly 2 hours.  Students will attend their first two curriculum courses and then a two hour block will allow students to go to lunch for 30 minutes and attend 3 mini-classes or 90 minutes of remediation, 90 minutes of credit recovery, or 90 minutes of intervention as needed. 

“We introduced the hybrid schedule concept to administrators last fall.  The biggest problem with the block schedule right now is there isn’t enough time for remediation or credit recovery for students in need.  The hybrid schedule is a solution to that and frees up that time for teachers to focus on students that need extra help.  The cultural learning courses and so-called fun classes are there for the students who do not need the extra help,” explained Sonia Dale Improvement Coach for the Alabama Department of Education.

Pisgah High School has been using the “hybrid schedule” for going on 3 years.  The graduation rating at PHS has increased from 76% to 90%.  The new schedule has encouraged drop-outs to re-enter school, and in one case a former drop-out has received a scholarship to college after re-entering, according to PHS principal Mark Guffey. 

Over the past few years one of the greatest focuses of the Bibb County Board of Education has been to increase the graduation rate and decrease the dropout rate.

The Board and faculty of Bibb County schools as well a few concerned parents have been attending “Drop-Out Prevention Programs” over the past two years.  In a program near the end of the 2009-2010 school year many were surprised as a noted expert on dropout prevention spoke to audiences across the state via web conference about new ideas to lower the rate.  The beneficial surprise was that the Bibb County Board of Education had already adopted many of the cutting edge concepts, which seemed to be decreasing this rating in more academically recognized schools across the nation.  The 9^th grade Academy and incentive program was just a few of these adoptions.

With the “hybrid schedule” rumors of “fun classes” have spread throughout.  Even more interesting than the truth behind the “fun classes” is the myth, which has spread like wild fire.  Principal of Bibb County High School, Lee Van Fleet has explained that what many are calling “fun classes” are simply a handful of activities that students who are excelling can participate in.  Not only that, but as Mr. Van Fleet explains, “The students and the parents are going to have input on what these children take.  Students who need remediation, intervention or credit recovery will be doing that, not taking fun classes,” explained Van Fleet.

So, what are these “fun classes” anyway?  In a document obtained by the press in December before this debate went public, the intentions of Principal Lee Van Fleet’s leadership team, whom are pushing this “hybrid schedule,” are revealed.  Many citizens might be surprised to not find as many of these “fun classes” as have been rumored.  The following list is every course, which is being considered based upon our research:

Event Planning, Stage Production, Remediate English, College Prep, Life Skills, Newspaper, Credit Recovery, Proper Etiquette, Novel Reading, Remediate Math, Stock Market, Website Design, Cooking, Resume and Career Search, College and Scholarship Application, Remediate Science, Audio/Video Technologies, Hunting Fundamentals, Debate, ACT Prep, Fun with Science, Photography, Remediate History, Rock Bands (not the video game), Scholars Bowl, Documentary Making, Automotive Maintenance and Safety, Art, Bibb Ambassadors, Choir, Broadcasting, Money Management, Outdoor Survival, Mass Communication, Web Research, Robotics, Fish and Game, Organizational Skills, Film Studies, Social Dance, Greenhouse, Campus Improvement, Peer Tutoring, Advanced Math Team, Current Events, Guided Practice of Study and Academic Writing. 
According to Van Fleet and a member of his leadership team, Denise McMillan, these short classes have not been worked out.  They are currently in the process of polling students about what they want made available.  Thus far, according to sources, most students haven’t even been as interested in the “fun classes” as many assume.  Instead they seem more motivated to take courses, which offer enrichment not seen before in the Bibb County School system. 

Mr. Van Fleet’s leadership team are as follows:  Mike Battles, Marsha Brook, Melinda Collums, Carla Cribbs, Farrah Daniel, Amy Hatter, Ashley Lawley, Lane Lightsey, Denise McMillan, Qshequilla Mitchell, Etta Murphy, John Simmer, Andrea Suttle, Martin Thomas and Vicky Watkins.  More than half of those teachers are at or near tenure.  Of the 16-member team all are or have been educators.  The two who are not presently educators were educators with a combined experience of nearly 40 years. 

“Those who have concerns should look at the bigger picture.  Today’s students do not learn the same way we learned when we were in school.  Sure, this program cuts down the time of Academic courses but if you polled students you would find a large majority of them are bored to death in 96 minute classes,” expressed Guffey. 
“This is a solution to the block schedule which runs classes too long.  The fun classes aspect of this schedule is a small and frankly minute portion of it.  We have not been working on this to give kids a way of escaping education.  It is a way to shorten class length, increase their interests in school, and to offer more time to focus on problem areas with students who need extra attention,” explained Van Fleet. 

 “For a small rural high school this is a way to offer studies which would cost a lot of money, such as art without the high cost.  It also motivates students to get involved in things they might have an interest in, but are not offered.  In turn, this is opening up a world of education and activity to students,” Guffey explained.

Guffey suggested that these short classes also open up community and parental involvement.  Many of these courses will be opened up to members of the community who work or practice in certain fields to come and teach children what they know.  Pisgah High School has generated students with State Math, Art, and Science awards as a result of these “short classes” according to Guffey. 

Another positive portion of the ‘hybrid schedule’ is the rise in student conduct.  “Since implementing this the grade point average of students has increased, but more than anything we have to discipline children very seldom.  There is a tremendous difference between the amount of disciplinary actions we had to take before the ‘hybrid’ and since.  Poor conduct out of our students has become extremely rare,” said Guffey.

Pisgah High School has currently been recognized as one of only 3 “model” schools in the state of Alabama for improvement following their implementation of the hybrid schedule.  Principal Mark Guffey was just awarded “principal of the year” for the drastic improvements.  Meanwhile Bibb County High School continues to be highly regarded by the State Department of Education for their own drastic improvements in regards to discipline, test scores, decrease in dropouts and so on.  Many programs, which have been used at BCHS over the past few years, are just now being implemented at schools in need of improvement. 

“Bibb County’s Schools are doing many innovative things and have made drastic improvements.  Based on the improvement level at BCHS I consider them a model school and often reference what is going on there when I am speaking to other schools in the district,” explained Sonia Dale.