Shaking up the schedule

Since the 2020 school year, there has been a constant stream of change and there is more to come. The VBCPS School Board voted to bring back a hybrid form of the 4×4 schedule we had last school year for next year. With this new schedule, there may be some confusion, so here are some answers to some common questions.

How will classes and credits work? 

Every year of high school, you have to take a minimum of six credits to reach the 24 classes needed to graduate and you can take a maximum of eight credits. Every class you take in high school serves as a credit towards your diploma. Study blocks don’t count as credits and the maximum amount of study blocks allowed a year is two. Classes will count for the same amount of credit next year as they have in the past.

What is our current A/B schedule? 

Every A day, you take half of your classes and the next day is always a B day where you take the rest of your eight classes. This goes back and forth all year long. 

What is a four by four schedule? 

Instead of switching from A day to B day every day, the four by four schedule is where you take four classes every day for one semester and the other four classes the second semester. 

What is a hybrid schedule? 

A combination of 4×4 and A/B scheduling.

Sample Schedule

Example below includes a sample if attending a center/gov school.

In example below, Academy courses could be swapped for AP or performance based courses. Schedule would look similar.

Are there still going to be study halls? 

Yes. 

Will there still be late arrival and early release? 

Yes. 

What about special electives, APs, academy classes? 

The majority of AP classes will be year long. Academy and other specialty courses will mostly run year long as well, but schools have flexibility to meet the needs of specific classes.

How will lunch look? 

Administration is discussing bringing back One Lunch next year. This will be finalized soon. Additionally, they are looking at where SDS advisory fits best.  

In conclusion

As we have learned over the past couple of years, we are going to need to be flexible and go with the flow. These changes might cause some growing pains, but there are benefits as well. 

The 4×4 schedule allows seniors who take more than six classes a year for their freshman through junior years to graduate a semester early. Being with the same teacher and the same students every day for a semester can help form stronger bonds. Students only have four classes of homework to be completed at any given time. 

It is likely that we will be on a hybrid schedule with some classes, like APs, meeting on an A/B schedule and other classes (core classes) meeting on a 4×4 schedule.