Some Prince William County middle schools are not adhering to a Virginia State Regulation that requires 140 hours of instruction in all of four core subjects: language arts, math, social studies and science.
Instead, some PWCS middle schools are providing a total of 560 instructional hours in the combination of all four subjects. This allows sixth, seventh and eighth grade students to get more time in math and language arts.
This leaves insufficient instructional time in the science and social studies, which violates state regulations.
According to Charles Pyle, Direct of Communications for the Virginia Department of Education, the regulation that applies to instructional time in middle school programs is 8VAC20-131-90.D.
It reads as follows:
To provide students a sufficient opportunity to learn, each student shall be provided 140 clock hours per year of instruction in each of the four disciplines of English, mathematics, science, and history/social science. Sixth grade students may receive an alternative schedule of instruction provided each student receives at least 560 total clock hours of instruction in the four academic disciplines.
In a statement to Bristow Beat, PWCS said that the school division expects that Virginia regulations for middle school instruction programs will soon be changed, allowing for a combined minimum of 560 hours of instructional time in all four subjects. However, that change has not yet been finalized.
According to PWCS, the scheduling was changed to address “the most pressing student needs.” Communications Director Phil Kavits said that if standards change shortly, as the school division expects, they will continue with the current scheduling, which they believe provides better flexibility to schools. However, if the regulation is not amended, he said the school division will take the necessary steps to accommodate the current standards.
The following is a statement provided by Phil Kavits, Communications Director for Prince William County Schools addressing middle school instructional hours:
We expect that a soon-to-be finalized change in Virginia standards for middle Schools will add flexibility, requiring a minimum of 560 hours of instruction in the English, mathematics, science, and social science/history core areas, without dictating the share of that time allocated per-course. This would mean all PWCS middle schools would meet the requirement with their current schedules. Since the change has been stalled in Richmond, PWCS is examining current schedules and principals are preparing potential schedule changes (each varies by school) that would ensure that all middle schools meet the applicable Virginia standard for the full year, if their current schedules do not already do so.Without the pending changes, your columnist is correct that block scheduling at middle schools would put them below the present 140 clock-hour mark in science and social science instruction should schedules remain unchanged (the actual amount varies by school). Again, that issue can be addressed, if needed, in time to meet this year’s requirements.
The current scheduling evolved several years ago as part of efforts to fix perceived deficiencies in reading and math scores. Schedules were meant to address what was viewed as the most pressing student need, without in any way suggesting that other subjects were unimportant. The goal of PWCS and its teachers continues to be to inspire and enable students to excel in all areas. We strive to meet their specific needs. If the standards change shortly, as expected, Schools will have greater flexibility to tailor instruction to student needs as they see fit. If not, PWCS will have taken steps necessary to meet the official standard.
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