School Board of the City of Virginia Beach
Regulation 6-51.1

INSTRUCTION

Organization for Instruction

A. Elementary Schools

Elementary schools will be organized as self-contained classrooms in kindergarten through second grade. Any organization structure other than self-contained in kindergarten, first, and second grades must receive prior waiver approval from the superintendent or his designee.

Grades three, four, and five may be organized as self-contained classrooms or blocked, depending upon the instructional needs and concerns of the students, with the final decision made by the principal. Schools that use a blocked organizational structure shall ensure that students change classes no more than twice, and have no more than three (3) teachers.

Elementary schools shall not be organized by departments or use a departmentalized organizational structure. Elementary school principals are authorized to appoint members of the teaching staff as grade coordinators.

B. Middle Schools

Middle schools will be organized to accommodate team teaching. Middle School principals are authorized to appoint members of the teaching staff as team leaders.

C. High Schools

1. Department Chairpersons

High schools will be organized by departments. The principal will appoint department chairpersons.

2. A/B Alternative Block Schedule

All high schools will utilize the A/B alternating block schedule to organize instructional time. Each of the daily four (4) instructional blocks must be a
minimum of 94 minutes in length. School hours for high schools are given in School Board Regulation 6-13.1.

a. Request for Waiver

Schools that want an exemption from the A/B alternating block schedule requirement must apply for an annual waiver from the Board. The request for a waiver must be submitted to the Assistant Superintendent for High Schools for inclusion on the Board’s agenda at the first meeting in March if the waiver is for the following school year.

The request for a waiver to utilize another organizational model for instructional time must follow the process delineated in School Board Regulation 6-24.2, and include, additionally, the following:

• Letter of support from following: Principals’ Advisory Committee and School Planning Council
• Survey of parents designed to measure support for waiver
• Survey of students designed to measure support for waiver
• Letter of support from Principal

The request for a waiver must also address the following:

(1) How the school will provide the maximum number of courses that a student may take to meet graduation requirements?
(2) How the school through its master schedule will provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the division’s complement of elective course offerings, courses that may not be offered because of too few student requests for it?
(3) How the school will be compatible with all other high schools in the city in all dimensions, including the use of distance learning?

 

Approved by Superintendent: July 16, 1991
Revised by Superintendent: October 19, 1993
Revised by Superintendent: February 6, 1996
Revised by Superintendent: January 18, 2001