New block scheduling is an 'abomination,' parent says

At the May 28 Board of Education meeting, several concerned parents asked our superintendent how the Brick teachers will be able to teach our high school students under the new 4x4 block scheduling system.

The new curriculum delivery system will have students taking four courses September through January, and four courses January through June. The classes will meet for 80 minutes per day, five days per week, during each semester.

When teaching in an extended class, teachers need to utilize technology and other tools to differentiate instruction; they can't just lecture for 80 minutes, because students cannot effectively learn the material that way. The problem is that Brick Township does not have the technology for the teachers to use.

Some of our teachers were recently sent to other schools to observe block scheduling. They were sent to wealthy districts that have won awards for their advanced technology, as well as to Abbott districts with per-pupil spending and facilities and technology far superior to that of Brick Township.

Superintendent Walter Hrycenko's response to these concerns was troubling at best. The Toms River resident stated that Brick's teachers are "very resourceful" and would "make do with what they have." As a parent and a taxpayer in Brick, I found this recurring theme of the evening to be insulting, irresponsible and insensitive.

Shockingly, "making do with what they have" does not pertain to how the current administration spends on itself. The latest school budget featured yet another assistant superintendent, a clerical assistant to be provided for this new administrator, and another high school vice principal. The new budget also included $140,000 for hall monitors, which will be needed due to the new block scheduling. Our superintendent earns a base salary of $175,000 and the combined base salaries of the other employees of central administration are over $1 million. The 30 principals and vice principals earn over $3.3 million, collectively. Still, they are getting even more.

Block scheduling proponents and experts all agree that any success in implementing a block schedule requires classroom technology for differentiated instruction, extensive professional training for the staff, teacher support and community support. We have none of these things.

At several meetings last spring, parents were assured that if Brick was going to transition to block scheduling, it would only be the A/B format (alternating day, full year) and the district would never go to a 4x4 format because of the inherent academic problems. One of the biggest detriments to 4x4 is that students can go as long as a year without a subject, which is especially troubling in subjects like math and world languages. The A/B format (which was piloted with Brick High School's freshmen this year) was deemed "too costly" within a few weeks.

The concern with it was not that the students have no technology or that the classes were filled with homework time and movies, but that it cost too much. Now we are being forced into a 4x4 block schedule where our students will be subjected to twenty 80- minute classes per week, with no technology that other districts utilize to break up the lengthy amount of time.

Anyone who has seen a text-messaging teen can anticipate how well the average high school student will remain engaged in such an environment. Certainly, ADD and ADHD students will have even greater challenges. Students will be receiving approximately 15 hours less classroom time in each course, and most will have six months to a year with no math. How does that improve test scores and student achievement?

Typically, schools that transition to 4x4 blocks begin reducing their teaching staff and number of electives offered within the first few years. We are already seeing the decimation of our Advanced Placement program under our district's new structure.

For many months, I have watched as concerned parents and community members have gone to our school officials with our concerns about 4x4 block scheduling. We have presented them with extensive, current research, which we have compiled, only to be ignored and dismissed. All we have received are vague and conflicting information, outdated studies and unsubstantiated opinions. No specific goals were ever given to us, no cost analysis was ever done, and no quantitative means by which success or failure of this experiment will be determined have been established. This is an academic and administrative abomination.

Countless districts have abandoned this antiquated educational trend after seeing standardized test scores plummet, student and teacher absences devastate learning, retention diminishes, grades artificially inflate and course curricula become diluted.

There are so many positive elements in our Brick Township schools: We have many excellent, dedicated teachers, involved parents and so many great kids who are striving for excellence in everything from academics to sports to the arts. There is never a shortage of volunteers when our community is called together to help a family in need or support a charitable event.

We are a very large, diverse community with both blue-collar and white-collar families, but we share a common priority — our children. We want our children to excel in everything they do, and we want them to receive the same opportunities for future success as children in other districts receive. It saddens me when those to whom we have entrusted our school system do not appear to share this community's priority or address their concerns.

The students of Brick Township are entitled to a competitive education. They deserve better than "making do with what they have"; rather, it's time for them to "have what they are due."

Karyn Cusanelli is a resident of

Brick Township.