Just Say No to Blended Classes at Blue Ridge Middle School
At Blue Ridge Middle School in Purcellville, VA, a Blended Class Program was implemented across an entire 8th grade for the 2011-2012 school year without student and parental knowledge or consent. Students made their course selections the previous spring but didn\'t find out that honors and academic students were scheduled in the same class (blended) until they showed up for class in the fall. Parents were never notified and only found out after their students mentioned it.

It started out as a pilot program where academic students were scheduled in honors classes and given the chance to complete the honors work. The pilot remained in place for several years with a team of about 150 students and after claims of success by the school, was implemented in 2011-2012 for the entire 8th grade.

The stated purpose of the program was to provide rigor and equity to all 8th grade students. The success of the program has been measured by how many academic students formally switched the Academic designation on their schedule to an Honors designation after trying the more challenging work. The academic student had to complete all of the honors coursework to make the switch. As of the writing of this petition, only 8 students have formally changed to the Honors designation on their transcript for the 2011-2012 school year.

The data behind the claims of success is largely anecdotal from teachers and administrators or just numerically unbelievable given the manner in which it was collected and the size of the student population it\'s said to represent.

We, the under-signers of this petition, want the Blended Class Program removed from Blue Ridge Middle School until the administrators and/or teachers provide data that supports their claims of success in both the pilot programs of previous years and the current-year implementation; prove that there are measurable benefits to the honors student; thoroughly research the blended class methodology; and are willing to look at other methods of providing “rigor and equity” to all students that do not require the honor student to have a role.

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Petition Details
Created By: marbles mom
Created On: May 7th, 2012
Target: Blue Ridge Middle School
Category: Education

Total signatures: 3
Signature goal: 300

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