We are proud to announce Helix Charter High School has been designated an Exemplary High Performing National Blue Ribbon School for 2022 by U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona. Helix is one of 297 schools in the nation and one of four high schools in California to be recognized this year.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes outstanding public and non-public schools and is an important part of the U.S. Department of Education. The program celebrates school excellence, turn around stories, and closing subgroup achievement gaps. The award is both a high aspiration and a potent resource of practitioner knowledge.
Helix Charter High School was given this award based on our high-performance. We are among the state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Our school community takes great pride in our long journey to improving outcomes for all students.
Prior to becoming a charter school, when we were still on the traditional six period day schedule, student outcomes at Helix placed us in the bottom third of schools in the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD). Converting to a charter school and implementing the 4×4 block schedule are two of the most important reasons that Helix has become a top performing school in GUHSD, California, and the nation. Our success as a charter school stems from our commitment to effective collaboration, innovation, and holding ourselves accountable to improving student outcomes for all students.
When we converted to being a charter school, our staff began exploring various alternative educational reform models in an effort to identify a more flexible and effective schedule that would allow us to better meet the needs of our students. Our goal was to identify a schedule that provided students the opportunity to focus on fewer subjects for longer amounts of time to support student mastery of their learning.
We also wanted a schedule that allowed students the opportunity to take concurrent academic support classes and provided teachers more time to prepare and collaborate. With these objectives in mind, our staff focused on implementing the Copernican Plan, 4×4 block schedule. In the 4×4 block schedule, students have the opportunity to take three or four 90-minute classes a day each term, and there are two terms each year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The 4×4 block schedule allows students to take up to eight total classes for the year instead of the typical six. The two extra periods afford students the opportunity to take extra elective classes, concurrent academic support classes, and remediate failed classes during the year rather than in summer school.
On the 4×4 block schedule, teachers teach three periods per day and have a 90-minute preparation period. Teachers teach approximately 90 students rather than the typical 175 students. Having fewer students and longer preparation periods provide teachers the time to more thoroughly review their students’ work and assessments as well as more time to plan and design curriculum and instruction.
The alternative 4×4 block schedule has been the key to improving the collaboration and innovation efforts of our staff. The schedule allows staff to think about how to use time more creatively and effectively. The 4×4 block has also reduced failure rates across all disciplines, which has freed up teachers to teach more elective courses and has afforded students the opportunity to take more elective, community college dual enrollment courses, and a fifth year of a course in the four core subject areas.
Our staff looks forward to exploring more opportunities to collaborate and innovate on behalf of our students in the future. We are grateful for the school community’s continued support and know it is only possible to achieve high standards when we have it.
Editor’s note: This article was written by Lauren Knuth, community relations & engagement coordinator at Helix Charter High School.
