December 16, 2011
With 21 comments since publication
by Christine Yeres
Superintendent Lyn McKay announced Tuesday that she had decided to implement a new schedule of six 55-minute periods and a 38-minute lunch each day in the existing two 5-8 grade middle schools. She then listed her reasons.
1. It’s right for students. The benefits for all students, both general and special ed students, of the longer periods include: more balanced instruction, more differentiation, more small-group help.
2. No model is perfect. McKay and staffers are still working to mitigate the effects of decreased frequency for World Language and other “encore” subjects that are not the “core” math-science-English-social studies courses.
3. Although the research is not definitive or even strong, said McKay, what is strong, she said, is that “we’ve had a 5-8 model going for the last nine years and we’re pleased with it. And the word that I’ve been hearing, when I visited Roaring Brook recently [for the principal-search meeting], when I asked them what they valued most at Roaring Brook is ‘family.’” She heard this also at the high school principal-search meeting, said McKay. “We have a culture here,” she continued, “where a parent can drop a student off and feel secure that if the student has an issue of any kind—this is what we heard this over and over from Roaring Brook parents,” said McKay—“and that Eric [Byrne, former principal of RB] was great,” added board of ed President Alyson Kiesel, who had attended the same meeting. “But we want to know,” continued McKay, “as parents, that when we’re dropping students off that if there is an issue a teacher will help, a custodian will help, a clerical person will help—and that we build that kind of relationship within our schools.
So one of the things that came out in all of this work is that we really need to ensure that in going from fourth [grade] to fifth that we can keep the family feel, and what are some of the specific things that we can do to help students and parents with that transition. So we’re going to look at that with a smaller group when we go forward. And the same thing is true going from eighth [grade] to ninth, because that came up. So you learn as you have these conversations about things that one might do better.”
4. “Also we chose to do the 5-8 because logistically,” said McKay, as board member Randy Katchis brought up in past discussion about middle school, “it really doesn’t really make sense to make two major changes at one time. We prefer to do the schedule first, and then we can revisit whether it’s 5-6 and 7-8, or, depending on enrollment, a school that’s 6-8 and put the fifth grade back into elementary. That’s certainly is a possibility going forward.”
5. Busing was a consideration, since McKay learned that bus rides at Seven Bridges would go from a 35 to 50 minutes and at Bell from 40 to 50 minutes. That just didn’t make sense, she said.
Another main reason for the longer periods is that it is fiscally prudent, said McKay. “Not only is it educationally sound, but we have the potential of reducing saving close to half a million dollars in our budget.”
McKay explained further, “The 5-8 schools and the longer period—although they’re certainly are some people who do not agree—and I hear that and see that and I understand what they value—we have more people who are in support of it in terms of the community. Valuing the family atmosphere is very important,” McKay reiterated, “and we recognize that and we’re going to work on that going forward.”
McKay suggested that five years out, since enrollment projections at the middle school will be under 300 at each grade level, is a time when the community should look at the possibility of closing one middle school. “You don’t wait until five years from now to start that discussion. You start that in a couple of years as we begin to analyze what’s the next direction to take.” She reiterated that to close one middle school now and squeeze all current middle school students into one 5-8 would mean “art on a cart” and trailers, but five years from now it may be possible to fit comfortably into one.
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