K-8 Reconfiguration Update

What we are not doing:

· There is no “exploratory committee” as yet formed.
· K-8 is not a foregone conclusion.
· The addition of 6th grade to the elementary schools will not take place in September 2008.

What we are doing:

· The School Committee is proposing a grade reconfiguration to K-8 for the district’s elementary schools. Much work needs to be done if this continues to implementation.
· The School Committee is looking at the feasibility of the K-8 model through the following efforts:
- Application for funding for school facility upgrades through the Massachusetts School Building Authority
- Advanced fact-finding by the school district administration

What we will be doing:

· School district administration is and will continue to be visiting successful K-8’s in the Northeast with similar demographics to North Adams.
· We expect to be hiring a third party, out-of-district, facility-planning organization to fully assess educational space needs.
· A School Committee exploratory K-8 sub-committee will be formed that will include school committee representation, a teacher and parent from each of the elementary schools & Conte, a city councilor, and a community representative. I will be chairing this committee, which will be receiving for our review all of the advanced fact finding of the district administration, all funding information provided by the Mass School Building Authority, and the details on the in-process and completed assessment of educational space needs by the facility planning organization. This committee will make its recommendations regarding K-8 grade reconfiguration to the School Committee.

Why are we looking at a K-8 grade reconfiguration:

There is considerable research and anecdotal evidence that this is the best and the right choice for the education & social development of children in the middle grades. We know it is not a magic bullet for solving all the challenges of educating the kids, but reasons include:

Families develop strong and continuous connections to the school over 9 years together. Parents of younger kids tend to be a lot more active than middle school parents, and the schools retain the benefit of experienced, active parents as younger siblings come in. With the kids having long-term relationships with teachers & the school, students experience less anxiety about entering 6th, 7th & 8th grades. K-8 schools can give at-risk students, in particular, greater opportunities at success by building relationships with staff over a course of nine years

Older students develop leadership skills and responsibility, and experience the value of helping others. Middle grade students in a K-8 school behave differently than in a middle school. They take on the role of protector and role model as opposed to having to establish new reputations upon entering a middle school.

Students have a more seamless transition between their primary, intermediate, and middle grade programs. The continuity of K-8 reduces feelings of anonymity that may be experienced in middle school, which in a middle school can lead to negative coping mechanisms, including fighting, displaying a "don’t care" attitude, or self-destruction.

Research indicates that, in many cases, students in a K-8 environment at each grade level achieve higher levels of academic growth over time.

K-8 models eliminate one transition and student achievement levels do not drop as is typically seen during transition years.

A K-8 school can incorporate a distinct, rigorous, and developmentally appropriate middle grades program within a K-8 grade span – what’s frequently called an “Ellemiddle” school. Best practice middle grade implementation can be successfully incorporated within the K-8 model.

Research indicates that by the end of eighth grade, students in a K-8 school show higher self-esteem, less victimization by other students, greater levels of participation in extracurricular activities, and healthier adolescent development.

K-8 schools across the country display higher attendance rates and fewer disciplinary problems.

The School Committee is well aware that there are great things happening in the North Adams School District, thanks to the extraordinary dedication of the faculty, support staff and administration, in spite of the many pressures put on them by the requirements of No Child Left Behind, AYP, MCAS and so on. There are tangible and significant improvements occurring throughout the district, including at Conte Middle School. K-8 isn’t being considered because the School Committee is unhappy with the academic improvements or lack thereof in the school district. The look at K-8 addresses many issues beyond educational improvement, as outlined above. If these issues could be addressed successfully with K-8, this would enhance the good things that are happening in our current grade structure.

The exploration of K-8 grade reconfiguration also exposes in a more significant light, the issues of school facility deficiencies and declining enrollments. These two issues add to the interest in the K-8 conversion as a way to make better use of educational space in the district.

K-8 Information

I know there may be many questions, concerns and ideas regarding the proposed K-8 grade reconfiguration in the North Adams School District. For many of the questions you have, we may not have answers yet. But I welcome your input and your questions. I intend to use this blog as a vehicle to keep the parents and the community informed as we go through the process. I also hope you will take advantage of this medium to provide your input, your thoughts and your ideas on the proposed K-8 grade reconfiguration. If you would prefer to do so more directly, you can email me at newa@adelphia.net.