School Configurations

1
School Configurations

• Recommendations from the Instructional Services
  Division
• April 2008

2
Input Sought

• Members of the Instructional Division Leadership
  Team
• Cluster Principal Leaders
• Schools Pursuing Excellence Principals
• Teachers Chat participants

3
Goals

• Schools and programs are high quality and
  comprehensive
• Engage students
• Support rigor, relevance and relationships to
  enhance student learning
• Effective use of limited resources

4
Key Questions

• When is the best time to leave elementary school
  and go to middle school?
• What are the advantages/disadvantages of the
  current grade configurations?
• Will oldest students function as positive or
  negative role models?
• Can academic and social needs of each grade level
  be met in developmentally appropriate manners at
  a school site?
• Which grades should be grouped together in one
  school?
• What costs are incurred with multiple
  configurations?

5
Research

• Each community and school district considers
  different factors when making grade span
  decisions and no one grade configuration is right
  for all.
• The most important factors contributing to high
  levels of student academic achievement are not
  related to grade span but are directly linked to
  campus leadership, the quality of the teaching
  staff, campus expectations, staff development,
  and quality of instructional programs and
  supplemental services.
• Simply changing the school configuration is not
  enough to increase achievement.
• Researchers agree that generally the quality of
  the school and the instruction was more important
  than the grade configuration in viewing academic
  progress of students.

6
Research (contd)

• Research has not provided definitive answers to
  the myriad possible questions about grade span,
  but the questions have never gone away. They are
  questions which arise whenever school reform,
  increasing or declining enrollment, or financial
  considerations bring about a reorganization of
  existing schools, the building of new schools, or
  consolidation of districts
• The research on the best grade configuration is
  inconclusive. Paglin and Fager

7
In other words.

• No particular sequence of grade spans is perfect
  or in itself guarantees student achievement and
  social adjustment.
• With thought and effort, effective practices can
  be implemented in a variety of grade
  configurations.

8
Realities of Current Configurations

• Curriculum support
• Staff Development
• Combination classes
• K-8 schools smaller at grades 6-8 than
  traditional middle schools cannot offer as many
  electives with current staffing formulas
• Coaching, networking support for teachers

9
Realities of Current Configurations

• Multi-faceted guidance and support structures
  needed for middle school students not currently
  available at K-8s.
• Differing availability of special programs
• Fewer sections/classrooms per grade can increase
  personnel costs or result in combination classes
• New configurations in some cases were a sign of
  general dissatisfaction with the results of the
  traditional middle school format of grades 6-8.
• Staffing challenges for K-8s and schools with 6th
  grades

10
Differing Configuration Costs

• Human Resources
• Textbooks
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Physical Education
• Counseling
• Libraries
• Staff Development
• Facilities
• Program Evaluation and Assessment
• Security

11
Factors to consider Paglin and Fager

• Student Travel (cost and length)
• Increase/decrease of parent involvement
• Number of students at each grade level (class
  groupings and courses offered)
• Effect of school setting on achievement
• Effect on whether neighborhood schools close or
  remain open
• Number of school transitions for students
• Opportunities for interaction between age groups
• Influence of older students on younger students
• Building design is it suitable for only a few or
  for several grade levels

12
Their conclusion

• Designing a school system to use a particular
  span of grades in individual schools will not in
  itself guarantee that students will learn well
  and be well adjusted
• Race and diversity has been a factor in some
  school configuration decisions.

13
Middle School Supporters Say

• there is no magic in a particular bricks and
  mortar configurationits easy to get distracted
  by a middle school vs. other school debatewe
  should focus our attention on middle-grade
  students and their learningrather than simply
  reshuffling students and schools, we must support
  our educators and school leaders so they can
  implement proven practices to advance the
  learning of middle grades students, regardless of
  a schools grade configuration.
• Debby Kasak, National Forum to Accelerate Middle
  Grades Reform

14
Recommendation K-5

• Advantages
• Grade level communication of curriculum alignment
  is easier to facilitate
• 5th graders have greater opportunity for
  leadership in elementary schools

• Disadvantages
• Availability of space for more K-5 students could
  impact movement from some of our smaller schools

15
Recommendation 6-8

• Advantages
• A 3 year middle grade time frame allows the
  opportunity for strong, positive relationships to
  be built among students, teachers, counselors and
  administrators
• The 3 grade combination provides more stability
  to the overall program, more time exists for the
  development of programs, promote teacher/pupil
  relationships
• More diversified curriculum is available
• Transition to high school can be built into the
  school structure
• Supports the research findings which show that
  the youngster today enters adolescence much
  earlier than 50 years ago
• The students ages more nearly parallel the
  period of human growth and development between
  childhood and adolescence ages 11 through 13
  grades 6 through 8
• Pupils are grouped who are more alike than either
  elementary or secondary students

• Disadvantages
• Some students in grade 6 are physically immature
• Social pressure comes from 7th and 8th grade can
  be difficult for 6th graders to handle
• Having to adjust to so many teachers may be
  difficult for some students

16
Recommendation 9-12

• Advantages
• Staff will be able to meet across campuses
  because of similar start and end times more
  collaboration
• Focus can be narrowed

• Disadvantages
• Some current schools have other configurations
  may have fewer students impacting the
  availability of staffing for expansive classes
• Current schools with broader configurations may
  draw students at levels 9-12 because of
  additional space availability

17
Choice

• Size of grade level cohort
• Consistency of curriculum across all grade levels
  regardless of configuration
• Increase the standards that all grade levels need
  to meet do not decrease
• Additional grades differing from recommended
  configurations require additional resources
• Expectations must remain consistent for students
  at all campuses.
• Key question Is there room for other
  configurations and what impact will these
  configurations have on existing schools? What
  impact will configurations have on existing
  district service providers?