Rogers exploring middle-school changes

ROGERS -- Sixth-graders would work with a smaller team of teachers under a plan School District administrators are pitching to ease the students' transition from elementary to middle school.

The plan also involves changing the structure of the school day and allowing sixth-graders to dabble in each of the three music programs the district offers, rather than making them choose one program for the entire year as they do now.

Test troubles

Rogers sixth-graders typically perform worse on standardized tests than they did as fifth-graders. Among the cohort of students who were sixth-graders during the 2013-14 school year, 80.2 percent scored proficient or advanced on the literacy test as sixth-graders; 92 percent scored proficient or advanced a year earlier. For the same cohort, 79.3 percent were proficient or advanced on the math test as sixth-graders; 82.1 percent were proficient or advanced in math a year earlier.

Source: Rogers School District

Deputy Superintendent Mark Sparks presented the plan during a School Board study session Thursday.

Rogers students go from having one teacher for most of their time in fifth grade to having as many as nine teachers per week during seven-period days in sixth grade.

"The only more traumatic transition in education is when parents drop off their kids for kindergarten," Sparks said.

Administrators say the stress of that transition to middle school could be contributing to the dip in standardized test scores Rogers sees each year from students as they move from fifth to sixth grade.

Under administrators' proposal, sixth-graders would work with only two teachers of the core subjects. Smaller teams would allow teachers to build stronger relationships with their students, Sparks said.

The plan is feasible because 94 percent of the district's sixth-grade teachers are trained or certified in multiple content areas, Sparks said.

It's a model Lingle Middle School already has started to move toward, said Mary Elmore, principal.

"All my teachers are teaching multiple subjects this year," Elmore said. "The proposal is not only to have a smaller number of teachers, but larger chunks of time they can teach."

Incorporated in the plan is a schedule change that would have sixth-graders engaged in two "exploratory" classes each day that would change every six weeks; students would take them on a pass-fail basis. Included in the rotation would be classes in orchestra, band and chorus.

Currently, students are asked to select one of those three music paths to take for their entire sixth-grade year. This proposed schedule gives them time to try out each one for a while and see how they like it.

The middle schools see significant drops in participation in their music programs as students get older. Sparks said he believes the proposed schedule change will benefit the district's music programs.

"I think this is a better approach for kids who by their nature don't have as much exposure to music as others," he said.

Board member Sterling Wilson said that idea made sense.

"My question is why didn't we look at this (plan) earlier," Wilson said.

Most of the district's music teachers support the plan, said Janie Darr, superintendent.

The board has no immediate plan to vote on the proposal. Administrators discussed the possibility of holding meetings to discuss the plan with parents.

The board is scheduled to hold another study session next month, at which time the topic could be discussed again, Darr said.

NW News on 11/13/2015

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