K-8 Concerns

### Concerns regarding Economies of Scale One advantage traditional middle schools have is economies of scale: 150-200 students in 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grades. Having so many students at each grade level makes it relatively easy to field a football team, create a band, or offer an advanced math course to the 5% of students ready for it. 150 students will require about 6 teachers (FTE) so it makes sense to hire one math specialist, one science specialist, one language arts specialist, etc. and have them each teach all of the children their specialty. One disadvantage traditional middle schools have is economies of scale: many people shake their heads at the thought of 450-600 hormone-hyped adolescents immersed together in one building, risking anonymity as they traverse from class to class every 45 minutes. The K-8 structure has the flexibility to create a more personal learning environment, but it faces challenges in achieving the critical mass needed in certain areas. The Irvington K-8 program is projected to have two classes each at 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade – with a total of about 150 upper grade students. Challenges: Without critical mass, how will we provide advanced course offerings, a reasonable range of electives, extra-curricular activities (like sports) and social events for our upper grades? Will we have specialists in all disciplines? Will all staff be highly qualified with appropriate training for the age level? How will students needing accelerated or remedial coursework be served? How will we achieve and maintain academic rigor? How many and what kinds of electives will there be? Foreign language(s)? Band/Orchestra? Will students have an opportunity to participate in sports or leadership opportunities? What kinds of social opportunities/events will students have – such as dances? How can we help students expand their social/peer connections within a smaller program? With fewer classes, there are fewer opportunities to “mix-up” classroom combinations. How can we expand these opportunities? Are there opportunities to partner with other schools to share staff and/or have students take courses in other locations? How will we maintain the number of students in the upper grades? Concerns regarding School Culture: A school’s culture reflects our school community’s core values. Core values such as respect, honoring diversity, and creative problem-solving, may not define what is taught, but they can heavily influence how the material is presented and a school’s culture or “personality”. Challenges: What will Irvington’s focus be as a K-8 program? What will our school be known for? What will draw students and families to our program? The addition of 6^th – 8^th grade classrooms will reduce the number of transfer spots available across all grade levels. How will this affect Irvington’s diversity? What can we do to maintain a diverse student population? Discipline issues become broader and more complex. Younger students will observe older students behavior. Is bullying of younger students and/or among peers likely to increase? Should we have a Vice-Principal to focus on discipline issues? How can we foster and maintain appropriate interactions and separation of youngest and oldest students? How can we retain our early education emphasis throughout the K-8 evolution? How do we achieve and maintain academic rigor? Will there be groupings by ability as well as, or by grade level only? What opportunities will there be for cross grade configuration? How will students needing remedial or accelerated learning be served? Our small school size may limit students’ abilities to broaden their social and peer connections. How can we expand these opportunities? How can we create extra-curricular social opportunities such as sports, dances and clubs? Current 6^th graders will be the oldest students for four years. How can we foster older role models for them? How do we balance the desire to prolong childhood with the necessity of preparing students for a successful transition to High School? How will we grant additional privileges and responsibilities to older students? How will we build opportunities for students to demonstrate self-management and organizational skills? How can we reconcile the advantages of fewer transitions (stronger relationship with teachers, less time lost in transition, more in depth projects possible etc) with the advantages of frequent transitions (less impact if student doesn’t like a teacher, more exposure to different teaching styles/methods, learns organizational skills etc.)? Is it possible to offer a MWF schedule that differs from a T/TH schedule to maximize benefits of both? How can we encourage good citizenship skills? Will community service be required? Are there opportunities to build on/expand the buddy system? What types of leadership opportunities will be offered?   How can we instill expectations for after school behavior to minimize loitering issues for neighbors and businesses? Concerns regarding Physical Building Constraints: Irvington was a K-8 school from 1932 until the mid 1970s complete with auditorium, woodshop, home ec and music rooms. How can we adapt our depression-era building to accommodate a 21^st century K-8 program? Challenges: How and when will the library expand? What media resources will we need? How and when will the computer lab expand? What technology resources will we need? How will we create an appropriate science lab? Do we have adequate bathrooms? Should we limit use of specific bathrooms by age/grade? Do we have adequate cafeteria capacity? Where will assemblies be held? Will limited space restrict the range and types of electives offered? What physical modifications to fixtures and equipment will be needed for the older students? Do we have adequate gymnasium facilities? Will we have locker rooms? Will we still have room for the SLC-B and Pre-K classrooms? Can we more effectively schedule activities to maximize the space available? Concerns regarding Resources: In 2008-9, Irvington will add 8^th grade with a projected enrollment of 500–575 students, which matches Irvington’s enrollment numbers in the 1990’s. What resources will we have to transform a K-5 program into a K-8 program? Resources include money, time, expertise, administrative support, volunteers and more. Challenges: Will the district provide $$ for additional staff: specialists, and expanded support services, such as counseling, nurse, library services etc? Will resources for PE grow with the addition of more grades? How much PE time will each class receive? How will we support advance course offerings? Will we receive additional administrative FTE for a Vice-Principal? What resources will the district provide – funding for staffing, building modifications, and updated fixtures/equipment; direction/expectations; curriculum support; opportunities to network with other K-8 programs? How do we plan thoughtfully with this limited amount of time? Will the district provide paid time for staff to research and organize resources? How many electives can we expect? How will they be selected? Who will teach them? How can we create access to after school sports, and social activities such as dances and clubs? Who will teach health? How can we create adequate library resources for middle-schoolers? How can we create adequate technology resources for middle-schoolers? As we add grades and reduce the number of K-5 classes, what will happen to the extra K-5 teachers? If funding is not available for additional support staff, how do we prevent the upper grades from hogging the shared resources (library, counselor, computer lab, administrative planning etc)? Concerns regarding Preparing Students for High School Traditional middle schools have served as a logical transition between elementary school and high school. Successful K-8 programs must find a balance between prolonging childhood and preparing students for the increased academic expectations, autonomy, and organizational requirements of high school. Challenges: How will we create a curriculum that is rigorous enough to challenge all students, with benchmarks designed to prepare all students for success in high school? Will we have specialists in all areas? How will we offer advanced course offerings? To provide more specific feedback and motivation to the upper grades, can we use letter grades, or a 5 point grading system? Types and scope of homework needs to expand in the upper grades to prepare students for high school standards. How can we create opportunities for students to participate in foreign languages, band and sports to better equip them to excel in those activities in high school? How will we create leadership opportunities for students? How can we develop a relationship with Grant to better prepare our students for the transition to high school? How can we reconcile the advantages of fewer transitions (stronger relationship with teachers, less time lost in transition, more in depth projects possible etc) with the advantages of frequent transitions (less impact if student doesn’t like a teacher, more exposure to different teaching styles/methods, learns organizational skills etc.)? Is it possible to offer a MWF schedule that differs from a T/TH schedule to maximize benefits of both? How will we grant additional privileges and responsibilities to older students? How will we build opportunities for students to demonstrate self-management and organizational skills? How can we build adequate research resources for the upper grades?

Last updated by szich on Dec 05, 2006 at 02:51 PM

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