On April 7 voters in the ROCORI School District will be asked to approve a 20 year bond proposal of no more than $29,990,000 to build a new ROCORI Middle School and make needed enhancements to other district facilities. Voters will have the opportunity to make a single yes or no vote on the referendum ballot. The proposal is district-wide in scope and the outcome of the referendum will affect every child in the district. This is the third in a series of articles designed to help voters as they study the issues in support of making an informed decision to vote yes.
The referendum is, on the surface, simply about buildings. At its core, however, it is focused on education. Easily overlooked in the discussion of facts and figures is that, if the referendum is approved, the Rocori district will finally get to fully implement a true middle school concept. This means that our children’s education will be significantly enhanced by completing the transition to the most effective and successful movement in American educational history.
There are several core concepts in the middle school concept, but the most visible in this referendum is the grouping of grades 6 through 8 into the new school. This grade configuration change is being made to improve education. The Rocori district currently groups only grades 7 and 8 in the middle school. The district has for years wanted to implement a true middle school concept, but the facility limitations at the current site have precluded full implementation. Throughout the nation, the majority of school districts have made the change to a 6-8 configuration and academic studies have consistently shown improved educational results.
The primary factor driving the national movement to grade 6-8 middle schools is the change in grade level curriculum. Due to content standards, much of what used to be taught in various grades is being taught one year earlier. Additionally, across the nation educators have concluded that the developmental characteristics of sixth graders have evolved to be much more like seventh graders than fifth graders. Yes, our kids are simply smarter and more mature at this point in their lives than we were, and the demands being placed on them by our society are greater.
An effective middle school program is designed around the unique developmental needs of early adolescents (11-14 year olds). Because the intellectual, social, physical, and emotional needs of this age group are different from either elementary or high school students, a customized education program is necessary. This age group undergoes the biggest changes in their lives since they were toddlers. This is a highly crucial turning point in their educational and social development and is the last best chance to provide the education they need. The modern middle school serves as a bridge between elementary and high school. It is not an exaggerated elementary nor a miniature high school, but a blend of the two.
There were about 3,700 studies related to middle schools conducted between 1991 and 2003. Out of these and earlier studies, the middle school concept evolved. Major components of the concept include student engagement, improved relationships between teachers and students, small collaborative teaching teams, and an integrated curriculum.
Middle schools utilize a student-centered approach to the curriculum. One defining characteristic of the middle school is the division of the student population into teams, supported by team teaching, in which a group of four to five teachers representing Math, Social Studies, Science, English, and Reading share the same students, the same schedule and the responsibility for planning, teaching and evaluating curriculum in more than one academic area. Special area classes are offered outside the team. This structure provides a bridge between the self-contained class, or homeroom, of the elementary school and the single subject curriculum (where students change classrooms) of the high school. It is far different from the traditional junior high school, in which the school organization mirrors the single subject approach of a high school.
The classrooms for these teams are clustered together in the same area of the building, so students identify with both the space and the team. Students feel like they are part of a group when on a team, thus creating a “school within a school.” The team helps the provide the child (who is accustomed to elementary school) an atmosphere which is similar to that in his or her elementary school, thus providing a gentle transition into a more educationally demanding period of their school years.
Additionally, the middle school concept effectively meets the varying needs of the student body, in that each grade level or team can be handled appropriately. In a middle school setting, sixth graders can be treated in developmentally appropriate ways, because the needs of sixth graders are different from the needs of eighth graders (just as the needs of first graders are different from the needs of third graders). For example, sixth graders might spend the bulk of their day in a homeroom and have core subject teachers rotate into their classroom, while perhaps going to another room to see a teacher in a specialty subject like music or art.
We are not on the district staff, so we can’t speak as to exactly how the district will implement the middle school concept, but what we do know about the facility design is that it provides sufficient academic space for a middle school and meets our district’s current needs and for the foreseeable future. In the design for the new middle school wing, space is provided for the core academic classes for students in grades six through eight. Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, Reading and Health will be taught in the middle school wing. Student lockers will be located within the hallways in the main areas of the middle school.
The main floor of the middle school will have the sixth grade area on the south end of the building with science labs for grades seven and eight at the north end. The sixth grade area will have regular classrooms and the program is expected to include some specialization in the core subjects.
The second level will house the seventh and eighth grade core academic classrooms. The space is designed to house two full “teams” of teachers to fill the middle school concept and instructional approach. The seventh grade classrooms will be located at the south end of the upper floor with the eighth grade at the north end.
Each of the grade level houses or areas will have special education, technology, and “flex” space for collaborative academic areas. Most of the student day will be located in the two level wing and provide for a separation from the senior high students.
The gym and lower-level locker rooms in the current high school will change to become the center for middle school physical education and other activities.
The area in the middle of the current high school building will be shared spaces—band, choir, FACS, art, industrial technology, music, and media areas. These are spaces that are needed at both the senior high and middle level for programs, but can be shared spaces between the grade levels. Most of these areas will move into remodeled space to provide better settings for the classrooms. Even though these spaces will be “shared” by the middle and high schools, the different time schedules for the grade levels will allow a “separation” to be maintained between the middle level and senior high students. Even though the space is shared to some degree, student traffic will occur at different times and the core educational programs are housed in the outer wings of the buildings. Many districts across the state operate in K-12 facilities without any difficulty. In the proposal, the educational concept and building design, along with effective administration, should preclude any negative consequences of housing both sets of students under one roof.
Across the nation, students benefit from the middle school concept. The proposal sets the conditions so Rocori students can benefit as well. Get registered and vote Yes to build a new middle school, so our kids will not be left behind.
For more information and to voice your opinion please visit: www.NewROCORIMiddleSchool.com
The writers are concerned parents of school-age children and co-chairs of the Build a New Middle School Referendum Committee.
By Barry Venable and Pat Salstrand
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