Hamilton Elementary outlines fifth-grade departmentalization pilot to prepare students for middle school

Hamilton Elementary Principal Kristin Gomez presented a pilot plan to departmentalize fifth grade at the Glen Rock Public School District Board of Education meeting, saying the change is intended to help students develop organizational and executive-functioning skills and to better prepare them for middle school.

Gomez, accompanied by three fifth-grade teachers — Rebecca Glode, Julie Thompson and Laura Cibatoni — and Nicole Hirsch, Hamilton’s intervention strategy coach, told the board the pilot began with planning last summer and that teachers visited neighboring schools to observe departmentalized schedules in practice. “I’m Kristin Gomez, proud principal of Hamilton Elementary,” Gomez said as she introduced the team.

Under the pilot, students would remain with a homeroom teacher for science, social studies, community circles and specials, but would travel by color-group for the three major academic blocks: math, reading and writing/word study. The teachers explained they plan to assign one teacher to each major subject so each instructor can focus on fewer preparations and become a content-area specialist. Related services such as basic skills instruction (BSI), speech and occupational therapy would continue to run during scheduled WIN/intervention times.

A core feature of the schedule is overlapping WIN periods twice a week so teachers across the three homerooms can pull small groups of students who need targeted instruction regardless of homeroom. Teachers said that arrangement will let, for example, six students with similar needs be grouped for intensive help even if they come from different homerooms, and that the extra adults monitoring each student — classroom teachers plus special-education staff and specialists — support a more holistic view of student progress.

Gomez and the teachers also described logistical planning: they will maintain collaborative prep time among the three fifth-grade teachers and special-education staff, and will coordinate with ESL staff who push into classrooms. The team said color-grouping gives flexibility to form instructional groups aligned to student programs and needs.

Board members who commented praised the plan’s potential to ready students for middle school and to give teachers more opportunities for focused instruction. Several board members noted appreciation for the team’s visits to other schools and for the collaborative planning documented in the presentation.

Next steps listed by the team include a parent information session for families of rising fifth graders on Thursday, June 5 at 9 a.m.; a presentation at the Hamilton HSA general session on Friday, June 13 at 9 a.m.; and planned introductions of the model to current fourth graders before the end of the school year so students have a chance to ask questions and see the schedule in practice. The teachers also said assignments of which teacher will teach each major subject will be shared first with Hamilton families.

The presentation was informational; the board did not take a formal vote on the pilot during the meeting. Board members encouraged the team to report back as the pilot launches and student-grouping and service-delivery data become available.