Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee reviews middle-school program-of-studies; members raise equity and study-hall concerns
Summary
The School Committee received a reading of the middle-school program of studies. Members expressed concern that budget-driven schedule choices leave students with daily study halls and uneven instructional time; the matter will be revisited at the July meeting.
The committee held an extended discussion of the proposed Middle School Program of Studies, led by a presentation from Mr. Rainey, who described year-to-year adjustments and relatively minor housekeeping changes to the East and South middle-school schedules.
Committee members questioned the distribution of instructional blocks and the heavy reliance on study halls for certain grades. "I don't think it's fair that there's unequal instructional opportunity for all the students in the school, such that the [sixth] graders have to sit in a study hall without having instruction almost daily," Dr. Horak said, putting on the record an objection tied to budget constraints. Several members echoed concerns about the use of push-in versus pull-out special-education models, class size, teachers working outside their primary certification area and the effect of schedule design on student opportunity.
Mr. Rainey explained that some of the schedule designs were intended as temporary responses to post-pandemic learning gaps and staffing realities; he said the district uses a mix of push-in services, scheduled pull-outs and paraprofessional support. He also described how study halls are staffed by teachers who oversee student work and, when possible, provide academic supports such as organization or assignment review.
Committee members asked for careful review of ELA and science MCAS results to determine whether prior changes (for example, cuts to dedicated writing and engineering blocks) affected outcomes. Several committee members said they wanted the district to pursue additional revenue and staffing changes to restore instructional time.
Final outcome: The document was presented for an initial reading. Members requested additional clarification about staffing, grouping, and enrollment figures; the committee agreed to revisit the program-of-studies item at the July meeting before final adoption so staff can provide updated numbers and responses to the questions posed.
Ending: Staff said the program document needs to be posted in time for fall scheduling, but the committee will consider final approval after summer follow-up and public review.
