U-46 details shift to 6–8 middle school model with advisory period, new schedule and curriculum plans

The Board of Education of School District U-46 on Jan. 13 heard a detailed update on the district’s planned shift to a 6–8 middle school model, including schedule changes, an advisory period, new curricular resources and a phased professional-learning plan.

The presentation, led by Assistant Superintendent Anat Acevedo and Julie Shoemaker, U‑46’s middle school executive director, described a steering-committee process rooted in Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) guidance and a four-subcommittee structure focused on curriculum, transition, scheduling and advisory work.

District leaders said the middle school philosophy guiding the work emphasizes support for students’ physical, cognitive, psychological and social-emotional development and aligns middle grades to high-school pathways and academies. The committee’s guiding principles include being student centered, culturally relevant instruction, skill development (for example, executive functioning and self-advocacy), optimized school-day structures, community connections and collaborative teacher teams.

On scheduling, presenters described an eight-period day plus a 28-minute daily advisory. The typical academic periods are about 42…