Cromwell to pilot departmentalized schedule for 4th–5th grades next year; administration to notify families

Cromwell School District administrators told the board they plan to pilot a departmentalized schedule for grades 4 and 5 beginning fall 2025 that will split the school day between two teachers and include a guaranteed personalized learning time for students receiving MTSS or special‑education supports.

Mrs. Binnington, who presented the plan, described a model in which “the first 3 hours of the day would be with 1 teacher ... doing grammar, vocabulary, the read aloud, and all of the math instruction,” and students would then switch after lunch to a second teacher who would “be doing all of the writing and all of the reading.” She said the model is intended to increase targeted coaching time for teachers and to provide students with two daily adult connections.

The plan includes a built‑in 30‑minute PLT (personalized learning time) block within both the math and reading blocks to allow students receiving MTSS or special‑education services to be grouped for supports at the same time so they miss fewer core lessons; when those students return they receive a second, guaranteed dose of instruction. Administration said grade 3 would not be included and that multi‑age classrooms would not be changed.

Why it matters: administrators and board members framed the pilot as an instructional change to address a gap between classroom observations and recent state test scores. The district cited other Connecticut districts (Essex and North Branford) that have adopted similar models and described the research as mixed but promising in some local contexts.

Board members asked about logistics including communication between the two classroom teachers, parent‑teacher conferences, PPT/IEP meeting coverage, substitute staffing, classroom materials and the placement of paired teacher classrooms near one another to facilitate quick handoffs. Mrs. Binnington and Dr. Macri said they have been working on scheduling and PLC (professional learning community) structures to ensure time for teacher collaboration; the plan calls for PLC time split across topics so teachers maintain subject knowledge in both areas and can coordinate on behavior plans and IEP goals.

Several board members asked how the district will monitor the pilot. Administrators said it will be a two‑year pilot with regular review of quantitative and qualitative data and with the expectation that they will revert if data do not show benefit. The administration said it will send a communication to families by the end of the week describing the change and that they are still determining exact teacher assignments.

Ending: The board did not vote on the pilot at the meeting; administrators asked for the board's support in rolling out parent communications and for ongoing feedback as the district implements the pilot in fall 2025.