Ashland middle school shifts to grade‑specific core schedule to target widening learning gaps

Erin LaChapelle, principal of the Ashland middle school, told the Ashland School Committee on Feb. 12 that the district is developing a new grade‑specific schedule for the 2025–26 school year intended to close reading and math achievement gaps that grow between sixth and eighth grade.

LaChapelle said the existing six‑day rotation includes seven blocks — mostly 45 minutes each with a 60‑minute lunch block — and a daily “discovery” period that staff reported is used inconsistently. “The effectiveness of it for sure is not there every day, and it is a 45 minute block every day in every kid's schedule,” LaChapelle said, summarizing feedback from teachers.

The proposed model replaces the discovery block with grade‑specific core instruction: sixth grade would split ELA into separate reading and writing blocks; seventh grade would receive an engineering‑focused course to pull STEM standards out of the unified‑arts wheel; and eighth grade would have a team‑based Spanish 1 course. Under the plan students would still carry seven classes daily, with two opened blocks for unified arts (UA), wellness and targeted support or interventions.

LaChapelle said the aim is to group students for interventions by need — for example, separating students who require decoding or phonics instruction from those who need comprehension work — so teachers can deliver more focused, tiered instruction during the day rather than relying on a single support period.

Superintendent Jim Adams said administrators have reviewed staffing and retirement projections and expect the reallocation to be sustainable within the operating budget. "We've added two positions, if you will, a health and wellness position, as well as making band full time or another music person full time," Adams said, adding the changes will be managed through attrition and internal reassignments where possible.

LaChapelle described other logistical changes: moving to a seven‑day rotation so every class meets during the longer lunch block, converting UA and wellness to term‑based blocks for more consistent daily instruction (increasing wellness contact from about 60 classes a year to about 90, and UA offerings from roughly 30 to 45 classes a year), adding a minute to passing time, and eliminating homeroom in favor of advisory attached to the second block.

Committee members asked how supports for students with IEPs and EL students would operate under the new grid; LaChapelle, Adams and special‑education staff said they are working now to identify how services will be scheduled and assured the legal and parent‑notification steps will be followed. “The hours on their grids may look different,” LaChapelle said, but the district has consulted legal counsel and plans direct communications with families as changes are finalized.

LaChapelle said the district will continue faculty engagement, curriculum work and professional development over the spring and summer, and expects to begin running next year's schedules in mid‑March so counselors and departments can begin placing students. She said the timeline calls for a more complete schedule and curriculum materials to be in place by March–April to support scheduling and summer curriculum work.

Why it matters: LaChapelle and administrators said diagnostic data show the percentage of students three or more grades behind in reading and math increases between sixth and eighth grade, and that gaps are especially pronounced for students with disabilities, EL learners and other high‑needs groups. The proposed schedule is intended to create more consistent core instruction and embedded intervention during the school day aimed at reducing those gaps.

The committee did not vote on the schedule at the meeting; LaChapelle said the district will return with follow‑up materials and that committee approval will be sought where curriculum or program structure changes require it.