Center Grove principals propose uniform 6–8 schedule to boost high‑school credits and shrink class sizes

Jason Weisman, principal at Center Grove Middle School Central, and Dr. Davin Harp, principal at Middle School North, told the Center Grove Board of School Trustees on Feb. 18 that an 18‑month review recommends a uniform schedule for grades 6–8 to improve instructional consistency and expand students’ access to high‑school credit.

"Some of the pillars of what we've been charged with is to optimize student achievement, engagement, and growth," Weisman said as he outlined the presentation. The proposal would move team planning out of the daily student schedule, create additional course sections to lower class sizes and add flexibility for electives and advanced coursework.

Presenters cited district and state accountability data to justify the change. They said both middle schools currently offer high‑school course opportunities to roughly 40–42% of students while the state average sits near 48% on the Indiana GPS performance indicator. "It's relatively stagnant, and we know that we can perform much better," Weisman said of the district's cohort achievement trends.

Under the proposed model, students would follow a seven‑period day of 45‑minute classes plus a combined lunch and intervention period called "win time." The plan also proposes moving computer applications to sixth grade and expanding eighth‑grade language‑arts time to match sixth and seventh grades. Presenters said the change would enable additional high‑school credit and elective pathways, including expanded world‑language and CTE offerings.

Staff framed the schedule shift as paired with a strengthened MTSS (multi‑tiered system of supports) framework to identify students who need academic, social or emotional assistance and to coordinate interventions with counselors and deans. District presenters argued the MTSS approach can preserve the student‑centered supports traditionally conducted in team prep while enabling greater instructional flexibility.

Several board members pressed presenters on trade‑offs. One asked why the plan reduces a sixth‑grade math block, noting that ILEARN testing centers on math and language arts. Weisman and colleagues said their approach emphasizes targeted, intentional instruction and frequent progress monitoring so that reduced time is offset by more focused practice and MTSS supports.

Board members also raised feasibility concerns: whether a pilot by grade is possible, how Skyward scheduling constraints create hundreds of manual conflicts, and whether the district can sustain the staffing implications if funding tightens. Presenters warned a single‑grade pilot would be difficult because even small schedule tweaks produce wide ripple effects in a 1,300‑student building and across shared staffing.

Parents and teachers were part of the district’s feedback: staff reported roughly a dozen parent emails and teacher concerns about losing team prep time for meetings, discipline and planning. District leaders said they will continue stakeholder engagement and return a final report with a recommended implementation plan and success measures, which include ILEARN outcomes, number of students earning high‑school credit before ninth grade, MTSS tier transitions, PLC artifacts and discipline/referral trends.

The board requested additional review, including a possible work session before a final recommendation is presented.