Grade levels could revert

LYNNWOOD — Hang around long enough and sometimes things really do go full circle.

Lynda Tripp, principal at Spruce Primary School in Lynnwood, can attest to that.

Tripp was principal at Spruce in 1985 when it went from a kindergarten through sixth grade elementary school to a kindergarten through third grade primary school.

Come Tuesday night, the Edmonds School Board will decide whether to restore it to a kindergarten through sixth grade school. Lynnwood Intermediate, a third- through sixth-grade school, would also revert to a K-6 campus.

The changes would not take effect until the fall of 2005.

Tripp said that the school won’t have to change its signs if the board approved the changes. The pre-1985 concrete sign on campus still reads "Spruce Elementary."

Tripp sees some advantages to the change.

"I think there will be a stability for parents to know this is their home school and to know they will have the stability to form relationships that will go K-6," she said.

The decision to switch to the primary and intermediate elementary school formats was based on enrollment trends in the early 1980s, said Ellen Kahan, an assistant superintendent in the Edmonds district.

"It was not because of a commitment to a specific style of school," Kahan said. "It was just numbers."

Lynnwood and Spruce are neighborhood schools that were facing declining enrollments and it appeared they would have to close. At the time, students were placed in combined-grade classes each year.

To avoid anxiety for some students, Spruce and Lynnwood elementaries were divided into schools with younger and older children.

The district decided to review the grade configurations at the schools last year.

It found no research suggesting that the existing set-up had academic advantages.

In fact, district staff concluded in a report to the school board that the "present configuration might have a negative impact."

Other districts created similar grade configurations to address enrollment problems. Schools in the Highline district are in the process of returning from their alternative grade configurations to more traditional elementary schools .

A survey of 450 parents from both Lynnwood schools showed a majority in favor of the change to K-6 schools.

A staff survey at Lynnwood and Spruce found opposite views.

Lynnwood Intermediate School teachers strongly supported the change, saying they believe the current configuration undermines student achievement, diminishes parent support and hurts the school climate.

"It is a bittersweet move in that you are losing good teachers we had per grade band … but I think we are looking forward to long-term relationships we can have with kids," said David Koyama, principal at Lynnwood Intermediate School.

Spruce staff largely opposed the change, believing they are able to meet the unique needs of young children under the current structure.

Tripp said there is a certain feeling of "magic" working with children in young grades, particularly as they learn to read.

"But when those upper grades start kicking in with critical thinking skills, that’s magic of a different kind," she said.

Tripp will have one more personal adjustment to make if the school board approves the changes Tuesday — taller kids she may have to look up to.

"I’m only 5 feet tall," she said. "I’ll get used to it."

Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.

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