MARYSVILLE – The Marysville School District is spending a lot of time these days rethinking sixth grade.
Specifically, district leaders want to ease the landing for 11- and 12-year-olds who go from the sheltered life of elementary school to the hustle and bustle of middle school.
Typically, it’s a transition. From one teacher a day to six. From 25 familiar classmates to several dozen new faces. From cubbies to lockers.
“We know that transitions are one of the ‘at-risk’ spots for students,” said Larry Nyland, the district’s superintendent. “Anything we can do to ease the transition from fifth to sixth would be good.”
Changes are under way at the district’s two large middle schools.
Marysville Middle School will test a schedule next year to reduce the number of teachers students have each day.
“Years past, kids could try to be anonymous,” said Pete Lundberg, the school’s principal. “We can’t afford that. Regardless of how large our school is, we need to treat every kid as if they are our only kid.”
The campus has about 1,100 students in the sixth and seventh grades. It will have some students with the same teacher for two hours of reading and language arts and another teacher for two hours of math and science.
For the plan to work, teachers must be well-versed and comfortable teaching both subjects.
“What has to be delivered by those fewer teachers is high-quality education in every core area,” Lundberg said.
At Cedarcrest School, a middle school campus, two teams of five teachers each will work with assigned groups of about 150 sixth-graders.
Those teachers will share the same planning time, allowing them to talk about individual student needs.
The sixth-graders also will have the same teacher for English and social studies, eliminating a transition.
This year, Cedarcrest will study whether to have the same teachers provide math and science instruction.
“I think it definitely makes a difference,” said Susan Bell, Cedarcrest’s principal. “Anytime you get a group of people who can have a sense of community, your learning is just going to improve.”
Gail Miller, the district’s assistant superintendent, said the conversation for the district’s middle schools is similar to one that is taking place at the high school level.
Marysville-Pilchuck High School will plan next year for smaller schools within the campus by the fall of 2007.
Students would choose a small school and spend most of their time with a group of teachers within that school.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@ heraldnet.com.
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