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Big changes in the middle
Schenectady district's shift to K-8 format could spell gradual end of grade schools for 6-8

By LAUREN STANFORTH, Staff writer
First published in print: Monday, August 24, 2009

SCHENECTADY -- Ten boys and girls crouched over their desks at Oneida Middle School, silently working on what will likely be a new conundrum of their young lives – how to open a combination lock.


One by one, each pulled the lock open, and went to wait in the hall to try it out on a locker.

All stared at the door, waiting for the last person in their middle school orientation to emerge.

"I did it!" exclaimed 12-year-old Crisann Palmer, holding the lock aloft and walking in to the hallway to the applause of her peers.

Mastering the lock and locker is a common rite of passage for adolescents entering middle school, a place where kids often test boundaries, question authority and move closer to their friends as they become more independent of their families.

But fewer students in Schenectady will be going through such a transition. Central Park Middle School has been converted into the K-8 International School Magnet at Central Park, and the King magnet school has added seventh- and eighth-graders. Central Park was the school at the center of controversy earlier this year as parents protested moving the Howe K-6 magnet school to Central Park.

Middle schools still abound nationwide. But K-8 schools are popping up in urban districts struggling to address low test scores and discipline problems. Schenectady appears to have made the biggest move along these lines locally, and K-8 schools have become common in bigger cities like Syracuse, Cleveland and Miami.

Schenectady officials say the district is keeping its two remaining middle schools, Oneida and Mont Pleasant. The new K-8 schools are magnets, meaning parents can choice to send their children through a lottery system. Matthew Weinheimer, Schenectady's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said if test scores improve, the district will consider making another magnet school K-8 in the future.

"The fewer transitions kids have to make, the less likely they are to drop out," said Joe Schaefer, instructor in childhood education at The College of Saint Rose, who as a principal 10 years ago unsuccessfully lobbied to have Bethlehem's Clarksville Elementary become a K-8 school.

Forty years ago, educating 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds in elementary school was the norm as were junior high schools, which enrolled seventh-, eighth, and sometimes ninth-graders.

But research then suggested that the speedily growing bodies and minds of adolescents needed special attention -- hence the creation of middle schools in the 1960s. Educators are turning back to the old model in an effort to nurture students who are not only struggling with their own identity but are also facing more problems at home.

"Often we talk about parent involvement being more problematic in the urban setting," Weinheimer said. "Having a smaller group to work with and a longer period of time to work with them at the same school is an advantage. Typically, K-8 schools have fewer students per grade than middle schools. In Schenectady, the K-8 buildings will have up to 75 students per grade compared to 150 in middle schools.............>>>>..............>>>>..........http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=834345

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Schenectady school board looks to shake up high school
Thursday, September 17, 2009
By Michael Goot (Contact)
Gazette Reporter


SCHENECTADY — The restructuring of Schenectady High School next fall could include a separate house for freshmen and an end to the complicated modular schedule.
Superintendent Eric Ely presented ideas for changing the high school in response to poor academic performance and behavioral problems that have the school on the state’s persistently dangerous school list.
Among the problems is a low graduation rate. Ely said the graduation rate for 2008 was 55 percent.
Freshmen are particularly struggling. Ely presented statistics showing that 50 percent of freshmen failed integrated Regents math, 32 percent failed algebra and 39 percent failed applied algebra in 2008-09. English performance was also poor, with 39 percent of students failing the English 9 Regents course.
Ely said the school has to change the pattern of repeat or “career” freshmen. “I firmly believe if we can get them into high school and get them successful in freshman year, they have a much better chance of graduating on time,” Ely said.
School officials like the house system that has students grouped in sections of the building based on a theme such as fine arts or science. However, Ely does not believe that freshmen are mature enough to choose one of the houses at the start of high school. Perhaps freshmen should have their own house with a beefed up counseling and support staff, Ely said...................>>>>........................>>>>....................http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/sep/17/0917_schdyboard/