PLAN TO CUT EIGHTH GRADE ACCELERATED LANGUAGE ARTS DRAWS BOARD CONCERNS

A proposal to cut the accelerated language arts program for eighth grade students brought criticism and a litany of questions from school board members last week who plan to vote on the idea next month.

Board Member Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad raised the issue during her report on the Excellence and Equity Committee, saying it had been a major subject of discussion. The cut would not occur until the 2016-2017 school year begins.

Susan Grierson, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the district wanted to eliminate the program, which allows some eighth grade students to receive ninth grade language arts and English classes while in middle school. She said concerns were raised over some material that was "inappropriate" for students of that age and some social concerns when they reach CHS and are in a class a grade or two higher..

"An eighth grader is very, very different socially, emotionally than a 10th grader," Grierson said. "The students are not getting high school credit and they still have to go to high school and take four years of language arts."

She added, "sometimes the course work is really inappropriate for them. They are sometimes two years or younger than the students they are sitting next to in class. The course selections are sometimes not age appropriate for children who are 13 or 14 years old ... class discussions can be on sensitive topics that some of these students don't have the maturity."

Board Member Beth Daugherty, who was the only current board member on the board when the accelerated program was approved in 2012, said "it was not well thought out."

"It was one of the things that came in kind of at the last minute," Daugherty recalled. "There was no planning of what the impact would be at the high school. It is a shame."

But other board members were reluctant to suspend the program without more information.

"I'm concerned that we are being asked to consider elimination of a course without the language arts curriculum being available to us or the pubic through our website," said Board President Elizabeth Baker. "If we are asking parents to believe that their student will be sufficiently engaged and challenged in another way we need to be transparent."

Board Member Madhu Pai added, "I don't think we should be making changes while the work is ongoing. We have a real problem in this district with differentiated instruction."

Board Member Donna Smith said removing the option may hurt efforts to expand choices and opportunities for students at a time when that is a priority.

"If we are trying to move toward individualized learning and choice it seems to me we are taking a step backward if we remove an accelerated course," Smith said. "Rather than just complaining about how it's working, I think there are ways it can be fixed."

Board Member Johanna Wright said simply, "I don't know why we are doing his."

The board requested more details on the specific curriculum and is expected to make a decision at its next regular meeting on May 12.