Principal Richard ErdrichKetchikan, Alaska—Most seventh-graders make a quick adjustment from the self-contained classroom of elementary school to the hectic pace of middle school. They move from class to class, subject to subject, with relative ease. But for some students, the exciting newness of middle school fades into confusion as they travel from one room to the next every 46 minutes—bumping shoulders with 400 other students surging through the hallways, adjusting to a new teacher and a new group of classmates every period. Everything becomes blurred, distracting. Finally, as the D's and F's pile up, many of these students drop out in discouragement.
Staff members here at Schoenbar Middle School were all too aware that academic failure loomed large for many students who entered middle school unprepared to function in a multiperiod, multiclassroom environment. We were retaining an average of six to eight students a year at both the seventh and eighth grades—far more than we were willing to accept.
In search of solutions, we set out to identify traits that are congruent among these students. They:
At about the same time, the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, in cooperation with community organizations, began working with school districts to combat FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). After a two-day inservice on FASD, the teachers, counselor, and I were struck by the similar profiles of our struggling students and FASD children. Many kids diagnosed with FASD are overlooked and untreated. Often identified as "conduct disordered," these kids occasionally are picked up under the umbrella of special education, but they don't have a special designation under federal disability laws requiring appropriate accommodations.
We learned that students with FASD have a greater need for routine and structure in their educational experience than other children. But we were very aware of the flip side of the coin: That we need to make our classes active and engaging to hold students' interest and attention. As teachers, we were being pulled in two directions. While part of the class needed stimulation, the other part of the class was being pushed over the edge because we were overlooking the need for quiet and calm—tough to achieve with 32 middle schoolers.
With those techniques as a focal point, we decided on a home-room model for our FASD kids and others with similar learning problems, some with identified learning disabilities. They would spend three periods in a core classroom for reading, writing, math, and social studies. They would then transition to other subjects, such as PE, shop, music, and life skills. Science, too, would be a separate class because of required lab activities. But the students would all move to science class together. Instruction in classroom skills and organization—a particular challenge for this group of kids—would be an important component of the curriculum.
Based on research findings on small schools and middle schools that show the importance of relationship-building for adolescents, this program would give students a chance to bond with one academic teacher instead of trying to forge a relationship with three separate subject-area teachers. And transitions from subject to subject would be accomplished without frequent four-minute dips into hectic hallways and the constant struggle to be in the right place at the right time.
Subject matter would not be watered down: In keeping with district curriculum and state standards, activities would be challenging and goals would be high, yet reachable. The students would still have a top-quality educational experience designed and delivered in sync with the unique needs of this population.
To identify students for the program, a referral form was developed to serve as a rubric. Staff, students, and parents were asked to rate students in 10 areas, including attendance, organizational skills, work habits, learning rate, ability to follow directions, social skills, distractibility, and tardiness. Two key questions were also asked: Was the student more than one year below grade level? Was the child likely to fail academic classes without the assistance of the program?
It wasn't long before math scores started to rise. Students began reading—and enjoying it. Self-esteem was up. One eighth-grader with a "Linus syndrome"—he needs to be wrapped in a blanket to feel safe—had a place where he could cocoon without ridicule. Of last year's original group of 20 seventh-graders—who got only 12 weeks in the program because it didn't get off the ground until spring—15 moved to the eighth-grade program. This year's group should do even better after a full year in the program.
The program has been partially funded by a FASD grant from the state education department. To be sustainable, however, it will need financial support from other outside agencies. Our hope is to eventually provide training to other educators, parents, and paraprofessionals who want to implement a similar program for their students.
If we as educators are to be successful with a student population with diverse educational, emotional, and physical backgrounds, we must make changes in our
delivery. It took many months of thinking outside the box to come up with a program geared to students who can't cope with the stresses of a traditional school
environment. We believe this program sheds a new and promising light on serving students with learning disabilities. 
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