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This booklet is the fifth in a series of "hot topic" reports produced by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. These reports briefly address current educational concerns and issues as indicated by requests for information that come to the Laboratory from the Northwest region and beyond. Each booklet contains an explanation of the topic's importance, a sampling of how Northwest schools are addressing the issue, suggestions for adapting these ideas to schools, selected references, and contact information.
One objective of the series is to foster a sense of community and connection among educators. Another objective is to increase awareness of current education-related themes and concerns. Each booklet will give practitioners a glimpse of how fellow educators are addressing issues, overcoming obstacles, and attaining success in certain areas. The series' goal is to give educators current, reliable, and useful information on topics that are important to them.
Other titles in the series include:
What is the best configuration of grades for K-12 schooling? Is it an elementary school, followed by a middle school, followed by a four-year high school? Or are there advantages to a K-8 school, followed by a four-year high school? Which middle-school configuration better promotes social adjustment—grades six through eight, five through eight, seven through eight, or seven through nine? Are there advantages to alternative grade spans at the elementary level, such as K-3 and four through six? What is the function of a ninth-grade center? In which setting do sixth- or eighth-graders achieve best? Why do we have age-related grades?
Research has not provided definitive answers to the myriad possible questions about grade span, but the questions have never gone away. They are questions which arise whenever school reform, increasing or declining enrollment, or financial considerations bring about a reorganization of existing schools, the building of new schools, or consolidation of districts. As one article on the subject puts it, "Grade organization remains a controversial topic in American education as it has for at least 80 years" (Jenkins & McEwin, 1992).
A quick glance at the grade spans of schools in the Northwest region reveals a variety of configurations including traditional forms of grade organization. This variety reflects the fact that each community considers different factors when making grade span decisions and that no one grade configuration is right for all. Thus it is not the intent of this booklet to hold up any one grade configuration as superior, or to discuss in depth each of the grade configurations that exist. It is meant instead, to increase awareness and understanding of grade span as an issue, provide examples of ways schools have addressed concerns associated with particular grade spans, and suggest avenues for further inquiry.
As noted above, when it comes to grade span, diversity rules. One study found that seventh- and eighth-graders in the United States attend schools with about 30 different grade spans (Mac Iver & Epstein, 1993). At some schools grade span comes about by choice, at others as a result of practical and administrative considerations such as building costs, enrollment trends, or distance from other schools.
Despite this diversity, some trends have emerged. The major changes in grade organization in the 20th century are clearly the rise and decline of the junior high (typically grades seven through nine) and the rise of the middle school (typically grades six through eight). Junior highs, which emerged in the first few decades of the century, grew in number until the early 1970s (Hough, 1995). In 1920, four out of five high school graduates had attended a K-8 elementary school and a four-year high school. By 1960, four out of five had attended an elementary school, a three-year junior high, and a three-year senior high (Alexander & McEwin, 1989). The decline of the junior high coincided with the rise of the middle school which came on the scene in the mid 1960s. Today, the middle school is the dominant form of middle grades education in terms of numbers of students enrolled.
The middle school trend reflects not only a shift in the placement of the sixth- and ninth-grader but also a conceptual change. The junior high was conceived of as a preparation for high school and usually imitated the structure of one, with departmentalized classes and uniform daily class periods. The middle school, on the other hand, was conceived as a more child-centered institution with "responsive practices" such as interdisciplinary team teaching, advisory programs, and flexible scheduling. The middle school also offers a more varied curriculum and more electives or exploratory classes than are usually available at junior high schools.
What are the trends of the future? Anecdotal evidence indicates some districts and experts are taking a second look at the K-8 and "elemiddle" configurations, the latter defined as a school that meets the needs of young adolescents but includes lower grades (Hendrie, 1996; Hough, 1995). Ninth-grade-only campuses are also turning up in some areas, and not always as a result of space and enrollment considerations (Viadero, 1993).
A grade span that is desirable or possible in one setting may be undesirable or not possible in another. For instance, some experts on rural schools feel that in a rural setting the middle school concept is inappropriate and can actually damage community values. This is because when a middle school is opened the local elementary school often becomes too small for state support and must eventually be consolidated, thus undermining the sense of community identity, the feeling of ownership, and the levels of parent participation associated with a local elementary school (DeYoung, Howley, & Theobald, 1995).
In a rural area the grade-span issues may be very different from those in an urban area. Most parents will not be in favor of their child attending a larger middle school or high school if it involves the child having to commute long distances everyday or to live elsewhere during the week. In such a case, whatever expanded course offerings and social opportunities the larger, more distant school might provide, a school closer to home will still likely be seen as preferable.
Another example in which context may play a role is socioeconomic status, as was found in one study that looked at achievement differences between sixth-graders in elementary schools as opposed to those in middle schools:
"Becker (1987) reported a significant advantage to locating the sixth grade in the elementary, rather than middle, grade span. Interestingly, Becker also found that the elementary-school advantage declined as student socioeconomic status (SES) rose. In fact, sixth-graders in the upper tail of the SES distribution performed slightly better in non-elementary settings" (Wihry, Coladarci, & Meadow, 1992).
Becker speculated that the student achievement differences his study revealed might be related to differences in teacher training and expectations in elementary and middle schools.
Schools or districts may seek information about grade span when a new school is being built, an existing school is changing grade span, or a school is improving its program to make it more appropriate for the particular grade span.
Most of the research on grade span focuses on the middle grades. Much of that research identifies practices associated with certain grade spans—for instance that schools with grades six through eight have more interdisciplinary teaming than those with grades seven through nine or offer more electives than K-8 schools. Even results such as these may vary depending on the scope and location of the study. (Compare Epstein & Mac Iver, 1990 to Hough, 1995). Very little research attempts the more difficult task of determining if a cause-and-effect relationship exists between grade configuration and academic achievement, while controlling for other factors such as school size, student socioeconomic status, teacher experience, and so on (Wihry, Coladarci, & Meadow, 1992).
Even the studies that do attempt to isolate the effect of grade span by controlling for other variables are suggestive rather than definitive. Different studies control for different variables and their results do not translate into clear policy guidelines. For instance, if a controlled study showed that sixth-graders had higher achievement test scores or fewer discipline problems in a K-6 school than in a middle school setting, we would still not have information about how this configuration affects students at other grade levels. The topic of grade span is a complex one. Issues associated with grade span include the following:
One-and two-grade schools present the challenge of how to preserve a sense of continuity and stability when all or half of the student population turns over every year. On the other hand they may offer the opportunity for a special focus on problems particular to that grade level, such as the high dropout rate of ninth-graders (Viadero, 1993).
"[A]lthough grade organization has some important connections to particular programs and practices, on average, grade span need not be the determinant of responsive education," (Epstein & Mac Iver, 1990) concludes one pair of writers on the subject. Yet neither is grade-span irrelevant. In fact, as seen in the "Northwest Sampler" section of this booklet, the characteristics of a grade span must be carefully considered in shaping an effective instructional program.
Following are some broad tips for starting a school with a grade span new to a K-12 system, reorganizing the grade configuration of an existing school, or revamping an existing program:
The list of questions on pages 10-11 suggests the types of issues schools should examine when contemplating any sort of grade-span actions.
Some factors to weigh and think about, many of them interrelated, include the following:
No particular sequence of grade spans is perfect or in itself guarantees student achievement and social adjustment. With thought and effort effective practices can be implemented in a variety of grade configurations. What is important—as seen in the following "Northwest Sampler"—is to be aware of the potential benefits and difficulties of different configurations and to make each configuration, whether it comes about from choice or necessity, work as well as possible for all students.
Much can be learned about the challenges of serving particular grade spans from the experiences of individual schools. This booklet's "Northwest Sampler" features schools of different grade spans from around the region. The descriptions focus on information such as the following:
The sampler features eight schools with seven different grade spans. The schools range in size from 82 to 1,200 students and are found in settings ranging from urban to rural and isolated. The number of grades in the schools ranges from one to 11. Because schools of different grade spans often face similar grade-configuration issues, the sampler can be of value even to readers whose particular grade-span interest is not represented.
Location
Girdwood School
P.O. Box 189
Girdwood, AK 99587
Contact
Jim Cox, Principal
Phone: 907/742-5300
Fax: 907/742-5320
Grade span: K-8
Girdwood, Alaska, is a ski resort and bedroom community 30 miles from Anchorage. Girdwood Elementary is a K-8 school with 142 students. Though all grades are housed in one building, the seventh and eighth grades are run in a manner similar to a junior high, separate from the other grades.
Younger Girdwood students spend most of the day in self-contained classrooms. Specialists are in charge of P.E., music, and the library. Junior high students begin the day in one room with 20 to 30 minutes of planning, then group and regroup for classes on a flexible schedule. For the most part the seventh- and eighth- graders are grouped together based on personalities—which students cooperate and work well with each other. Arrangements vary depending on the year's enrollment. The teachers (1.5 FTE) do some teaming on particular units of study, depending on the subject and the interests of the students. The school is currently considering, and the principal favors, combining the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades for greater flexibility in scheduling and to better use staff skills and expertise.
The school is too small to offer ongoing elective classes, but teachers try to make arrangements for independent study or community experiences based on students' individual interests. Though the school has its own library, a municipal library attached to the school building is a useful resource for students, especially those at the junior high level.
Girdwood has high parent involvement, which adds tremendous resources and support to the school. This involvement does not drop off in the middle grades as often happens when students attend stand-alone middle schools. Parents help out with activities such as sports, spelling bees, reading programs, and a Career Day for junior high students. Teachers know the families in Girdwood and look out for all the students. Raising children is truly a community process.
After eighth grade, Girdwood students must make a 1.5 hour bus ride every morning to the nearest high school. During the year Girdwood teachers have ongoing dialogue with those at the high school about individual students and which programs and courses would be most appropriate in high school. The community is discussing adding a ninth grade to Girdwood Elementary, and possibly the other three high school grades, so that students would not have to make the long commute.
Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
Location
Elk City School
P.O. Box 419
Elk City, ID 83525
Contact
Susan Borowicz, Principal
Phone: 208/842-2218
Fax: 208/842-2225
Grade span: K-10
Elk City School, with 82 students at 11 different grade levels, is located in a remote logging area, a one-and-a-half hour drive from the nearest four-year high school. The school currently has a morning kindergarten; a first-and-second grade blend in the morning with first-graders alone in the afternoon and second-graders with third-graders in the afternoon; one teacher each for the fourth and fifth grades; one-and-a-half teachers for seventh and eighth grade and 0.5 FTE for the two high school grades which depend heavily on distance learning. These class arrangements vary depending on each year's enrollment.
For the upper two high school grades, students must take a bus to one of two four-year high schools and board with another family during the week. The transition is a difficult one socially and emotionally; about one of every three students who leave after the sophomore year do not graduate.
The principal describes the small school as having a family atmosphere, with both the advantages and disadvantages that suggests. Parents volunteer in other classes besides those of their own children. Students are close; the older ones look after the younger ones, but they also bicker as family members do. Over the years, teachers communicate to each other about individual students—what worked and what didn't work, and what the student's strengths and problems are. The downside of the familiarity is that it may be difficult for a student to get a fresh start.
The six teachers and one principal/teacher work as a schoolwide team, meeting at least once a week after school to discuss classroom activities and to integrate the arts into all areas of the curriculum.
The school makes the most of its large grade span through cross-age activities, ability grouping, and schoolwide activities. Fifth- and sixth-graders are grouped for science. Certain seventh-, eighth-, ninth-, and 10th-graders are grouped for an enriched language arts class. High school students help out in the primary and intermediate grades with tutoring activities. Once a month the school has a morning arts assembly at which all classes perform. All classes start the day with 20 minutes of sustained silent reading and each class memorizes at least one poem a month. Using three grants and financial assistance from the local mill, the school has instituted a curriculum that integrates the arts with writing and literature across the curriculum. The science and social studies curriculum revolves around schoolwide thematic units that are interwoven with art and literature.
Though the school is not able to offer electives, it covers the basics. Providing K-10 education plays an important role in keeping families in the community. Ten years ago, before distance education was available, the school was K-8. At that time many families left town when their children were in the middle school grades because they did not want their children to have to live away from home beginning in ninth grade.
Because freshman and sophomores can now be educated in Elk City, more families are staying. The state has also granted pilot status to Elk City School to offer more than the allowable number of distance courses. The community and the major employers in the area—the U.S. Forest Service and the logging industry—are hoping the school can eventually be extended to cover all four high school grades, perhaps by using courses available on the Internet.
Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
Location
Monforton Elementary
6001 Monforton School Road
Bozeman, MT 51798
Contact
LeeAnn Amberson, Principal
Phone: 406/586-1557
Fax: 406/587-5049
Grade span: K-8
Monforton School is located in a rural, bedroom community of Bozeman with a highly diverse socioeconomic makeup. For funding purposes, Monforton is three schools—a K-2, three through six, and seven through eight. However, in all other respects it is run as a single K-8 elementary school with 215 students in two adjacent buildings, one for K-2 and one for three though eight. All teachers are certified elementary teachers with many holding master's degrees. The district hires elementary-certified staff both for scheduling flexibility and because it prefers the "whole child" approach such teachers bring with them. The staff of 17 meets weekly as a K-8 staff and works as a team on all decisions about curriculum and procedures. The school does not ring class period bells. The schedule is flexible, with teachers often extending or shortening classes.
At the beginning and middle of the school year each teacher meets with the teacher at the next grade level. They confer about the strengths and weaknesses of the class that has just progressed and about particular students.
Monforton's K-5 grades are taught in a self-contained setting. The teachers work together to plan activities and thematic units. Monforton's middle school grades, six through eight, are semi-departmentalized. Each of the three middle grades' teachers is assigned to both a grade level and a subject area—social studies, mathematics, or science. At grade level they teach reading, writing, English, keyboarding, spelling, and study hall. Students are taught music, P.E., and library skills by specialists. Some ability grouping is done in reading and math. (Qualifying eighth-graders have the opportunity to take algebra.)
The older children are held to different requirements and have different consequences than the younger ones. They are expected to be leaders in the school, to exhibit responsible behaviors, and to take care of the younger children. They know they will be held accountable if they pick on a younger student. The sixth- through eighth-graders are accountable for completing their work and turning it in on time. Every Friday they receive a slip telling them if all their work is in. If it is not, they must complete it by Monday at 3:15. If students continue to neglect their work, they lose privileges, receive tutoring, and their parents are called every day.
The principal feels this system of keeping track of students and their work, though it requires much effort, works well. Students don't fall through the cracks and they meet with a great deal of success and support.
Monforton has many cross-age activities. Second-and fifth-grade book buddies write and illustrate books together, sit together at assemblies, and do research projects in the library. Eighth-graders work with first- and second-graders on the computer. In addition, a Big Brother-Big Sister program matches honor students at Bozeman High School with at-risk children at Monforton. The high school students visit Monforton twice a week for an hour each time, and once a month the Monforton students venture to the high school to meet with their mentors. The mentors assist their mentees with school assignments, eat lunch with them, play with them on the playground, and call them at home once a week just to visit. Group activities are held throughout the summer months.
The principal would like to do more activities with the high school that would ease the transition to this institution of 1,700 students. This spring, the high school is implementing a "shadowing" program for all rural eighth-graders. Eighth-grade students will be matched with a high school student for one full day. They will attend classes together, have lunch together, and meet the following fall for a welcome to the new school and new year.
Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
Location
Damascus Middle School
14151 S.E. 242nd Avenue
Boring, OR 97009
Contact
Steve Powell, Principal
Phone: 503/658-3171
Fax: 503/658-6275
Grade span: Five through eight
Damascus Middle School became a four-year middle school many years ago because the local elementary school no longer had room for the fifth grade. Since that time, the middle school has developed practices to address the diverse needs of its 370 students who range in age from 10 to 14. Fifth- and sixth-graders have a program more like that of a traditional elementary school while seventh- and eighth-graders have a program with many of the recognized middle school features.
Damascus fifth- and sixth-graders are in a wing of the school separate from the seventh- and eighth-graders. They have homeroom teachers for most of the day. Their art, music, computer, and P.E. classes, lunch period, and recess are separate from those of the seventh- and eighth-graders. Some classes are blended fifth and sixth grade and others are fifth or sixth only. All fifth- and sixth-grade teachers have elementary education certificates. Fifth- and sixth-grade students attend all school activities except school dances.
Fifth- and sixth-grade math classes have two components—a computational part for which students are grouped homogeneously, and an open-ended, problem-solving part for which students are grouped heterogeneously. For the three days a week of computation, homogeneously grouped students meet in separate classrooms; for the two days a week of open-ended math, a lead teacher and two support teachers hold class in the cafeteria with a heterogeneous group of 60 students.
In the seventh and eighth grades, some classes are blended heterogeneously, while others are taught at grade level. Math classes—pre-algebra, algebra, and integrated algebra—are grouped by ability rather than grade level. Some teachers are in interdisciplinary teams. Teachers who are more comfortable teaching traditional subject matter specialties do so, but coordinate with other teachers; for instance, a history teacher and an English teacher, though not team teaching, might schedule their course material so that students are learning about World War II in history class while reading Anne Frank's Diary of A Young Girl in English class.
The principal wants to use the precepts of good middle schools, but also wants teachers to teach to their strengths. He sees both pros and cons to blended classes and is looking at the alternative of looping grade-level classes so as to allow for more depth in the curriculum while maintaining continuity for students by keeping them with the same teacher for two years.
The principal is working toward more coordination between the fifth-sixth and seventh-eighth grade schedules to allow for the most options for staff and students. For instance, partial coordination now allows two seventh- and eighth-grade teachers to participate in the computational element of fifth- and sixth-grade math, during which time a teacher from the lower grades offers an elective drama class to seventh- and eighth-graders. For the upper grades, the principal would like to switch from an eight-period day to one with fewer, longer periods and an advisory period, but is constrained from doing so by the fact that the school uses two teachers from the local high school part time and the day must be structured around their schedules.
Every staff member, including the principal, is a "portfolio manager" for 15 students. The portfolio managers meet with students at least monthly to review their progress toward meeting state benchmarks and to help them prepare their portfolios for student-led conferences.
Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
Location
Hollyrood Elementary School
3560 N.E. Hollyrood Court
Portland, OR 97212
Contact
Margaret Dey, Administrator
Phone: 503/916-6766
Fax: 503/916-2635
Grade span: K-3
In 1986, staff at Hollyrood School—which had been a K-5 school—voted to become a K-3 school so that they could focus more intensively on the developmental needs of the young child. To this end the school's eight full-time and three part-time teachers have pursued extensive professional development focusing on school restructuring, Tribes learning groups, mixed-age classrooms (of which the school has several), math/science/ technology integration, and arts integration.
The Hollyrood staff attempts to create a learning environment that is experiential and developmentally appropriate. Teaching strategies include cooperative learning, inquiry-based science and math, and the storyline strategy—an interdisciplinary approach to organizing the primary school subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics around social studies or science concepts such as the family or community.
The school administrator feels that the smaller age span makes it easier to create a learning community. Teaching strategies and student interests for K-3 are more similar from grade to grade compared to the upper primary grades when there is a heavier emphasis on content areas. A key to developing a strong learning community at Hollyrood is Tribes, a process whereby changing learning groups of three to six students of diverse backgrounds and social and academic abilities work together developing collaborative problem solving and decisionmaking skills. Teachers, who have all taken Tribes training, use Tribes activities daily in the classroom, weekly at staff meetings, and monthly at site council meetings. One staff meeting a month is designated Tribes inservice; the Tribes philosophy is also a part of the parenting program the school offers.
Though Hollyrood is a small school with a small grade span, its programs reach beyond the school to involve students with people of different ages and backgrounds. Every day, at least 10 students from neighboring Grant High School provide mentoring and tutoring at the school in return for community service credit. As well, the school has 15 reading buddy volunteers from the Northeast Senior Service Center who help students who have reading difficulties on a weekly basis. An in-school banking program through Washington Mutual Savings Bank provides math and economics experiences.
Hollyrood students must make two transitions before high school, first to the local K-5 school for fourth and fifth grade and then to middle school. The school has a number of activities to ease transition anxiety for both students and parents. These include pen pals, pairing third-graders with buddies from the third grade at Laurelhurst Elementary (the school to which Hollyrood students will be going for fourth and fifth grade), site visits, an all-school field trip to Laurelhurst, having students from Laurelhurst come to Hollyrood to answer questions, and a parent-to-parent night.
Hollyrood's statistics are impressive. Third-grade students scored number one in the city on reading tests and second in math in 1996; statewide, scores were in the top 10 percent. The parents of the 200 students contribute more than 5,000 volunteer hours annually. They help out in the classroom, with a year-round ecology and science gardening project, and with numerous special events and programs, including a Women's History Week project.
Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
Location
Oregon City High School
Moss Campus
19761 S. Beavercreek Road
Oregon City, OR 97045
Contact
Sharon Rodgers, Principal
Ray Taroli, Vice-Principal
Phone: 503/657-2437
Fax: 503/657-2429
Grade span: Ninth grade only
Like some other ninth-grade centers around the country, the Oregon City High School's freshman campus, housing 539 students, was created in response to practical considerations. The school, operating since 1990 as a ninth-grade center, was previously a junior high (grades seven through nine). When the district wanted to convert its junior highs to middle schools with grades seven through eight it formed a task force, visited ninth-grade centers elsewhere, and decided to convert two of its junior highs to middle schools while placing its ninth-graders at the third building. Curriculum between the freshman and the senior high school campuses is well-coordinated and some teachers teach at both campuses. Both campuses use a block schedule.
The freshmen only campus allows the ninth-graders to have a high school experience without the constraints of dealing with younger students. School staff characterize the school atmosphere as positive, with no older students to pick on the ninth-graders and no younger children to be picked on. There is very little fighting. When students move on to the senior high they have had a year to gain confidence and they know everyone at their grade level instead of only the one-third they would have known from a feeder school.
Teachers at the freshman campus enjoy being with the younger students. In the early years of the school the students were eager to be involved in activities at the senior high; now they prefer to be more independent and feel comfortable where they do not have to worry about older students as a threat.
Advantages to the single-grade school are that teachers can focus on freshman behavior and in the smaller school can deliver lessons to all students on issues such as harassment, AIDS, and substance abuse. Parents of female students seem to appreciate that older males are not present.
Disadvantages to the school are that the curriculum focuses mainly on academic requirements and ninth-grade-level teaching; few electives are offered. Students who excel are not able to take more advanced classes on the campus. The school does offer band, choir, drama, and sports activities, and students can go to the senior high, which is four miles away, for assemblies, dances, and sports events. The vice-principal feels the students do not mature as quickly when placed with their own age group, possibly because they lack older role models for behavior and academic challenge.
If the district can pass a bond measure it will phase out the ninth-grade center and build another high school.
Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
Location
Eckstein Middle School
3003 N.E. 75th Street
Seattle, WA 98115
Contact
Lynn Caldwell, Principal
Phone: 206/281-6120
Fax: 206/281-6693
Grade span: Six through eight
With close to 1,200 students, Eckstein Middle School is the largest of Seattle's middle schools. Eckstein has adopted structures and practices that create a positive, student-centered learning environment, making it one of the most desirable of the city's middle schools with a waiting list of 100 to 200 students every year.
Like many large middle schools, Eckstein is divided into three grade-level houses. Each house has its own administrator and counselor and each is divided into interdisciplinary teams with 120 students assigned to a team of teachers—math, language arts, and social studies at the sixth- and seventh-grade level, and language arts and social studies at the eighth-grade level. The team members collaborate to help students achieve academic and personal goals. The school believes the team structure improves student-teacher relationships, motivation, attendance, behavior, attitudes toward school, peer relationships, and understanding of individual student needs. Perceived advantages for teachers are increased intellectual stimulation, improved student discipline and instructional delivery, and personal relationships with colleagues. Protecting the integrity of the teams is the school's highest priority.
The teachers on a team have a common prep time and are usually housed in the same wing of the school so that students do not have to go far for most classes. A half-hour period in the morning with one of the team teachers or an elective teacher serves as an advisory, homeroom, or study period.
To ease transition for sixth-graders the school devotes the first day of the school year to orientation and has a weekly house assembly for sixth-graders only. Aside from P.E., sixth-graders take classes only with other sixth-graders. Seventh- and eighth-graders take electives with mixed grades. Within the team structure, Eckstein has language arts and social studies for capable students and honors math at each grade level.
The curriculum at Eckstein is structured to assure that the door to higher education stays open for all students. For instance, all eighth-grade students—no matter what math class they take—are exposed to algebra concepts. All sixth-graders take a 10-week foreign language exploratory class in which they are exposed to French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. Students are encouraged to hold aspirations to higher learning; for instance, they attend precollege activities such as college fairs, usually attended only by high school students.
Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
Location
Komachin Middle School
3650 College Street, S.E.
Lacey, WA 98503
Contact
Norm Bykerk, Principal
Phone: 360/438-8800
Fax: 360/438-8802
Grade span: Seven through eight
Komachin Middle School is a two-year school with a socially and ethnically diverse population of 780 students. Komachin divides its students into three houses of mixed seventh- and eighth-graders, each in a wing of the school. Each house has at least two teachers in each of four content areas: science, math, language arts, and social studies. The house teachers work as a team. Four of the eight teachers at a time have a common prep period. All classes, except for P.E., exploratory mini-courses, and other enrichment such as music, take place in the wing. The school has assigned a counselor to each house. The counselor for the house has an office in the wing and is available to students full time. The day begins with a 31-minute advisory period for orientation activities, transition activities, fund raising, service learning projects, and other activities.
Before the school opened in 1992, staff members found they could not define any significant learning differences between seventh- and eighth-graders. As a result, they decided to reorganize the district's existing curriculum by integrating content areas. For instance, in other district middle schools life sciences is taught in seventh grade and physical sciences in eighth grade. At Komachin the two are blended in a two-year science class and organized around broad themes along with social studies, language arts, and math. For the 1996-97 school year the themes for the core courses were explorations (the self), connections (the group), and changes (the community). Curriculum threads include environmental education (quality of life), the idea of diversity (recognizing and appreciating differences), and the idea of service (doing for others).
The grade levels as well as the curriculum at Komachin are integrated. Each class is composed of 50 percent seventh-graders and 50 percent eighth-graders. The curriculum occurs in a loop, but one year is not a prerequisite to the next or a progression from the last. If seventh-graders start school during the second year of the curriculum, they will do the first year as eighth-graders.
Komachin tries to create as much continuity as possible during the students' brief stay by placing them with the same group of teachers for the entire two years. The school also tries to delay high school transition activities until as late in the eighth-grade year as possible. This way students don't have the sense that their time at the school is over before it actually is.
Komachin does not offer many electives. The focus is on the integrated curriculum. The applied technology and art teachers, for example, do not teach their own self-contained classes but work full time on a flexible schedule with the team teachers to support content areas.
Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
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This document's URL is: © 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
Date of Last Update: 02/27/2003
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