Before administrators proposed to move eighth-graders to the middle school, Bill McVeagh considered moving out of the Springfield Township School District so his rising eighth-grader would not have to go to high school earlier than would be appropriate.
“Many of the people in the community for years have been concerned with eighth grade in high school,” he said. “Many of the parents in the community were concerned at the point to thinking of pulling students out and putting them in private school.”
These concerns are that socially, developmentally and maturity-wise, eighth-graders are experiencing one of the most difficult times in their lives, he said.
At that age, the experience of being the “top dogs” of the middle school might give them the confidence to excel both academically and in their transitions to ninth grade, he said.
He added that he has “nothing but kudos” for the school district administration.
Some of the other parents who spoke at a Sept. 24 public forum for middle school parents agreed with McVeagh and administrators that the proposal to restructure the school district is a good idea.
Others were concerned that bringing fifth-graders to Erdenheim Elementary and eighth-graders to Springfield Township Middle School would take away the opportunities these students have now.
A few parents urged administrators to consider how a change would affect the gifted program for fifth and eighth grades if the school board were to pass the proposal, which will be up for a vote later this month.
One parent said that her children, graduates of Springfield, valued spending their eighth-grade year in high school because it exposed them to the arts early.
Other parents asked the administrators to keep in mind that some students are actually ready for more responsibility as eighth-graders.
Another concern was that children missed out on the more focused and grade-appropriate academic instruction that administrators promise the restructured system would allow.
According to administrators, one of the benefits of restructuring the schools would be higher academic achievement. Students would have schedules appropriate for their instructional needs, and it would be easier for teachers in the same grade level to work together because they would all be in the same building, they said.
For fifth-graders, this means more time for language arts instruction, which is difficult to schedule when adhering to a middle school schedule, said Superintendent Wendy Royer.
If fifth grade is moved to elementary school, students would be instructed by one teacher all day, rather than having a schedule with a few different classes and instructors, she said.
The new structure would increase rigor across all grade levels, administrators said.
Some parents asked if present fifth-graders are not having enough language arts instruction, and if there would be a curriculum adjustment so next year’s sixth-graders could receive language arts instruction comparable that proposed for next year’s fifth-grade class at Erdenheim.
The middle school faculty and staff have been targeting the language arts curriculum in order to heighten student performance, said Alice Snare, principal of the middle school. They already have adjusted the fifth-grade schedule to improve language arts instruction and made sure that the time allocated for the subject would not be interrupted, she said.
For example, a library tutorial might take place during a different class, Snare said.
“Because we want to do better doesn’t mean our students aren’t being served,” said Carol Rohrbach, director of curriculum and staff development. “We are doing a very good job … we want to do even better.”
Royer said Sept. 25 that she does not think there will be any changes to the proposal before the school board members discuss it at their next meeting.
“The meetings gave us a lot of insight into what the parents’ concerns were,” she said. “I felt that we gave parents their assurances that academic programs would not be compromised by the restructuring of schools.
“There seems to be a lot of sentiment for returning fifth-grade to elementary, and that didn’t surprise me.”
About 40 parents spoke during the elementary school meeting and about 21 at the middle school meeting, Royer added.
“I know the administration was really pleased with the turnout and the comments that they got from parents and the community,” she said.
The school board will discuss the proposal at its Oct. 6 meeting and vote Oct. 20. Once the board takes action, school district officials need to get started quickly to prepare for the change, Royer said.
Her plan is keep parents informed during the entire process, she said.
