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The goal of adding additional minutes to the core
academic subject areas was always done with the intent of maintaining the exposure to classes that help develop a well-rounded mind, body, and spirit. As the Board of Education and administration moved through the process of developing a middle school schedule that improves knowledge and skills in the core subjects, we listened very intently to the input of our constituents before making a final decision on the encore subjects. The final middle school day schedule will provide an exposure component in 6th grade and the opportunity for students to have some input in their encore selections for 7th and 8th grade. During the 47-minute period dedicated to encore subjects the following course offerings have
been approved:
6th Grade – 12 weeks of Spanish and 6 weeks
each of art, music, computers, and life skills.
7th Grade – A student ranks his/her choices and receives three of the following encore classes for 12 weeks each: art, music, technology lab, Spanish, and life skills (cooking and sewing).
8th Grade – A students ranks his/her choices and receives three of the following encore classes for 12 weeks each: art, music, technology lab, Spanish, and life skills (cooking and sewing).
By providing input into their 7th and 8th grade encore elections students will have the opportunity to “track” a particular encore subject. For example, if a student finds that art or music sparks an interest or helps develop a talent, they can rank that class as their number one selection and be assured of having the class assigned during one of the 12-week sessions in 7th and 8th grade. If a student has art and/or music in all 3 grades, they receive 117.5 hours of instruction over three years, versus the 120 hours of instruction under the current middle school day model. The art and music course descriptions will be consistent between middle schools and across grade levels.
Spanish has been added to the 6th grade encore rotation. Students will receive 12-weeks of Spanish in 6th grade and then can elect to continue their Spanish exposure in 7th and 8th grade. Every student wishing to take three years of Spanish is guaranteed to have that opportunity. Our foreign language teachers will design three levels of Spanish curriculum so that a class will be available based on the student’s previous middle school exposure.
Technology lab and life skills round out the encore subject offerings. Students may want to participate in the
hands-on activities available in our technology lab modules and can rate that as a preferred choice for 7th and/or 8th grade. Finally, students will receive a 12-week life skills
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course in 7th or 8th grade that will focus on foods (cooking) and clothing (sewing).
Providing exposure classes in this manner is not without its challenges. Scheduling 750+ seventh and eight graders into 12-week blocks based on their interests can be a complicated task. However, we firmly believe that every 7th and 8th grade student will be scheduled into his or her first and second encore class selections during the school year.
The district is excited about the new middle school day schedule and the final resolution on the structure of the encore class period. The potential for students to track through a progressive curriculum during their middle school years in art and music, or the possibility of receiving twice the amount of Spanish instruction previously offered, offers children the exposure they need to move into high school. Technology lab and the life skill classes provide hands-on and practical experiences that are so important in the development of a balanced individual. The commitment to provide EVERY student with a quality, well-rounded education is alive and well in School District 47.
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