Plainfield Seventh Graders Get Entry-Level Spanish Program

Submitted by Plainfield School District 202

Starting in 2016-17, District 202 seventh grade students will be able to take entry-level Spanish and, possibly, get high school credit for their work as one of several major changes being made to the middle school schedule next school year.

The changes are designed to increase learning and growth opportunities and improve academic achievement at the crucial early adolescent stage; meet community priorities; and incorporate new thinking about student learning.

Adding World Languages at middle school was one of four top community priorities that came out of the 2011 Strategic Planning process. District administrators and the Board of Education decided that Spanish is the most logical language to start with. Work started about three years ago on this initiative.

“Middle school is a very important time,” said Paula Sereleas, director for middle school curriculum and instruction.

“Students are starting to figure out who they are, and who they want to be both in and out of the classroom,” she said. “We are constantly looking for ways to keep learning exciting and positive as they grow academically, socially and personally,” she said.

Among the changes coming to District 202 middle school in 2016-17:

· The two 80-minute periods for math and English that students have now as part of the “hybrid block schedule” will be reduced to 60 minutes each.

District 202 piloted the hybrid block schedule in 2007-08 and implemented it district-wide in 2008-09 to support the federal No Child Left Behind Act’s focus on math and English. It expanded 45-minute periods to 80 minutes.

· Science and Social Studies will return to the daily curriculum for 60 minutes each, also reflecting changing educational priorities.

· All classes will be taught for the same amount of time to create scheduling equity and equalize the numbers of students for teachers.

· The Encore program will offer new computer classes, along with Spanish and new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) classes. Encore is a special middle school period that lets students explore programs like general music, computers and family and consumer sciences.

· All core subjects (other than Encore) will be taught daily, rather than on an alternating schedule as they are now.

· Encore classes and/or band and choir will be taught every other day on an alternating schedule.

· Teachers will utilize cross-subject teaching methods to compensate for the shorter class periods.

· New interventions will be added to the Encore class rotation for students who need extra academic help.

· Middle school band and choir classes will drop from 80 minutes to 60 minutes. As a result, middle school band and choir students will be able to take additional classes that they cannot take now – like high school students taking electives.

Likewise, band students will be able to participate in choir in addition to band, and vice versa for choir students. The current schedule does not allow for them to participate in both.

In 2016-17, seventh graders will be able to take a modified version of entry-level high school Spanish, spread over the entire school year.

If they take the second year in 8th grade – essentially, the second semester of entry-level high school Spanish – they will earn high school credit for entry-level Spanish and be placed into High School Spanish 2 as freshmen.

This would also allow them some flexibility to take another class in high school.

“These changes are very exciting and are real progress in our work to meet all of our students’ goals and needs,” said Glenn Wood, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.