Smithville School Program Separates Boys From Girls

Studies show boys and girls think differently, and a new pilot program at is designed to explore those differences as it relates to learning.

The sixth-graders at that school are involved in a pilot program that separates certain classes based on gender, according to a presentation made by Smithville Principal Kathie Hathaway and Assistant Principal Jamie Gillespie to the at its meeting Monday night, Sept. 26.

New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) testing over the last three years has exposed a huge disparity between males and females in the sixth grade, with males testing “Partially Proficient” at a higher rate over that time period. Both genders have seen growing numbers in that area, but males are growing at a more rapid rate.

NJASK testing is a standardized test administered across the state. “Advanced Proficient” is the highest a student can score, followed by “Proficient” and “Partially Proficient.”

The presentation reflected different test questions administered to different students over the three-year span, but also showed one particular class of students suffering from declining test scores over a three-year period.

So this year, the school is separating a group of boys and girls in language arts and math. One teacher teaches both genders in language arts, and another teacher works with both genders in math.

Initially, 51 students were selected randomly to participate. Six of those students have since left the program, but four more students were added for a total of 49 students currently in the program.

The students are separated based on gender for those two classes only, with every other class in the school remaining mixed gender.

They will be judged by New Jersey ASK testing teacher observations, an end of year survey of teachers, parents and students, and assessments throughout the year.

“We saw that in language arts, the males were really struggling and that really got the ball rolling,” Superintendent of Schools Annette Giaquinto said. “So we moved in that direction.”

Giaquinto added that the school district is seeking to help every child, and Hathaway stated during the presentation, “We are not happy with the girls’ performance either.”

Of the 1,046 total students at the school, only 47 were “Advanced Proficient,” the highest mark a student can earn on the test. Of those that scored “Advanced Proficient,” 81 percent were female.

“Studies show gender differences in the brain do exist,” Gillespie said. “Boys and girls process things differently, and they have different tendencies. Those differences in tendencies can aid teachers in educating them.”

In gender-specific classrooms, the curriculum remains the same, but the method of instruction is different.

For example, teachers dealing with a classroom of male-only students can focus on writing, an area in which males tend to fare worse than their female counterparts.

Teachers dealing with a classroom of female students can focus on abstract reasoning, an area males tend to excel in when compared to females.

“Children feel less pressure in the absence of the opposite gender,” Gillespie said. “Studies show that gender-specific classrooms have improved academics and behavior, and have lower instances of bullying.”

The classes will last the duration of the year, and will be reevaluated at the end of the school year. At that time, the decision will be made as to whether the program should be continued, and if it should be expanded or revised in any way.

The extent of those revisions, including if it would include a greater number of students, grades and schools within the district, are all unknown at this time, Giaquinto said.