Northwest Observer Forums > Schools > Other Northwest Area Schools > Cohort classes for K & 1st grade
Northwest Observer Forums > Schools > Other Northwest Area Schools > Cohort classes for K & 1st grade |
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smileyfaces Member
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Can anyone at any other elementary school tell me if K & 1st grade classes move as a whole class? I recently found out that my child's class will move up as a whole class next year, unless the individual principal sees a need to move students based on conflict with other students or teachers. I was informed this is a county mandate but can not find any school that follows this mandate. As a matter of fact, I found exceptions. How do you feel about this mandate? Should children remain with their existing class another year or explore new friendships & further develop social skills? |
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Cracker Jax Member 
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I seem to remember Summerfield Elementary doing that one year with Mrs. Summers' 2nd /3rd grade classes...... about 8 or 9 years ago. The teacher moved up with the class, but I didn't know anyone in the class so I don't know how it all worked out. I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that Grier is trying out yet another one of his "guinea pig studies" on our kids. Can you tell us what school you're talking about Smileyfaces? It's not really necessary, I was just curious. I just haven't heard of any schools doing that in recent years, and if it's one of my schools, I don't know it yet! Glad you've joined us! |
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smileyfaces Member
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The school is Stokesdale Elementary. Apparently, some parents are surprised by this concept in which they were notified by a recent Parent Input Form. There are plenty of pros and cons to this concept, but I think it is the lack of communication that parents received regarding changes being made that affect their children. From those parents that I have chatted with, they couldn't see the purpose in filling out the form if a decision was already made regarding their child's placement. My suggestion to parents with concerns is to fill out the form with additional comments and send it in by the deadline, May 31. Oh, thanks for the welcome. Always look forward to seeing the latest chat online. |
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macca Member 
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I guess I'll need to pull that form out and look at it again. I know they usually let us give input about what we think is the best learning environment for our children, etc. but I didn't catch that part about K & 1st grade.... maybe b/c my kids are a little beyond that.... Hmmm.... Why do they think this is the way to go? So, what if there is someone in the class that is just awful to be around? What if that particular mix of kids doesn't work right? What about giving the kids the chance to meet more kids and make new friends? Has Grier found some new study to support this kind of thing? And what about other schools? Are they already doing this? If not, why not? |
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smileyfaces Member
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Please look at the form. The notation is at the bottom & easy to miss. I missed it the first time myself and so did many other parents that I have spoken to. Many have filled out the form, saw the notation, then wondered why they were filling it out if it sounds like a done deal. You can request that your child be separated from individuals. That may be taken into consideration. What I would think would happen is that teacher input would also be considered since they are a key element to this issue. They are the ones that have the most exposure to each individual child and see the possible problems develop with certain groups. As far as other schools doing this...I don't believe all the schools follow this mandate. As a matter of fact, it's easy to check up on this in a small community such as here. We know other parents at other local schools that we can ask. That is what makes this community great. We learn things from each other. Plus, having this forum is an added plus. Dr Grier is going on research...not on the input of teachers or parents. I wrote him about my concerns but he seems pretty determined to stick to HIS decision and research. |
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dmauser Member
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This is called 'looping' and as far as I know it is an individual school choice. There are pro's and con's to it. The major problem as I see it is lack of communication about the plan. Vicki, as PTA president did your leadership team decide this, was it a principal decision? Give us the scoop |
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S. Smith Moderator
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smileyfaces wrote: Can anyone at any other elementary school tell me if K & 1st grade classes move as a whole class? I recently found out that my child's class will move up as a whole class next year, unless the individual principal sees a need to move students based on conflict with other students or teachers. I was informed this is a county mandate but can not find any school that follows this mandate. As a matter of fact, I found exceptions. How do you feel about this mandate? Should children remain with their existing class another year or explore new friendships & further develop social skills? smileyfaces, I checked on this one, figuring that other parents in this area would like to know the answer to this as well. Here's what I was able to find out, and I'm going to add this to our Questions Our Readers Have Asked and print it in the paper. Dr. Mack McCary, Chief Academic Officer of Guilford County Schools, says it is not a mandate for classes of students to be kept together in elementary school, but it is a “strong recommendation” for principals to consider, based on research indicating that keeping students together from kindergarten through fourth grade improves student achievement. “As always, there are circumstances that call for exceptions, and ultimately the principal has the legal authority to assign students to classes,” McCary says. |
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Vicki White-Lawrence Member 
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dmauser wrote:This is called 'looping' and as far as I know it is an individual school choice. There are pro's and con's to it. The major problem as I see it is lack of communication about the plan. Debora, I wasn't even aware of this until another parent brought it to my attention. I didn't get the form, since my youngest moves to the middle school next year. I do not serve on the leadership team, but both people who have discussed this with me do. One of them told me she tried to have it put on the leadership agenda but the principal would not allow it. When she tried to bring it up anyway, the principal did her best to keep her from talking.  (BTW: Stokesdale will have a new principal next year.) This is not "looping" because the teacher isn't moving with the class. According to these parents, the principal presented it as a mandate from Dr. Grier, therefore she had no choice but to implement it. When one of them said she had talked with parents at other schools who were not doing it, the principal stood firm that she wasn't accountable for other schools. Interesting that Sandra was able to get the info about this from Dr. McCary, which indicates that it was a RECOMMENDATION, not a requirement. |
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dmauser Member
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Vicki, I thought the writer meant that the teacher and class were moving, together. My mistake. I haven't read any info on this, but I personally would not want my child to stay with the same kids 4 years. I like the fact that he met lots of different people and was exposed to different personalities, viewpoints etc. |
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Jim Flynt Member
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dmauser wrote: I personally would not want my child to stay with the same kids 4 years. I like the fact that he met lots of different people and was exposed to different personalities, viewpoints etc. Does anyone remember when the schools and classes were so small that we had no choice but to move along through the grades with the same students year after year? Those were the good old days for some of us I reckon. Never thought it did us any great harm. All of these new fangled ideas and social theories applied to education aren't always so palatable and easy to swallow are they? Last edited on Jun 1st, 2007 02:40 pm by Jim Flynt |
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dmauser Member
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My school (1960's) had two classes per grade and we were mixed up yearly, but today's society is much more diverse than back then. Also, if you asked for your child to be moved now, wouldn't they have a hard time fitting into a class of 22 that had been together for several years? Socially I see problems with this, however educationally there might be an advantage. If that was true then why aren't most schools doing this? It might be another 'new' idea that hasn't been proven. |
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smileyfaces Member
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I'm glad to see that this has finally generated some interest. From my understanding the teachers are not moving up with their class. Only the class will be moving. A parent can request that their child not be placed with specific individuals. I know there are both pro's and con's to this "research," I think it is the lack of communication that was given to parents. To this day, nothing else has come out (to my knowledge) about this except in the Input Form. It appears that Dr. Grier is following the research results from a Dr. Chuck Achilles (reseacher & professor) previously at UNCG. However, has Dr. Grier seen any research on the opposite use of this model? My other concern is why this change is being made now for next year, when the school is getting a new principal. Shouldn't the new principal have some input into this decision? It would be nice to know that she is at least overseeing any changes that may be going on at this time. I would hope that she would see what works in the school and what doesn't, get teachers' recommendations and go from there. Why is the current principal making this decision? She has no stake in what goes on at Stokesdale next year, that affects our children in the future. |
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