A message from Daryle Palmer: March seems to be the month when parents' thoughts flip into September and the beginning of school. Parents start asking questions about the next grade curriculum and teachers at the next grade level. I would like to review the issue of parent request for placement.
Placement for each and every child at McGaugh Elementary is done through a very extensive process by the teachers and administration. We work to create balanced classes with three different academic levels. This allows classes to have three primary skill level groups. By grouping in this manner, the teacher can have two groups working independently while he/she is working with the third group and meet with each group in rotations. We also create balance in the classes' social/emotional levels. A class filled with lots of talkative students can be very challenging. We also work to balance the maturity levels and genders. This process requires we look at all academic, work habits, study skills and citizenship areas of each child as we place them in classes. There are also discussions about the best environment for the child in terms of the teacher's personalities. While some students thrive in a very strict and organized environment, others are more comfortable in a more relaxed teaching environment.
There are two classes for which we will accept parent request. These are the Community and the Gateway. Parent request/permission to be in these classes is due to the unique nature of these classes. The Community is taught by 2 highly skilled teachers, Mrs. Nash and Ms. Caldwell. In the class there are 10- 14 students with IEP's and 24 regular education students in K-1. In the Gateway, 2-3, Mrs. Eckert and Mrs. Bailey teach 24 regular education students and approximately 12-14 students with IEP's. The concept of these blended classes contains the following attributes:
· These are continuity classrooms. Children at the lower grade, in both of these class settings, stay with the Community/Gateway teachers for two years, thus providing continuity for student learning.
· Two teachers, one regular education and one special education, work together throughout each day to provide integrated experiences for the special education and regular education children for the mutual benefit of all children assigned to the class.
· Students are separated by grade level for the academic instruction.
· Instructional aides are assigned to both classroom to provide support for students
with IEP's and lower the adult/student ratio.
Parents who are interested in having their child considered for placement in either of these classes should send a letter expressing their request for such a placement to the office prior to March 31st. Currently, I have received a number of request for these classes, and if you have already sent in a request you do not need to send a new request. Following the March 31st deadline, we will review the list of interested students with parental request and determine the best placement for each of these students. Because we make decisions on the best educational placement for each of our students, the date on the letter of request will not be a determining factor in who will be placed in this class.
McGaugh is blessed with amazing teachers at all grade levels, and while these two classes are unique opportunities, placement in these classes is not always the best educational placement for each child.
