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Middle schools may get 6th-graders Medford district looks for 232 young volunteers to ease crowding By Damian Mann Medford elementary schools � five of which are on the brink of overcrowding � will begin a pilot program to allow about 25 percent of their 970 sixth-graders this fall to enroll at the district�s two middle schools. This would be the first step in aligning grades six, seven and eight to more closely match a majority of middle schools throughout the state. Superintendent Steve Wisely said it would also help schools that now have no classroom space left: Abraham Lincoln, Howard, Jacksonville, Oak Grove and Washington. The pilot project, which is asking for 232 volunteer students, is the first step in converting Hedrick and McLoughlin middle schools to a three-grade campus once a new middle school is built by 2004. Currently, the middle schools offer grades seven and eight. Under the plan, Hedrick and McLoughlin would each receive 116 students and four teachers to run the team program. This would boost enrollment at the two middle schools, designed for 1,200 students, to almost 1,100 each. Wisely said the plan will allow schools to better tailor their curriculums to help students pass the state�s certificate of initial mastery (CIM) tests offered in grades three, five, eight and 10. But it will also relieve overcrowding at some schools where enrollment is at or near the 600 mark. "There are some schools that have just no room to grow," Wisely said. Abraham Lincoln was built in 1997 to keep other elementary schools� enrollments below 600, but this school now has 634 students. "They are all inching back up to 600 again," Wisely said. McLoughlin Principal Doug McKenzie said his middle school can better prepare these sixth-graders to pass the CIM tests in the eighth grade. The four teachers at each campus would act as a team to coordinate curriculums for their students. Each class would have about 29 students. Although some parents have expressed concern about the mingling of these age groups, McKenzie said, "Once they learn what is planned, their fears go away." McLoughlin and Hedrick plan to stagger the sixth-graders� hours to prevent mixing with the seventh- and eight-graders. Hedrick Principal Marjorie Lininger said many of these fears stem from memories of junior high schools, which included grades seven through nine. Lininger said sixth-graders are ready to enter the more challenging curriculum offered in middle schools. "Their education is enhanced by going to a middle school," she said. Rich Miles, principal at Lone Pine Elementary School, said that the district will not see an increase in staffing. About 16 teachers from the elementary and middle schools have already applied for the eight available positions. "We�re going to have to do some shuffling of staff," Miles said. "It�s going to be real tricky to figure out all the numbers." Miles said some schools could have more parents sign up for the middle school idea, creating a potential staffing problem. But the district has some flexibility in changing class size to accommodate the shift in students, he said. Classes that will be offered at the two schools include science, language arts, mathematics, physical education, music and other elective classes. Parents of fifth-graders will receive a mailer from the district in March, explaining the new program. The new middle school and a proposed technical school would be built with a $70 million bond measure that the district will be asking voters to approve in 2002. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.