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MEDFORD SCHOOLS Prepping before 9th grade New program would help struggling 8th-graders Comment By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 9, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 9, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Not every eighth-grader in the Medford School District will advance to the ninth grade automatically this fall if the district decides to implement what tentatively has been called the Medford Prep Program. The program, which is still in its infancy, would be an option for middle school students who aren't  academically and developmentally prepared for the rigors of high school. These students would be referred to the program for an additional quarter or more of intensive remediation. A committee of district and school officials is still working out the details of the program which, pending board approval, would be piloted this fall. Medford schools Superintendent Brian Shumate said the program is not intended to be a warehouse for failing kids, but a transition program so they’ll be more successful in high school. “We measure a lot these days on being college and career ready, but we don’t focus on being high school ready,” Shumate said Monday during a work session with the Medford School Board. Classrooms adjoining Central Medford High School and the district offices would be allocated to the program. And the district would either hire three additional teachers — for an annual cost of about $300,000 — or shift qualified and interested teachers from other schools in the district, said Chief Operations Officer Brad Earl. "But at this point, we think we can staff the program with our own teachers," said Director of Secondary Education Todd Bloomquist. Students who are immature or have poor academic and attendance records and a history of interventions would be candidates for the program, Shumate said, adding that the prospect of not starting high school with their peers may be enough to make some students get their act together. “Our goal is not to retain and punish, but to help a kid get prepared and sometimes that takes longer for some kids,” he said. The program would accommodate as many as 60 students and would teach good study habits and behavioral management, in addition to academics. Some students may get caught up in a quarter or during the summer, while others would require a year of remediation, during which time they could begin earning high school credits. The committee referred to this as the 8.5 grade level. The current system only works for about 70 percent of students, said Linda White, principal of McLoughlin Middle School and a member of the planning committee. “It’s not that students get to high school and all of a sudden fail,” she said. “They've been failing all along.” Shumate said he hopes the program would improve the district's four-year graduation rate — currently at 67.3 percent — and reduce the number of fifth-year seniors at all three high schools. At the work session, board members expressed concerns that the program would become a “hodgepodge” for students who weren't making it and that it would put OK students in need of a few interventions in the same lot as failing students. “I want to make sure that this opportunity isn't us segregating specific kids,” said board member Marlene Yesquen. “I want to catch these kids and not let them fall through cracks, but I don’t want this to be another Band-Aid.” Shumate and committee members assured the board that the program would not become an alternative middle school. Once the district has permission from the School Board to go forward, McLoughlin and Hedrick middle school staff will begin screening students and talking to parents about the opportunity. "As a parent, if my student was struggling for years and the school district was offering a smaller learning environment where my student could get the behavioral or academic skills they were missing, then I would consider that a very positive thing," Bloomquist said. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 9, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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