U-46 study finds shortcomings in middle school instruction

Large class sizes, inconsistent structure and a lack of technology have left Elgin Area School District U-46 middle school students behind their peers, an internal study recently found.

A 50-member team of teachers, administrators and parents worked from last October through April comparing U-46 middle school practices with those of high performing schools across the country, Executive Director of Secondary Education Tom Donausky recently told the board.

"We wanted to compare U-46 middle schools with those who have been identified as nationally successful," Donausky said.

The team defined successful schools as those who had 85 percent or more of students meeting or exceeding state standards.

High performing middle schools, the review found, share several commonalties.

Students are assigned to work in teams, or pods, Donausky said.

Successful schools feature accelerated language arts and math programs, and two or more years of a foreign language.

They also make elective courses readily available.

According to state report cards, during the 2006-07 school year, three of U-46's eight middle schools - Abbott, Canton and Kimball - fell behind the state average of 73.8 percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards. Ellis, Kenyon Woods Larsen, and Tefft all surpassed that average.

Strengths of the district's eight middle schools, the team found, included a safe learning environment, flexible block scheduling and strong school leadership, Donausky said.

Still, more team activities need to be implemented into students daily schedules. A consistent two-year foreign language program should also be put in place, Donausky said.

A middle school facility planning committee should be established to address equity in the quality of facilities among schools.

Staff development, Donausky said, should also focus more on the training of all teachers to better address bilingual students.

Board member Amy Kerber asked Donausky about the anticipated timeline for implementation of suggestions.

"We need to sit down with Dr. Torres," Donausky said.

"In the short term, certain things can be implemented during the upcoming school year," Donausky said. "If the superintendent and staff felt we could put more resource people on staff at the middle school, that we could do without a lot of planning."

Other things, like implementing a two-year foreign language program, "cannot be done in two months," Donausky said.