What is the latest information on high schools restructuring?

To date:
* Four small learning academies of students and staff have been established in each of the District's three high schools. This is the foundation for strengthening relationships between adults and students (and their families.)
* Rigor, relevance and relationships are the cornerstones in our high school restructuring. We know that youth must be challenged by curriculum that is appropriately rigorous and relevant to their present and their future. Equally important is the need for positive relationships to surround the learning experience.
* The district mentoring program, Mentors Committed to Excellence, has more than 200 mentors who are being paired with district students.
* The administrative structure and resource allocation is aligned to support the small learning academies.
* The process of aligning the curriculum at all three high schools is underway. The curriculum is already aligned to state standards. The process now is to make sure the curriculum is aligned among the high schools.
* All four foreign languages and dual credit courses (offered through Lincoln Land Community College) are available at all three high schools.
* The first Saturday Academy has begun. This academy is dedicated to Engineering and being offered in partnership with the IL Dept. of Transportation. The goal of the Saturday Academies is to provide students with the opportunity to explore careers and connect the learning in the classroom to careers to strengthen the relevance of what students are learning in school. Saturday Academies for medicine, the trades, the law, and education are in the planning stages.
* The options for Alternative Education have been expanded to provide the appropriate learning environment for students, thus benefiting both the students who are placed in the alternative setting and those that remain at the home school.

The next step for restructuring the high schools is to research options for time delivery systems. A time delivery system is the ways the school day is structured - the number of periods in a day, the way the schedule is blocked out, etc. This research is being done now with plans to bring a recommendation to the Board of Education in January, 2009.

It seems that freshmen with later birth dates are scheduled to take driver's education before sophomores with an earlier birthday. Why is that?
The sophomores referenced in this question were encouraged to take driver's education this past summer in anticipation of this issue. The families were notified last spring. Unfortunately the new law enacted in Illinois was made effective immediately and did not give schools time to work through the issues created by the new law. The impact on some sophomores is because freshman must stay with freshman (and sophomores with sophomores) for scheduling purposes to accommodate the rest of their schedule.

Are the current hiring practices the same as the district has used in the past?
There has been no change to the district hiring processes or procedures. Policy and past practice, as well as the collective bargaining agreement delineate the need to actively seek out qualified candidates, including qualified diverse candidates. We will be even more diligent in our efforts to follow proper protocol and procedures as openings occur in the district to ensure the district is consistent in its hiring practices.

Is there any way to help district families who live outside the city limits get city library cards?
We are in the process of surveying district families who live outside of the Springfield city limits to determine the level of interest among families.

I've heard there is a new policy regarding transfers.
No policy change has been made regarding school transfers. There are two types of transfers: Minority to Majority transfers that are required to meet the district's desegregation order and those granted by the building principal. One of the goals of restructuring at the high school level is to align the curriculum and course offerings at the high schools. This should reduce the transfer requests related to course offerings that may have taken place in the past.

There has been a request to update technology at the high school level. Has the district looked into this?
The district is always looking for ways to add technology to support student achievement. The need for more access to technology, especially at the high school level, will become more and more critical. The one-to-one laptop project at the middle school level integrates technology completely into the curriculum and that becomes the standard that students are used to. Math and science mobile lab have been added to each high school in the past year to support instruction. The cost of technology and the need for upgrades and replacements will be an ever-present challenge to the district. However, the School Board and the Superintendent are dedicated to improving technology to support academic achievement.

As details regarding the restructuring plans for the District's middle and high schools are being unveiled, there are many questions. We welcome your questions because they help ensure we are addressing critical issues in a thoughtful and careful way. Questions will be answered as we receive them. Following are a few questions we have received thus far:

Middle School Questions:
1. Will students who are already meeting or exceeding standards be ready for a rigorous high school curriculum? Will these same students be challenged in the 90-minute reading and math blocks?

RESPONSE: All students will be challenged during the 83-87 minute block. Students will be assigned to classes based on their ability level as they are currently. We expect that students meeting and exceeding standards will be well prepared for a rigorous high school curriculum.

2. What is going to happen to science and social studies? Will
students be prepared for high school science?

RESPONSE: Students will be prepared for high school science. They will have alternate science and social studies blocks every other day for the school year. The science and social studies curriculum is aligned to the Illinois State Learning Standards. The longer block time period affords students opportunities to be actively engaged in more in-depth discussions, group work and experiments than was possible during the regular class periods.

3. Will middle school students be assigned to small learning academies?

RESPONSE: No, students in middle school will not be assigned to small learning communities.

High School Questions:
1. How will teachers be assigned to small learning academies?

RESPONSE: Teachers will be assigned to each academy based on the classes needed in the academy and the individual expertise of each faculty member. Care will be taken to ensure that all students' learning needs are met within each academy. For example, the REI teachers (special education inclusion teachers) will be assigned to each academy to allow the inclusion program to continue to be successful in each academy. Care will be taken to assign a diverse group of teachers to each academy so students benefit from a variety of instructional approaches.

2. How will the new structure support academic achievement?

RESPONSE: Research has consistently shown that students who do well in school and on standardized tests are well versed in the areas of rigor, relevance, and relationships. We know we must provide learning opportunities that are academically challenging and meaningful to our students. Furthermore, we must develop caring and professional relationships with our students. Students must feel that teachers and administrators care about them, want to assist them, and will provide academic supports that they need to be successful. The utilization of learning academies further supports this philosophy.

3. Will students have an opportunity to give their input regarding the design of the learning academies?

RESPONSE: The development and fine-tuning of the learning academies will take place during the 08- 09 school year. During this period, interested groups, including students, will have a chance to give their input and feedback to the project team.

4. What will the role of the guidance deans be in the new structure?

RESPONSE: The new administrative teams are meeting weekly to plan for transitions for next year. One of the many topics being discussed is the role and responsibilities of all administrators, including guidance deans. The teams have task lists for all existing administrative positions, including the deans.

We welcome your questions about restructuring. Questions can be addressed to any board member or sent in an email to: district@springfield.k12.il.us.