Eastern Lancaster County School District

Educational Program FAQ - Middle School Educational Program

• When would this take effect?
  • A specific date of implementation has not been recommended, pending further discussion and planning with the Board of School Directors.  If enacted, this change would not become effective until the 2025-26 school year at the earliest.
• Why is this being discussed?
  • A growing amount of research indicates that the middle school model, focused on a student-centered environment that incorporates teaming, collaboration, and responding to the changing needs of students, provides benefits for each child beyond that of a two grade middle school or junior high school structure
  • The enrollment patterns of the district, as well as future projections, indicate that the secondary campus has enough capacity to absorb the sixth grade without negatively impacting class sizes or structure
  • Organizing learning around teams and in a middle school model provides additional opportunities for curricular exploration as well as interventions and supports
  • Moving sixth grade to the secondary campus provides opportunities not currently available to our elementary schools due to space and facility constraints in the current organization
• Is a Junior High model being considered? In recent years, the district has made great strides in developing the senior year experience as a transition to college & career and significant numbers of seniors are participating in college & career experiences (AP coursework, Dual Enrollment, Internship or Co-op, full day CTC programs) to support career preparation.
  • When instituted, the junior high model was intended to prepare students for high school, but at a time when high school looked significantly different from what it does now, and with very different outcomes projected for the students attending. 
  • Keep in mind that when this became the model, most students were being prepared for factory-style work with fewer students moving on to secondary education.  This was also at a time when many more students were leaving high school education early via dropout and entering the workforce with positions that could be filled with different skills than are often necessary today.  At present, instituting a junior high school model is not part of the planning process.
• If transitions have a negative impact on social-emotional health, what would be the benefit of transitioning earlier in the child’s development? There would still be the same number of transitions throughout their school career.
  • There would be the same number of total transitions for students, but for those in the middle school, they would have three years between transitions instead of two.
• Would teams of teachers cycle with their learners, teach 3 grade-levels per year in a staggered, multi-age team, or continue to be grade-level content experts?
  • This hasn’t been finalized, but the initial planning would likely be focusing on grade-level teams rather than multi-grade configurations.  This could be different depending on the content, with specialists teaching across grades as they currently do.  There is also the possibility of an individual being assigned to two teams based on content area and enrollments, although we’d try to have this occur as infrequently as possible.
  • Pennsylvania’s Department of Education also stipulates a variety of requirements for certifications for professionals, by subject area as well as by grade.  Anyone teaching in one of the secondary classrooms would need to be appropriately certified.
• When a teaming model is discussed, it’s usually based on four teachers working together with a common group of students.  The teachers most often teach one subject each (ELA, math, social studies and science).  Will we have enough staff to schedule true teams?
  • Teaming is a strategy to increase long-term relationships between teachers and students and through this model students self-report greater engagement and confidence in their learning
  • Students may experience increased modeling of leadership and collaboration through the professional responsibilities of their teachers
  • Collaborative planning and support by teachers will help to identify students who are struggling or in need of enrichment faster than in a non-teamed setting
  • Based on current enrollments, staffing levels and projections, this model will be sustainable.  Over the next several months scheduling software will be used to model how the building might be scheduled to meet the needs of the student body while also utilizing the overall facility and staff most efficiently.  Any impacts to staffing would be incorporated into the budget for the year of implementation, if board approved.
• Hiring/retaining teachers is a national struggle. Have we considered the impact of class sizes and staffing projections? I am concerned that current 6^th grade teachers may not want to be in the MS environment or may not be qualified to teach grades 7-8.
  • Several sixth grade teachers have already expressed interest in a move if this is approved by the board.  The current staffing profile shows that there are more than enough teachers with appropriate certificates for teaching in a middle school model.
• Is there room for another grade in the building?
  • The enrollment and facilities studies have considered the number of learning spaces on the secondary campus and the number of students projected for the next five years and there should be plenty of space to welcome the 6th grade from our elementary schools.
• Will 6th graders be riding buses with upperclassmen?
  • The bus routes in ELANCO are adjusted slightly every year based on the number of riders and locations.  Based on current projections the existing routes will likely be used to transport children to the campus if 6th grade is added.
  • High school students are permitted to drive their own vehicles to campus, pending the completion of required paperwork and adherence to school rules and expectations.  During the 23-24 school year, almost 50% of the junior and senior classes have been provided parking passes and no longer utilize district-provided transportation.
• What will supports and interventions for 6th graders look like?
  • ELANCO believes strongly that all children can learn and grow, provided they receive the appropriate supports when they need them.  All students have access to school-based supports through the school counseling team, as well as additional options if the student has an individualized educational plan (IEP) or is an English Learner (EL).
  • The anticipated educational model for the middle school includes teaming, which means that each student’s core academic teachers will meet regularly to plan not only for the academic needs of each child, but also to create an environment that is proactive and supportive for the individualized needs of the children on that team. 
  • Communication with parents and guardians will also be a regular component of support for each child, building relationships among the adults in each child’s life to help support long-term success.
• What does a team look like?
  • Teams will be organized so that each student sees a limited number of adults each day in each of the content areas.  The adults on a team would work with the same students across each classroom to allow for relationship-building as well as communication and interaction among the adults for the betterment of each child.
  • For those children who may have an IEP or be an English Learner, additional team members may be aligned to the core teachers to create as little disruption for each child, while still meeting the educational needs of each student.
• What might specials look like?  Will there be anything new added?
  • The incorporation of specials (also known as exploratory classes, electives, or non-core classes) is an important aspect of a middle school model.  Providing all students with access to a variety of experiences helps each learner to understand their own strengths and interests, as well as providing each student a way to apply what they are learning in their core classes.
  • The existing specials categories include art, music, physical education, STEM, technology, and introductory world languages, with a variety of individual courses available within each of these categories.
  • As curriculum exploration continues and courses are developed to meet the interests of our students as well as their future goals and needs, additional options may be developed for our students.
• Will there be PE or recess every day for students?
  • The schedule has not been finalized, but physical education is not planned for each day for each student.
  • There is no recess period for students at the middle school, but there is an advisory period each day as well as iSpartan that can be used for academic or activity-based experiences.  It is often during iSpartan that clubs may meet for assemblies and other activities are planned.
• Will teachers be on carts?
  • The master schedule, once completed, will schedule each classroom and teacher to best meet the needs of each student.  At that point, the administrative team will review the schedule and make adjustments as necessary to make the schedule as efficient as possible while also creating the least amount of movement and disruption for each teacher.
  • It is very likely that there will be a need for teachers to share classrooms throughout the day.  The impact of shared rooms and travel will be minimized as much as possible for any teacher(s) who may be in this situation.
• Will there be enough space for students to eat lunch?
  • Yes.  The current setup of the cafeteria has more than enough space and capacity to serve all of the projected middle school students in the time allocated for lunch.
  • The current schedule for lunches at the middle school is a combined lunch period for grades 7 and 8 only, with half of the students attending one lunch and the other half attending the other.  The addition of sixth grade would follow the same pattern, with approximately half the sixth graders assigned to one lunch and the other half assigned to the other lunch.
• Will 6th grade be able to participate in interscholastic sports?
  • No. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) begins in 7th grade statewide, meaning no sixth graders are permitted to participate in middle school programs.
  • The opportunity for students to participate in other clubs, activities, or intramurals will all be part of the planning for the potential move, and new opportunities may be created if the change in grade alignment is approved.
• How easily would a child’s individualized educational plan (IEP) transfer to the middle school?
  • The structure of an IEP is designed to meet the academic and behavioral needs of a student regardless of the building they are learning in.  Because of this, each student’s IEP will follow them to the middle school and will be implemented as appropriate in the middle school setting.
  • The same process is occurring annually when children move from 6th grade to 7th grade in the current structure and is one that the team of teachers, administrators and support staff can plan for in partnership with each child’s parents and guardians.
• Will the lesson and rehearsal schedule for the music program continue?
  • Yes, that is the current plan.