Class Assignments and Other Complex Puzzles

Hard as it is to believe, as we enter May, we begin, again, the process of placing children for the coming school year. Children and adults alike are now comfortable with their current placements, enjoying the fruits of their hard work and looking forward to the summer rest.  Yet, on the horizon, loom the uncertainties of a new school year, a different class, a new teacher, other friends and classmates and the thoughts of all the good in this year that might be lost. What parents, guardians and children may not realize is that teachers and administrators spend many hours making placement decisions. We consider all that we know of each child, each teacher's instructional style, the expectations of the curriculum at the new grade level and the make-up of the classes as a whole, before assigning children to class groups.

Each year in mid-May, the entire faculty meets to share what we know about our children.  Grade level teams meet with the receiving team to discuss individual progress, to share hard-data and to consider the social and emotional needs of each student.  The current teachers, who now know the children best in the context of the general classroom, and the support staff who work with them in smaller settings compare notes and come to conclusions regarding the best mix for learning.  This process continues for several weeks, as we deliberate the details, using standardized test scores, formal and informal assessments, reading levels and teacher experiences with the children to guide us.  By the end of the school year, we generally have a sense of the best groupings and are ready to assign teachers.

Most important in this process is the trust implicit in our planning.  We hope that parents, guardians and children, trust our teachers to make carefully considered, wise decisions. While we understand the feeling that parents need a voice in selecting teachers and classes, we often see a different side of children here at school than they exhibit at home. Moreover, we have considerable data on which to base our decisions. After all, it is in creating good working groups for our classrooms that we ensure the overall happiness and success of our Cunniff Community.