Followup letter to Monday's meeting

I sent the following letter to Dr. Murry (Superintendent) after Monday's meeting:

Dr. Murry,

Thank you again for meeting with us tonight about the situation for advanced students in the Intermediate schools. Upon reflecting on the meeting after I arrived home, I realized that one point which I needed to make as a representative of the parents of fifth graders at Thursday's meeting was not made strongly, and I wish to expand upon that in this letter. Unfortunately, sometimes I tend to think slowly, and words often only often come to me on a matter after percolating a while.

The rest of the parents at tonight's meeting have children who are sixth graders at Simon Intermediate. I was the only parent of a fifth grader [CORRECTION: there were actually three fifth-grade parents there, but the majority of parents still had sixth-grade children], and the only one whose child is at Ruth Doyle. As such, practically the whole conversation concerned Simon sixth graders, and what their parents see as missing from their sixth grade experience. However, as a parent of a fifth grader, my son does not even get to have this year the experience of being in a classroom of advanced students, except for one period daily in GT/reading class. Instead of the possibility of as many as six periods where he could be stimulated by being in a classroom of advanced students, or even four, we're now down to one. This situation exists at both intermediate schools.

I understand that in the GT/reading class at Ruth Doyle this year the curriculum material will be covered in five or six weeks, and the students will have three to four weeks to investigate a topic of their choosing in depth, which I do appreciate. I and the other parents of fifth graders who were at the Thursday meeting would greatly like to see this model expanded to encompass more classes in the school day, as it will certainly increase enthusiasm for learning.

At the meeting, Mrs. Woosley said that in a heterogeneous class the teacher will extend the lesson for the better students and make accommodations for those who need them. This is good in theory, and, to be fair, in practice for most students, probably 75% or even 90% of the range of abilities you are likely to find in a typical class. But you are not going to be able to address that upper ten percent without making some kind of adjustment. Either the class must be made more homogeneous (i.e., advanced students) or more resources must be thrown at the situation (i.e., a second teacher) because maximizing the potential of the advanced student takes every bit as much work as accommodating the disadvantaged/disabled student. Using computer technology to cover subjects which outpace the class might come to mind, but this isolates the student from the class socially and gives him or her no frame of reference by which to judge true progress. I have seen both of these happen in students about this age, and it can truly sour the experience.

As you are considering what can and should be done for the sixth graders this year, please do not forget the fifth graders. Thank you for your help.