We understand that there have been questions regarding information that was shared at Frederick, Grayslake Middle School, and Park Campus regarding next year’s school schedule.
The following message was sent to those schools:
We are excited to share that new schedules will go into effect at grades 5-8 for the 24-25 school year in order to increase consistency between the schools at the 5-8 level. District staff have been working over the course of the 22-23 and 23-24 school years to develop a schedule that meets the needs of the students and community. The specific building schedules will be shared out closer to the start of the school year. This new schedule will provide consistency in length of classes for grade levels at all schools for grades 5-8, opportunities for band within the school day at grades 6-8, and the same Encore course offerings at all three buildings.
Students will receive a double block of English Language Arts at the 5th grade level and consistent 70-minute courses at grades 6-8. The Encore courses (art, music, and STEM) will run on trimesters rather than quarters providing consistency in the grading structure for all classes. Band programs will be an option for students to take in lieu of other Encore classes at grades 6-8. Choir programs will be an option for students in lieu of other Encore classes at grades 7-8. In addition, health, which was previously an Encore, will be rotating from PE courses throughout the school year which will give students an opportunity to receive both health and PE classes each trimester.
CCSD 46 students will continue to have English Language Arts and Math on a daily basis and will attend Science and Social Science using an A/B schedule. An A/B schedule means that students will alternate days between Science and Social Science. For example, if a student has Science on Monday, then that same student will attend Social Science on Tuesday. This is similar to the schedule that Frederick School currently follows for these subject areas.
Much more information about this new schedule will be shared with families closer to the start of the school year.
The following message was also sent to GMS families with students in band.
As you saw in our previous communication, we are excited to share that we will have new schedules at grades 5-8 for the 24-25 school year. This message is specifically regarding the band programs at Grayslake Middle School (GMS).
We would like to assure you that GMS will continue to hold symphonic band, jazz band, and wind ensemble with Mr. Thomas. Please note that both wind ensemble and symphonic band will be taken in lieu of the other encore courses so that all students have access to interventions which includes student remediation and extension. While this is a change for symphonic band members, it is not for wind ensemble. Students who choose to participate in both band and choir will continue to have this option. Specific student schedules will be sent out closer to the school year and Mr. Thomas will be in touch over the next couple of months about band specific information.
Here are some questions that have been asked, and the answers:
Q: Why are changes being made?
A: Curricular Goal #2 in the CCSD 46 strategic plan includes “Explore possible revisions to the structure of the day grades 5-8.” Over the course of the 22-23 and 23-24 school year, the district explored ways to develop consistency in instruction for students across buildings at the 5-8 level. The changes that are being made to the schedule allow for students at Frederick School, Grayslake Middle School, and Park Campus to receive the same access to instruction, intervention, encore, and PE. Past schedules at the varying schools had different lengths of instructional minutes, and students at GMS missed intervention opportunities to attend band and choir.
Q: Will there be math and reading interventions available at all schools?
A: Yes. In fact, one of the reasons for some of the schedule changes is to ensure that all students have access to those interventions as needed.
Q: What encore classes will be available for students?
A: We will have three consistent encore classes offered at the three schools. These encore classes will be art, music, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). If students are participating in band or choir, they will be taking those classes in lieu of the other encore classes.
Q: Will GMS still have a Drama/Dramatically Speaking class?
A: Drama/Dramatically Speaking at GMS will be discontinued. Although many students have enjoyed this class over the years, it was a class that was available only at GMS, not at Park Campus. The learning standards that were taught in the class are also taught within the English Language Arts classes. Drama/Dramatically Speaking will no longer be an Encore at GMS, and like at Park Campus, students will receive the speaking and listening standards through English Language Arts. Instead, STEM will be offered at GMS, Park, and Frederick.
Q: Are teachers being asked to teach something different next year?
A: Just like occurs every year, there are a few teachers who are moving positions. There are no more occurrences of this in the upcoming year than is typical. It is a regular occurrence for teachers to change subject areas or grade levels based on the fluctuating needs within our schools.
Q: Are these changes resulting in teachers being released from service?
A: No, that is not the case. The schedule changes will not result in teachers being released.
Q: Why do students have to miss their encore classes in order to participate in band and/or choir?
A: Currently some students at GMS and all students at Frederick School already miss their encore classes to participate in band. Other band students miss their intervention period to participate in band. This change allows all students to have access to the intervention period which includes student remediation and extension.
Q: Will students be prepared for high school science and social science with the switch to an A/B schedule?
A: Yes, students will be receiving instruction focused on the IL State Standards in the content areas that prepare them for the high school courses. We have been articulating with D127 to ensure that students will continue to be prepared. In addition, D127 is on a block schedule with 90 minute blocks for instruction. The hybrid block schedule that CCSD 46 will be using will begin to prepare students for their high school experience.
Q: Why are encore classes changing at some schools and not others?
(added 6/4/24)
A: In planning for schedule changes, research was completed to determine which encore offerings would be provided to students at the 5-8 level. There are many options to choose from. It was determined that art, general music, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) would be offered. Some of these classes are already offered at our CCSD 46 schools and others aren't. For example, students at GMS received Drama/Dramatically Speaking and no tech class and students at Park did not receive general music in grades 7 & 8. The changes allow for students at all schools to be offered consistent encore classes.
Q: Why were lengths of class periods changed?
(added 6/4/24)
A: This new schedule will provide consistency in length of classes for grade levels at all schools for grades 5-8, opportunities for band within the school day at grades 6-8, and the same Encore course offerings at all three buildings. Students will receive a double block of English Language Arts at the 5th grade level and consistent 70-minute courses at grades 6-8. In past schedules, the length of core academic classes varied from 30-90 minutes in length, providing different learning experiences depending on which school a student attended. Intervention periods varied in length from 30 minutes to 40 minutes in previous schedules. The intervention period, which will provide all students access to extension and/or remediation in core content areas, will consistently be 40 minutes in length. Encore and PE classes varied in length from 30-45 minutes. These will now be consistently 40 minutes in length.
Q: Will there be changes to homeroom?
(added 6/4/24)
A: In the past, homeroom periods varied from 5 minutes to 15 minutes in length. Homeroom will now become an advisory, and will be 10 minutes at 5th & 6th grades and 15 minutes at 7th & 8th grades. The focus of advisory will be to provide an opportunity for building relationships with and between students and creating a sense of belonging for students. At fifth grade at Frederick School, students will be assigned a homeroom teacher for attendance, lunch count, and check-in at the start of the school day.
Q: How have lunch and recess times changed?
(added 6/4/24)
A: In past schedules, recess times have ranged from 0-20 minutes depending on the school and grade level for grades 6-8. The new schedules will be consistent between schools with 20 minutes for lunch and 10 minutes for recess at 6th grade and 25 minutes for lunch at 7th & 8th grades.
Q: What specific changes have been made to the bands?
(added 6/4/24)
A: There are many priorities in relation to band schedules. The driving priorities to the changes described below were ensuring that all students have access to the intervention blocks, including full band during the school schedule (after 5th grade), and providing as much consistency between schools as possible.
Q: How will students have access to STEM concepts if they choose to participate in band or choir?
(added 6/5/24)
A: Students will continue to have access to STEM concepts through their science classes as the curricular resource is built through the lens of STEM.
If you have any questions regarding our efforts to provide consistency to learning throughout the district, please reach out to Dr. Lynn Glickman, Superintendent, at [email protected]. Dr. Glickman will be happy to address any questions or concerns. We thank our community for their involvement in and commitment to ensuring that all CCSD 46 students have the best educational experience possible.