Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we prepare for next year, I want to take some time to highlight some expected changes in the implementation of our Elementary school program.  It is important to me to dispel any rumors and bring to life some of the reason behind changes.  

1^st Grade

Our current Kindergarten cohort is smaller than other cohorts.  In some school districts the size of this cohort would be accommodated in one classroom.  We recognize this and hope to be able to accommodate all of our student’s academic, social and emotional needs while continuing to provide the individual attention that we have come to expect and value here in the Copenhagen Central School District.  With this in mind, we intend to merge the cohort into one classroom next year, to be co-taught by our first grade teachers, Mrs. Hefferon and Ms. Strianese.  This merger will allow us the ability to target instruction at each student’s instructional level and allow needed flexibility. 

In regards to targeting each student’s instructional levels, the merger will allow for:

1.       Consistent levels of student to teacher ratios- while there will be times they will often be in the same classroom, having both First grade teachers available will allow for consistent levels of adult attention per student with the added benefit of targeted remediation and increased redirections during whole group instruction.   

2.      Homogeneous groupings- during small group math and reading instruction, the random effects of having classroom sizes that are too small for appropriate sized groupings that have students of advanced, average and below average achievers in each group will be limited.  Students benefit significantly from their interactions with peers and having all students in the same class increases the likelihood that throughout the year, others in the class will be at or around the same level of achievement as them.

3.      One or both of the teachers will be available to provide remediation support to the student’s in the cohort and will be keenly aware of student’s strengths, weaknesses and instructional level thereby increasing the fluency of intervention implementation.

In regards to flexibility having one classroom benefits the cohort and system as a whole for the following reasons:

1.       As we live in area that has a relatively transient population, continuing to have both experts in the First Grade curriculum and pedagogy allows us increased flexibility should we need to separate the class into two sections due to an increase in cohort size. 

2.      The second First Grade classroom will continue to be available as an instructional location for the cohort to allow for small group instruction and limited distractions.

3.      Classroom teachers have participated and will continue to participate in significant amounts of professional development in the implementation of the new Common Core Learning Standards.  Continued utilization of these skills and collaboration with their grade level counterpart will only improve their ability to implement this new curriculum.              

Third Grade Classroom and Curriculum Coordinators

Next year Mrs. Ratliff and Mrs. Farney will be co-teaching one of our third grade classrooms.  One teacher will teach the class in the morning while the other utilizes that time coordinating the implementation of Elementary School Common Core curricula in either Math or ELA.  In the afternoon, they will switch roles, one teaching and one coordinating Elementary Common Core curricula in an area of personal strength.  The implementation of these new standards is no small task as there are significant differences between the old and new standards.  Without an appropriate amount of focus, there lies a potential that avoidable gaps in foundational skills will lead to future difficulties in student achievement.  Allowing one individual to focus our efforts at this time will benefit all of our students.  While concerns have been expressed about the potential negative social-emotional effects of not having a consistent teacher in the classroom all day long, we believe that the level of communication and collaboration and general skill level of these two teachers will allow us to compensate for potential student difficulties. 

Please do not misinterpret either of these changes as budgetary in nature or as a slight to the students in these cohorts.  We believe that both changes are an appropriate use of our resources and have the potential to provide significant benefits to the students in these and all cohorts in our district.  As always, please feel free to contact at 688-4411 or email me at dmunn@ccsknights.org with any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely,

Dale R. Munn, Jr. 

Director of Student Services

CARTHAGE EXCEPTIONAL GAMES - MAY 30th, @ 9:00 a.m. @ Carthage High School -
Please come and cheer on our students with special needs!!