Changes Coming to 6th Grade But Canton Schools Will Not be Reconfigured In Near Future

Next year sixth-graders will be more immersed in the middle school philosophy but will remain at Canton Intermediate School, Superintendent Kevin Case said Tuesday night. 

"The goal is to make 6th grade more like a middle school while continuing to house them at the intermediate school for the near future," Case told the Board of Education. 

The announcement was part of his report on a grade reconfiguration study. Over the past school year, a committee has been researching whether it would make sense to move third graders up to Canton Intermediate and/or sixth graders to Canton Middle School.

One driving factor in the study was whether such changes would help the district implement "Common Core State Standards," an effort to provide consistency in education throughout the country. 

Case focused much of his remarks on sixth grade, announcing changes such as the implementation of the team concept used at the middle school. 

However, Canton would face challenges in moving sixth graders, including increased transportation costs. 

Case reviewed many options but said even the least expensive would add $35,000 to the budget, something he said the district is not in a position to add.

In addition, such a move would require moving 8th graders to a wing in the high school and relocation of some classes in the upper grades. 

"It would be very, very tight to do that," Case said. 

As a part of the study, committee members and school officials visited Suffield Middle School. 

Case said they learned a lot, including that Canton can do even better in transitioning students to middle school.

In addition to the team concept, Case said he also hopes to bring some further interaction opportunities among the schools. 

School officials said one interesting aspect of the Suffield visit was learning that busing sixth graders with high school students in that town is really not the issue parents there thought it would be. 

But even without expensive options such as a bus monitor or separate routes for sixth grade or changes in start times, moving the grade to the middle school in Canton would still include extra bus runs. 

Case also said the issue bears further thought in the future. Moving third graders out of Cherry Brook Primary School, for example, could free up needed space. 

However, the study committee is done with its work and there will definitely be no changes in the next two years, Case said.