Canton Grade Configuration Study to Begin this Month

A committee looking at the potential for grade reconfiguration at Canton schools will begin meeting later this month and present its findings to the Board of Education in February, Superintendent Kevin Case said this week.

The district is looking at the idea of aligning Grades 3 to 5 at Canton Intermediate School and Grades 6 to 8 at Canton Middle School. Currently 3rd graders attend Cherry Brook Primary School and 6th graders Canton Intermediate School.

In past interviews, Case has said the study is designed to determine foremost if any changes would enhance the schools academics, including implementation of “Common core state standards," a Connecticut adopted national effort to standardize curriculum.

Space is also a factor, Case said.

The committee, consisting of administrators, teachers and a parent from each school, will look at schools with such alignments and study the pros and cons of each system, he said. Visits to those schools will also be conducted, he said.

In addition, parents will be surveyed and kept in the loop, Case told Board of Education members Tuesday.

"We will keep them posted,” Case said.

The committee’s work should be ready for the board by mid February, he said. The timing will work well with budget season since part of the study will evaluate if there are any financial implications, he said.

A meeting later that month would allow parents to speak on the budget as well as the study. Case has said there are no preconceived notions as to whether a change is warranted.