4 programs to improve schools

April 16, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By HAROLD GWIN

YOUNGSTOWN

The building of new schools is just about over, and it’s time for the city school district to undergo some building reconfigurations.

Superintendent Wendy Webb said not all of the elementary and middle schools contain the same grade levels. For example, some elementary schools are K-4, some are preschool-6 and some are preschool-4, she said.

Much of that differentiation can be attributed to the $190 million school rebuilding program that had students being shifted around as new schools were built and some older ones remodeled.

The construction will end with the completion of Wilson Middle School this summer, and the reconfiguration will allow the district to have consistent grade levels in all schools and develop a feeder program that will channel students into specific schools as they advance.

The school board has approved the plan designed to build systemwide cohesiveness and enable schools to work together in partnerships to make the transition from grade-to-grade smoother.

Beginning this fall, all elementary schools will house preschool through fifth grade students, all middle schools will house grades six, seven and eight, and all high schools will contain grades nine, 10, 11 and 12.

The reconfiguration will come with four new programs designed to accelerate student learning, improve test scores and improve core curriculum passage rates.

Those new programs are:

• A Redirection Program in partnership with the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center for expelled and drop-out recovery students.

• A Pathways to Advancement program targeting high-failure-rate students to improve passing rates in core-curriculum classes.

• A University Project Learning Center to expand opportunities for students who have difficulty learning in the traditional classroom setting.

• A Twilight Program for 18- to 20-year-olds who have not earned many credits toward graduation. It will be a recovery, retainment and graduation program with individual academic and assessment plans.

Anthony Catale, school board president, said there are a lot of details to be worked out yet in the four new intervention programs, including where they will be housed, what it will cost to run them and how students will be assigned to them.

Webb said the district will reallocate resources to help cover the costs.