Re: Building classes for the next school year

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We use a similar system at my school. We do not put teachers names
up. However, as you mentioned below, we accommodate situations where
a student might be best placed with a specific teacher. Also, if there
have been parent conflicts, a sibling won't be assigned to the teacher
who had difficulty. The rest is pretty even across the board. I agree
with Marla. Fairness is a huge issue for a harmonious working
environment.

> In my school teachers fill out a card for each student in their
> current class - pink for girls and blue for boys. Each card contains
> info about the student - ELD level, math level and reading level, if
> in resource or speech, if in the migrant program, etc. Any behavior
> issues are also noted. The grade level teachers meet with the
> principal and our reading intervention specialist and we make up the
> classes for the students for next year. We make them as even as
> possible. There are some students who should not be in the same
> class, a student might do better with a particular teacher, or a
> teacher who had a difficult time with a certain parent might not be
> assigned the sibling. Our district has so much movement that classes
> generally don't stay the same but there isn't much we can do about
> that. But we try to make it as fair as possible.
>
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> On 4/21/12, Marla wrote:
>> KK,
>> I appreciated your response and thoughts. One problem that has
>> happened in the past (and I'm trying hard to avoid that problem)
>> is placing too many students of one category in any one class.
>> For example, the previous administrator would put the most
>> difficult behavior problems in one classroom. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
>> NOT FAIR TO THE TEACHER or THE STUDENTS. I simply won't allow
>> that. What happened was the most skilled teachers were PUNISHED
>> for competence! My feeling is that if other teachers can't
>> handle challenging kids, they are not real teachers. Why should
>> the most skilled teachers have to take on more than his/her share
>> of discipline problems because the teacher next door doesn't have
>> a clue as to how to handle them?
>>
>> Another thing, is that difficult assignments need to be passed
>> around. No teacher enjoys combination classes especially a K/1
>> or 3/4 combo. However, if one teacher has to do that SO do the
>> others. I'm not worried about why this one can't, or that one
>> can't, FAIR IS FAIR! I realize I can't legally say what's really
>> on my mind. That is if a teacher can't take the heat, he/she
>> should get out!!!! It's safe to say that here.
>>
>> First, we are there for the kids. I feel if the teachers are
>> happy and treated FAIRLY, a better enviroment is created for the
>> kids. Stress doesn't help anyone and why should any one teacher
>> take more than his/her fair share?
>>
>> Also, I believe in as equal as possible, division of the
>> workload. If one class has more behavioral problems, language
>> issues, etc. etc., then there are many more SST's and IEPs.
>> These meetings cut into planning time. The load should be as
>> balanced as possible.
>>
>> Funny thing, I have learned in my few years as an
>> administrator, the most competent teachers are also the most
>> willing to go the extra mile. They are the ones who volunteer
>> for difficult assignments when there is only one of those per
>> grade level. Someone has to do it. Yet, my least competent
>> teachers are always in the background finding reasons that they
>> can't take that combo. or whatever.
>>
>> It's a tough call. I can understand some of what you are saying,
>> but fairness is a huge issue with me.
>>
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>>> In our school, classes are not created randomly. Parents may
>>> make requests, which may or may not be honored. Teachers meet
>>> as grade levels with administration to create the classes, and
>>> administrators make the final decisions.
>>>
>>> A lot of the placement issues depend on your school situation.
>>> For example, if you have several English language learners and
>>> most of them speak Spanish at home, and one teacher in a
>>> particular grade level speaks Spanish, it can be helpful for
>>> the students and parents to have a cluster of those students in
>>> that teacher's classroom. Some students have extreme
>>> behavioral needs and would not do well in a classroom with
>>> several students who also exhibit those needs. Highly advanced
>>> students should have a peer group within their classroom (if
>>> you have a cluster of 3-4 highly advanced students in a grade
>>> level, put them together, and ensure each of the other
>>> classrooms in that grade level also have a group of
>>> high-achieving students--this avoids the problem of "the smart
>>> class" label. Many teachers would prefer to work with
>>> motivated, above-average students than with highly advanced
>>> students, who require more extensive differentiation and
>>> compacting, and sometimes, social skills interventions).
>>>
>>> Even in kindergarten, when the staff isn't familiar with
>>> individual students, you can anticipate needs with thoughtful
>>> grouping. For example, I have seen class groupings where 80%
>>> of the students had birthdays in March or later (this made for
>>> a rough September and October!), or classes where the majority
>>> of kindergarten students were only children.
>>>
>>> I think it's more important to be thoughtful and do your best
>>> to set up students and teachers for the most successful year
>>> possible than it is to be able to say "It's completely fair,
>>> because all the assignments were random."
>>>
>>> On 4/21/12, Marla wrote:
>>>> How are classes assigned at your school? Are they done
>>>> randomly? Do teachers build the classes for the next grade
>>>> level? I have always been against that practice becauuse
>>>> politics enters in. Also, do you honor parent request?
>>>> I personally feel it should be done randomly--high,
>>>> medium , low, behavior, special issues etc. I feel parents
>>>> should wait 10 days after the school year starts to change
>>>> to the preferred teacher. Nine times out of ten, a change
>>>> won't occur and the child does not want to be moved. Too
>>>> many times when teachers build the classes and too many
>>>> parent requests are honored, classes become stacked. OI
>>>> want a fair system across the board. Please tell me how
>>>> you accomplish this. Thanks for your help.
 

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