The South Orange – Maplewood School District launched a new initiative, W.I.N. (“Whatever I Need”) for 6th and 7th grade middle school students in the 2015/16 school year.
The program was intended to provide a period for enrichment in Science and Social Studies and for supplemental instruction (remediation) in English Language Arts or Mathematics. Students are placed in the programs based on an assessment of their academic needs.
The district’s plan when it launched WIN was to expand it to 8th graders in the 2016/17 school year.
WIN has been met with approval by some district parents, who say their child has been helped by it, while others have said they believe the program has been less successful and has come at the expense of time spent taking Spanish for 7th graders.
Some parents have wondered if implementing WIN in 8th grade will lead to a reduction in Spanish for those students.
“There are NO plans to reduce 8th grade Spanish,” said Board of Education member Maureen Jones, who chairs the Equity & Excellence Committee, in an email. “WIN has provided our schools and teachers with flexibility to engage 6th and 7th grade students in different areas and provide support for struggling students. Administration is currently looking at ways to build upon those areas where WIN has been successful and learn from and improve in those areas where the first year rollout has not been as successful. They will continue to assess the current schedule based on feedback from multiple stakeholders including staff, students, and parents to plan a schedule that maintains daily instruction on Spanish for grade 8 students.”
Jones said the administration will soon be providing parents with additional clarification on plans for WIN next year. Village Green reached out to the district and will update this article as more information becomes available.
