• Introduction
• The Narrow Grade Span Model Currently Found in Guilford
• Are Baldwin and Adams Overcrowded?
• What About Enrollment Projections?
• If There is a Space Problem, What's the Right Solution?
• The New Haven Register Says Guilford is Ready to Vote
• Mrs. Truex Speaks About Classroom Size in Adams
• The Bottom Line
• Who is Bill Quirk?

Introduction

The middle school building project was recommended by Educational Consultants of Connecticut (ECC) at the October 25, 1999 BOE meeting.  These consultants stated that their "optimal recommendation is to construct a new grades 7-8 middle school to replace Adams and simultaneously construct an addition to Baldwin."   (See page 4 of http://www.guilford.k12.ct.us/BOE/minutes99/min10-25-99.htm).

At the next BOE meeting, on November 8, 1999, "Chairman Rieben stated it is clear from the report that the ECC recommendation is to build a new middle school based on the fact that so many of our other options to alleviate the middle school enrollment situation have been used already."  The BOE then discussed how they could build public support for the proposal.  Recent public meetings are part of this marketing approach.  (For the full context and related discussion see page 6 of http://www.guilford.k12.ct.us/BOE/minutes99/min11-8-99.htm)

Who are the Educational Consultants of Connecticut?   Web searches lead to Guilford BOE minutes, but little else.  Other web searches on the named consultants reveal that all three are currently residents of Wethersfield.

Since the public wasn't involved prior to this major decision, hard questions were never asked and needed information is now missing.   Guilford taxpayers deserves an honest, open, and logical debate about the middle school building project.   Hopefully, this paper will help to initiate such a debate.

The Narrow Grade Span Model Currently Found in Guilford

The unusual solution was to create the current Guilford grade span model, with four K-4 schools, a stand-alone elementary school for grades 5 and 6 (Baldwin), a stand-alone middle school for grades 7 and 8 (Adams), and the high school for grades 9 through 12.   Principal Snurkowski stated that "many of the middle schools have moved to the 5-6 and 7-8 configurations."   But, in a phone conversation with the author, she was unable to identify another school district in Connecticut which is similar to Guilford, with grades 5-6 in one building and grades 7-8 in another.

With four narrow grade bands, three building transitions, and the high (300 + student) density per grade in both Adams and Baldwin, Guilford's grade span model is in sharp contrast with current thinking about best practices in grade span configurations.  Research shows that each building transition disrupts the social structure in which learning takes place, thereby lowering achievement and participation for many students.  Research also shows both academic and social goals are better achieved with broad grade bands and low student density per grade (in a given school building).

Consider the following quote related to a 1997 Connecticut study:

• "Charlene G. Tucker and Gilbert N. Andrada found that 6th graders attending K-6 or K-8 schools  made greater gains in achievement, as measured  by the Connecticut Mastery Test than 6th graders tested after having moved from a K-5 to a 6-8 school.  'We attributed the difference to the fact that the K-6 and K-8 schools felt more accountable for their students’ progress than the new school,' says Tucker, director of Student Assessment and Testing at the Connecticut State Department of Education. That could affect such things as how a school's curriculum is designed or how its resources are deployed. Another possibility,  Tucker says, is that student achievement was negatively affected by the students’ transition to a new, bigger school."   (Source: http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/2002_03/pardini_research.htm)

K-8 schools and K-6 schools offer several benefits that serve to improve both academic achievement and social adjustment:

1. They keep the student close to home where "everyone knows your name."  In particular, the school principal knows the student  and the family, beginning with the first day of school.
2. A higher percentage of parents tend to remain involved with the first school attended by their children.
3. There is an increased probability of siblings in the same building.
• The older children look out for the younger children in their family.
4. There is an increase in teacher to teacher accountability.
• Teachers in earlier grades are under pressure to meet the expectations of teachers in the later grades.  They see them every day.
5. Delays the stress of the first building transition.

Are Baldwin and Adams Overcrowded?

An examination of the Adams floor plan reveals 42 classrooms.  These currently serve 637 students and 57 teachers.  Interestingly, the most recent (2000-2001) Connecticut Department of Education Strategic School Profile for the Adams School (http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/sch0001/jr044.pdf) reports only 26 "permanent general classroom."  Why not the 42 identified in the floor plan?  Perhaps it's a matter of definitions.   The Adams school floor plan identifies 15 classrooms that are classified as rooms for special education, science, world language, and computer labs.  Also, some classrooms  have been divided up for office space.

A tour of Adams reveals some space problems, most notably the orchestra is limited to 901 square feet.  But there also appears to be a problem of efficient space utilization.  The largest classrooms don't contain the largest classes.  At the extreme,  there is a 1,513 square foot classroom where the students occupy only one fourth of the space.  A very wide hallway could be utilized for office space, but classrooms have been divided up to provide for office space.

Note: The office cubicles used in business typically occupy approximately 50 square feet.   Allowing for isles, the 1,513 square foot classroom could offer office cubicles for approximately 20 teachers.  The very wide hallway could probably contribute another 10 offices.

What about the size of classrooms in the current Adams building?  Here's a summary of the 42 classrooms:

        Size in Square FeetNumber

            200 - 299                          1
            300 - 399                          4
            400 - 499                          3
            500 - 599                         2
            600 - 699                         12
            700 - 799                          8
            800 - 899                          8
            900 - 999                          2
            1300 - 1399                     1
            1500 - 1599                     1

Note:  If only classrooms in the range 616 to 957 square feet are used, these 30 classrooms alone could accommodate 720 students, with 24 students per classroom and a median space of 756 square feet per classroom.  That's 256 square feet more than the 500 square feet minimum size required by the State of Connecticut (click here for later CT DOE reference in this paper).

Other rooms in Adams include:

1. Choral ................ 1,607 square feet     Why can't this room be used for orchestra?
2. Band .................. 2,617 square feet
3. Orchestra ..........    901 square feet
4. Art....................... 2,579 square feet
5. Library ............... 3,472 square feet

1. Provide a detailed analysis of how every room is currently used in both Adams and Baldwin.
• Detailed classroom loading information, with teacher name and number of students, for a minimum of one week.
• Detailed documentation of usage of all rooms not currently identified as classrooms,  for a minimum of one week.
2. Make recommendations for more efficient use of currently available space.

What About Enrollment Projections?

Note that Dr. Cattanach was adapting to the Guilford "middle school" model.   Grade 5 isn't considered "middle school" elsewhere.  Baldwin is actually classified as an elementary school by the Connecticut State DOE.  (See http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/sch0001/elema150.pdf).

If There is a Space Problem, What's the Right Solution?

Here are some alternatives to the current Guilford model (four K-4 schools, a 5-6 school, and a 7-8 school).

1. Four K-5 schools, with two 6-8 schools (the old Guilford model)?
• The BOE has rejected this idea of returning to this solution.  Supposedly it's not "developmentally appropriate" and would supposedly require building another elementary school.
• At the September 2002 BOE meeting, "Chairwoman Whelan stated that the Board talked about moving the 5th grade back to the elementary schools giving us a configuration of 6,7,8 and the Board rejected that idea.  Even at a 6,7,8 configuration, the Adams building still would not be able to provide the necessary educational programs.   She added that instructionally it is the best configuration and that keeping 5 and 6 together is developmentally appropriate."  (To see this quote in context, see page 4 of  http://www.guilford.k12.ct.us/BOE/minutes2002/09-23-02.htm.)
• "Developmentally appropriate?"  There is no educational research to show that 6th graders shouldn't be housed with 7th and 8th graders.   There are hundreds of 6-8 schools in Connecticut.
• As noted above, there is a problem with building transition for 6th graders,  when they move from a K-5 to a 6-8 building.   But there are many strategies for dealing with this problem.  Isolating 6th graders with 5th graders in another building is not mentioned (nationally) as one of these strategies.
• With the current Guilford model we have moved the difficult first building transition year in the wrong direction, to the beginning of the 5th grade.
• For more on the philosophy behind  "developmentally appropriate," click on Developmentalism: An Obscure but Pervasive Restriction on Educational Improvement  (The URL is  http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/v4n8.html)
• At the October 28, 2002 public hearing, Mrs. Truex stated that the idea of moving fifth grade back to the elementary school was philosophically "troubling."
• As discussed above,  the opposite is true.   It's the early building transition that's "troubling."   But requiring the child's first school building transition at the beginning of the fifth grade is a solution tradeoff that Guilford may be willing to accept in order to allow participation in more sophisticated music programs beginning in the fifth grade.
• If we assume ECC's worst case enrollment projection  of 1,320 students through  the year 2009 for grades 5 through 8, this solution option would house approximately 500 students in the two 6-8 schools (the current Adams and Baldwin buildings).  The remaining 320 5th grade students  would need to be  absorbed in the four current K-4 buildings.
• The current Adams and Baldwin buildings would then be well below their maximum enrollment capacity.
• Perhaps the current four K-4 schools can't absorb an average of 80 additional (5th grade) students per school, but the ECC consultants and Mrs. Truex have both stated that there are no foreseeable problems with space in these four buildings.   (See page 3 of http://www.guilford.k12.ct.us/BOE/minutes99/min10-25-99.htm).
• But, if this option requires a new elementary school, the cost would be would be significantly less than the price tag attached to the current proposal.
2. Adams and Baldwin as 5-8 schools?
• Baldwin and Adams could both be reconfigured as 5-8 schools.
• Adams could be limited to 600 students.
• This could be accomplished by using just 30 of the 42 Adams classrooms, with only 20 students per class.
• Baldwin could be upgraded (if necessary)  to support the expected worst case difference of 1,320 - 600 = 720 students.
• This solution eliminates one school building transition, but it continues to require the first transition at the beginning of the 5th grade.
• This solution cuts grade density in half for each 5-8 school.   Research shows that fewer students per grade is associated with improvements in academic achievement and social adjustment.
• This is much less expensive than the current proposal, calling at most for an upgrade to Baldwin, possibly the same as the currently proposed upgrade to Baldwin.
• Note that Guilford parents have come to expect elaborate support for music programs for grades 5 through 8.  This solution allows facilities and staff to support such programs to continue to be housed in just two buildings.
3. Five K-6 schools, with Baldwin as the 7-8 school?
• Adams, as a K-6 school, would absorb students from the current four K-4 schools, thus relieving enrollment pressure on those schools.
• If necessary, Baldwin could be upgraded to enrollment projections for grades 7 and 8.
• This is the Wethersfield model (the home of the ECC consultants).
4. Six K-8 schools?
• This solution is increasingly favored nationally for the reasons given above.  It may be too expensive for Guilford, but many cities are doing this nationwide, and we in Guilford should study their experience before rejecting this possibility.
5. Other, possibly out of the box Ideas?

The New Haven Register Says Guilford is Ready to Vote

(URL = http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=5995224&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=7573&rfi=8)

This article also appears on page 5-G of the November 13, 2002 issue of the Shore Line Times.

There's no mention of the Board of Finance (BOF)  meeting on November 18th.  Apparently it's assumed that the BOF will "rubber stamp" the proposal.

Mrs. Truex Speaks About Classroom Size in Adams

1. "One of the issues facing Adams is there are no standard-size classrooms; some are small, others huge."   (underline emphasis added)
2. "To rectify the situation would require a complete interior renovation to state specifications, which together with the additions at Baldwin priced out to $70.534 million."   (underline emphasis added)

1. He's not familiar with the term "standard-size" when speaking of classrooms.
2. There is only one requirement for classroom size.  It's found in the Connecticut State Fire Safety Code (NFPA 101 - 1997).  Section 11-1.7 of this code discusses occupant load for classrooms and states that there should be a minimum of  20 net square feet per person.   Thus, for a class of 24 students, with one teacher, the classroom size should be at least 500 square feet.

The Bottom Line

• We need objective evidence that Adams and Baldwin are "overcrowded."  Let's hire an independent space utilization consultant and examine the possibilities for more efficient space utilization.
• SInce some solution strategies involve the four K-4 schools, it would be wise to extend the study to include the four K-4 buildings.
• If  the "overcrowding" problem is real, all possible solution strategies should be considered.  Each solution should be evaluated relative to current best practice thinking about the relationship between grade span configurations and desired educational outcomes (academic achievement and social adjustment).
1. It's best to delay the first building transition for as long as  possible (now at the beginning of the 5th grade in Guilford).
2. It's best to minimize the number of building transitions (now 3 in Guilford).
3. It's best to minimize the number of students per grade in a school building (now 300+ per grade for grades 5 - 8 in Guilford).

Who is Bill Quirk?

For a 12 year period, beginning in 1981, Bill developed and presented courses dealing with interactive systems design.  His company, William G. Quirk Seminars,  specialized in software usability and served hundreds of organizations,  including AT&T, Bank of America, FDIC, Federal Reserve Board, General Electric, General Foods, Harvard Business School, Hewlett-Packard, Hughes Aircraft, IBM, MIT, Mobil Oil, NASA, NIH, Texas Instruments, and The Travelers.

Beginning in 1996, Bill embarked on a public service endeavor to help parents besieged with new "math" programs.  He is a major contributor to Mathematically Correct (http://mathematicallycorrect.com/),  and he is a national advisor to NYC HOLD ( http://www.math.nyu.edu/mfdd/braams/nychold/).

Please contact Bill Quirk by email at wgquirk@wgquirk.com.

Next?

• Click here for the Guilford Middle School Building Project: A Summary View
• Click here for Bill Quirk Responds to First Selectman, Carl A. Balestracci, Jr.
• Click here for the Guilford CT Public Education Home Page