The GISD is planning to eliminate the 8th grade English I class beginning with the 2009-2010 school year in an effort to comply with the new 4x4 high school requirements and encourage more students to take challenging English classes as seniors.
Currently, 8th grade students earn high school credit for completing English I and can take English II-V as high school students.Local and state policies require students to have at least four years of high school English.For students who take English I in 8th grade, English V in 12th grade becomes an elective.District data indicates nearly 50% of students who took English I in 8th grade opt not to take English V as seniors and instead choose a less rigorous course to fulfill their requirements.In an effort to improve College Readiness objectives, and align our district with similar districts, the 8th grade class will be eliminated and all students will take English I-IV in high school.
This change will require the curriculum to be modified for next year’s 8th grade EH English students, and high school credit will no longer be available in 8th grade for English.In addition, students interested in the IB program at Garland HS, will now be required to complete the new Enriched Honors English class (which will replace English I) in 8th grade.
The department responsible for this change is under the direction of Dr. Butch Sloan, Executive Director of School Improvement.He can be reached at 972-487-4462 or LLSloan@garlandisd.net.
If you have concerns about this issue and would like to be added to an e-mail list for more information, please contact Diana Cooley at dcooley@gapagt.org.
Elementary
The amount of time spent on homework varies as much as the purposes. A good rule of thumb for determining a healthy amount of homework time is ten minutes per grade. Children in kindergarten might expect ten minutes per day of homework, but by fifth grade it may be closer to an hour. A lot depends on the nature of the child and how they perceive expectations. Take an active interest in your child's schooling, and ask specific questions about what he or she is learning each day. Guide your child through homework, offering assistance when needed but not doing it yourself.
Middle School
As students enter middle school, the amount of homework may vary by subject, and the nature of homework may shift from nightly assignments to weekly projects and research papers. Organizational skills and motivational aspects become more important as they learn to manage heavier work loads. This is a good time to learn how to use a weekly planner or calendar to keep track of homework assignments. Establish clear expectations and consequences, but also celebrate successes and achievements.
High School
In high school, homework may focus more on projects and research papers, but it may also give opportunities for in-depth, independent exploration of topics of interest. Developing good study skills and time management habits at this level become crucial to reaching their goals. Learning to use their time efficiently will help them balance the increased work load as well as extra-curricular opportunities.
For many years, academically gifted 5th - 8th graders have been able to participate in a competition math and science team at Hillside, Kimberlin and Austin Academy. The teams compete as part of the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association (TMSCA) with other schools from across the metroplex and state, offering a challenging opportunity to grow and develop student skills while earning trophies, ribbons, and medals. Volunteers have primarily funded the team, with support from the sponsoring schools and occasionally from business donations. However, finding consistent teacher sponsors, qualified coaches, and financial support for each interested school to provide a competitive team has become increasingly difficult.Therefore, GAPAGT formed a committee to develop a proposal asking for support from the school district, which would expand the team to allow qualified students from any school to participate and provide resources for a trained coaching staff. The proposal was accepted and included in the district's budget, beginning with the 2008-2009 school year.
"Taking Control of ADD" Podcast
The Mensa Education & Research Foundation introduces the latest "Conversations with Mensa" podcast: "Taking Control of ADD." See the Parenting Resources page for more information and to link to the podcast.
This is a parent group site — opinions expressed here shall not be attributed to Garland ISD.