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FAKE STUDENT: Arrest warrant issued after no-show in court PAGE 7
What do you love most about Mom? Ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10, Press Publications asked students in the White Bear Lake School District about what they love about their mom. See more entries on page 14.
District leaders say multiage classrooms will help maintain target class sizes Teaching and Learning Alison Gillespie. “Each year, staffing decisions are made at the building level based on student needs, enrollment, (and) the professional judgment of the principal with clear district expectations and support. This is a comprehensive and often complex process that requires balancing enrollment, academic and social emotional needs, programming and the strengths of our staff.” Gillespie, along with Lori Mosser, principal of Oneka Elementary; Cary Krusemark, principal of Lakeaires Elementary; Julian Stanke, principal of Birch Lake Elementary; and Jen Babiash, director of teaching and learning, provided background to the School Board on how the change came about and the planning that is yet to come this spring and summer. “Multiage classrooms are not a man-
BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
Seven elementary schools in the White Bear Lake district will move to fourth and fifth grade multiage classrooms next fall. A design team was tasked with using research, evidence-based practices and feedback to develop the framework for the fourth and fifth grade programming. The team included classroom educators, special education personnel, intervention specialists and multilingual staff members, among others. “At the center of every decision we make is our responsibility for student outcomes. That responsibility is shared across teachers, principals and district leadership, and it guides how we design learning experiences for students each day,” said Assistant Superintendent for
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regardless of school or cohort size, and then working on those strong relationships and sense of belonging,” Gillespie explained. District leaders say the change aligns with the district’s strategic plan, allows for flexible, responsive instruction, maintains grade-level expectations and follows state standards to ensure that all students are ready for middle school. The two grades were chosen to be paired because the standards and assessments are aligned. “All of our elementaries have been doing multiage at some point over the years successfully, but in different ways,” Krusemark said. “So … we know that we're going to be able to take these experiences and a variety of styles, and we can strengthen from
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date. They are one of several strategies principals may use when aligning staffing to fast-serve students,” Gillespie explained. She pointed out that the concept of multiage classrooms is not new to the district; however, the level of intentionality, alignment and the systemwide approach is new. “Staffing is one of the most complex responsibilities we hold. In a system like ours, with elementary schools varying in size with uneven grade level cohort sizes, that complexity requires thoughtful, flexible approaches rather than a single standardized model,” Gillespie said. One of the reasons for the shift is to maintain target class sizes. “If we didn’t do multiage, we might have class sizes well below the target class size and well above the target class size, and so this really is about balancing those class sizes, ensuring a consistent student experience
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